I will decrease the portions I eat

Getting a handle on the portion sizes of foods you eat each day can have a major impact on your weight loss goals. The usual portion of foods served in restaurants or purchased in convenience stores and other vendors are extremely large and may distort your perception of an appropriate serving size, adding extra calories you may not even be aware of. Below are examples of food items that are more than one standard serving size.

A typical bakery bagel is 4 oz — equivalent to 4 grains servings.
A steak called “petite” at most restaurants is 8 to 10 ounces which represents 3 - 4 meat servings.
A 12" sub sandwich typically contains 5 grains servings plus 3 - 4 meat servings and 2 cheese servings.
A side dish of pasta at an Italian restaurant is typically 2 cups or 4 grains servings.

These are just a few examples that emphasize the need to pay close attention to how much food we are actually consuming. In the current environment, we are frequently exposed to food portions that do not resemble the standard serving sizes specified by the USDA Choose My Plate guidelines.

Tips for decreasing portion sizes:

Learn the recommended serving sizes: the USDA lists the recommended serving sizes on their website (choosemyplate.gov). Following are some examples of the USDA recommendations for portion sizes:
- One serving of red meat, pork, chicken or fish = about the size of a cassette tape.
- One serving of fruit, vegetables, pasta or rice = about the size of a child’s fist.
- One serving of cheese = about the size of a lighter.
- One serving of milk, yogurt, or chopped fresh greens = about the size of a baseball.
- One serving of cereal = about the size of a tennis ball.
- One serving of salad dressing = a small shot glass.
- One serving of nuts = the size of a palm.
- One serving of peanut butter = the size of one dice.
- One serving of potato = about the size of a cell phone.
- One serving of butter = a Checkers piece

Measuring and Weighing

Become familiar with serving sizes of foods and beverages you usually consume. Using measuring cups and measuring spoons, evaluate the quantity of beverages and foods consumed in your food plan.

Listed below are examples of various beverage and food items to measure or weigh:

How many ounces of milk, sugared beverages, or juice do you drink?
How many cups of cereal or dry snack food do you eat?
When you eat cheese, how many ounces do you eat at one time?
How many cups of pasta or rice do you usually eat with your meal?
How many ounces of meat, poultry, and fish do you usually eat?
How many teaspoons or tablespoons of butter, salad dressing, peanut butter, mayonnaise, or other condiments do you use on your food items?

After you have determined your typical serving sizes, try measuring your food for a week or two so that you can get a visual picture of the recommended serving sizes — and you may be pleasantly surprised at your weight loss just from cutting back on eating the favorite foods in your diet!

Portion out Food: Instead of just reaching into the cracker box or chip bag when you get home from work, measure out 1 cup of snack food and put it in a bowl or on a plate and sit down and eat it. By separating out just one portion of a food, it is much easier to control how much you eat and is a great way to cut back on calories.
Split a Serving: Most restaurants provide much larger portions than what is recommended we eat at a meal. Consider splitting a meal with a family member or friend, or ask for a “to go” box right when you get your meal and immediately cut it in half and place the other half in the box — you will cut your calories in half and you have an additional meal for later!
Use a Portion Control Plate: This is an easy way to control portion sizes without having to measure your food. There are several different types of portion control plates available, and you can also buy smaller plates and bowls to use for your meals (like using a salad plate instead of a dinner plate).

Please note there are other portion control tips and tools in the My Eating Habits - My Fat Intake section of this website.