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How To Lose Weight: The Basics
Online Weight Loss Support
How To Lose The Last Ten
Weight Loss Support Groups
What Is The Fat Smash Diet?
Weight Watchers Points System
The Beck Diet Solution
The Eat To Live Diet
How To Motivate To Lose Weight
How To Get Started on PEERtrainer
Ending The Hunger Cycle
Turning Knowledge Into Action
Click Here To Go Back To The PEERtrainer Weight Loss Guide
Portion Size Is Important
How To Figure Out A Good Rule Of Thumb
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Your stomach is about the size of your fist. Most plates of dinner served at a restaurant are twice, sometimes three times the size of this. Make it a buffet and you could be eating a portion that is 6 times the size of your stomach. An appetizer is usually a sensible portion size for your stomach. Use the palm of your hand to get a good sense of how much protein you should eat at any given meal. Make the rest of the plate full of vegetables.
Here is a quick reference list of popular foods:
1 cup of cereal = a baseball
. For example, a cup
Cheerios
has about a 110 calories, (2 Weight Watchers Points).
2 Tbsp of
salad dressing
= a shot glass.
Most salads in restaurants have 2 LADLES of dressing on them; 2 Tbsp is a relatively small amount and will average about 240 calories (5 Weight Watchers Points). Adding lemon or mustard or something like
balsamic vinegar
can make your salad "moist" without adding extra fat and calories.
1 Oz of Nuts = a cupped palm.
For example, an ounce of
Cashews
has 163 calories (almost 4 Weight Watchers Points) and they're so good it's hard to stop at a "cupped palm".
1 Oz of
Cheese
= a ping-pong ball.
An ounce of Cheddar has about 110 calories, (3 Weight Watchers Points). The picture is of comedian Mister PP and gives you a reasonably good visual idea of the size of a ping pong ball relative to your mouth!
3 Oz of Hamburger = a
mayonaise
jar lid
. To get a good idea of how big that lid is, move your fingers into a "grab and open a lid" position. It's a full one ounce smaller than a quarter pounder. Some higher end restaurants serve 1/2 pound
hamburgers
.
1 Tbsp of Peanut Butter = three dice
. Most
peanut butter
labels have 2 Tbsp as a serving, which is 200 calories (2 weight watchers points). You can make a decent "sandwich" with 1 Tablespoon. Peanut butter is also delicious with bananas and celery.
1/2 a Cup of
Rice
= an ice cream scoop
. A 1/2 cup of white rice has about 205 calories,
4 Weight Watchers Points
and if you're in a restaurant it's easy to have at least 3 servings. Just put one "ice cream scoop" on your plate.
1 Potato = a computer mouse
. A potato only has a 100 calories and 2 Weight Watchers Points. It's the stuff you put on the potato that makes the "portion" get out of control. Check out a
Baked Potato with Cheese and Bacon
.
1 Dinner Roll = a yo-yo
. A dinner roll has about 66 calories, a little more than 1 WW point. Unfortunately, it's hard to stop at one when a basket of 6 arrives at your table. Here are tips about how to
eat out and still lose weight
.
1 Tsp of Butter = a Scrabble tile
. Usually about a Tablespoon of
butter
is used at about a 100 calories and 2 Weight Watchers Points. It's virtually all
fat
. Better alternatives to butter are
olive oil
or
avocado
.
1/2 a Cup of Cooked Pasta = a golf ball
. There are roughly 200 calories and 4 WW points in a full cup of pasta (2 golf balls). You'll find information about every kind of pasta
here
.
3 Oz of Fish = a checkbook
. A serving of
cooked salmon
has about 175 calories and almost 4 WW points. Calories and Nutrition Facts in
other kinds
of fish. Be mindful of
mercury
when selecting your fish entree.
3 Oz of Beef = a bar of soap
There are roughly 200 calories and 4 Weight Watchers Points in a Serving of
Steak
and most restaurants are serving a much larger portion than a "bar of soap". Also be sure to ask if the steak has been marianated or other hidden additives that cause
food sensitivities
.
Portion control is critical for long term weight loss, and is a very important first step. Staying on track is difficult and you will need all the help you can get. You need to start finding ways of keeping yourself on track. PEERtrainer has developed a free
Tip Of The Day
email program that helps to remind and motivate you each day. If you have just
joined PEERtrainer
, please make sure to go the the page and learn more about this popular program.
Next: The Three Bite Rule- How To Eat Dessert And Still Stay On Track
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