In this day and age everyone wants to live a healthy lifestyle, and people are shunning away from the notion that bigger is better. More and more people are struggling with weight control and are looking for sustainable ways in dealing with it. Increased portion sizes are thought to contribute to overeating and unwanted weight gain. Yes, this can not be denied, but we have to remember that there are a lot of factors that contribute to how much one consumes and the weight increase on the waistline.
So as to fight weight gain without even stepping into the gym we have to start with our portions. Controlling the size of food we eat in one sitting can definitely help avoid overfeeding. A couple of tips that might help in preventing overindulging are listed here.
Your hands can be used as a serving guide
A great way to get the right portions without having to use any measuring equipment is be using something as simple as your hands. As your hands usually correspond to your body size, bigger people who require more food typically have bigger hands.
So how do you use your hands to determine the portion size? This is how:
For foods that are classified as proteins, for example meat, a palm size helping will be fitting for your dietary needs if you are a lady and two palm size if you are man.
When comes the greenery, veggies and salads, help yourself to a fist size for a lady and double that as a man. The carbohydrates, known as the enemy of the waistline. So as to ensure you eat just the right amount, one cupped hand of carbohydrates will be enough for the lady and two for the guy.
Your plate too can be used to measure portions
There are existing plates that are made for this task. If you add this in your utensils drawer then it will do you a solid. It is still possible to use your normal plate in measuring portions. Just a rough description of what you should do, half the plate should hold the vegetables, a quarter for the proteins and the remaining quarter for the carbs.
Use smaller plates and bowls
Try not to eat food directly out of the box or from the cooking pot ,aim to portion out food onto a plate or bowl.This can make it very hard to maintain portions if you are not keen enough. Small dishes will make you have portions that are substantial.
Drink water some minutes before a meal
According to a report from TheDietAdvantage.com, you need to make sure that you are constantly hydrated. Not only will you stay hydrated all day long but it will help to flush out the impurities from your system too. Apart from that, the water helps in kick starting the processes of digestion. It acts as a forerunner of the food that is to come.
