Portion Pointers For Weight Loss Success

It’s not just what you eat, it’s how much.  

Calories Matter

We’ve all heard the “calories in, calories out” theory of weight loss, but it doesn’t tell the whole story. Individual weight loss success (or lack thereof) is a reflection of many things, including biological, mental, situational, and environmental factors. Nevertheless, a calorie deficit over time is still required for weight loss to occur—no matter what type of eating plan or regimen one employs to get there. To create a calorie deficit—the situation where energy expenditure is greater than energy intake—can happen either through increased activity or decreased food intake (or both). While increased activity is important for overall health (and weight maintenance), studies show that decreased food intake is more impactful for creating a caloric deficit and weight loss. This is where portion control can come in handy.  

The Power of Portion Sizes When It Comes to Weight

Keeping food portions in check makes a calorie deficit easier to maintain. Doing so means that you don’t need to skip any meals or eliminate entire food groups. Instead, you can cut back on portions of specific foods throughout the day or make sure your meal portions are appropriate for you. It’s a relatively painless behavior change that can impact overall food and caloric intake.

Portion versus Serving

While many people use the terms interchangeably, a serving and a portion are not the same thing. A serving is a measured, standardized amount of food, such as you might see on a Nutrition Facts label. A portion is the amount of food you choose to eat.

Visual Cues For Portions

Multiple studies have shown that most people eat more food when portion sizes are bigger. Bigger portions can occur in several ways, and many of them have been studied to determine their impacts on overall food consumption. 

Table Tools

• Plate or bowl size: Studies on plate size (or bowl size) have produced mixed results. Those that suggest a benefit typically only show a small impact. Other studies on the topic of plate size are controversial due to inconsistent methodology and retracted studies. The random use of smaller plates or bowls alone wasn’t effective in reducing portions consistently in a recent meta-analysis. On the other hand, there is some indication that calibrated plates (those that have specific portioned sections or indicators of portion size on the plate) may be helpful for consistent portion control. 

• Cutlery: The same meta-analysis mentioned above showed that using smaller spoons in combination with smaller bowls may be helpful for moderating portion size. 

• Plate or bowl color: Some studies have suggested that using a plate or bowl that provides a large color contrast with the food may be beneficial in moderating portion sizes. However, there doesn’t appear to be any reproducible, significant effect from serving food on a red plate versus a black plate or white plate. 

The Role of Packaging

Research has shown that packaging attributes influence the amount of food people consume. Small package sizes, individual serving packs (pre-portioned packs), and resealable packaging appear to be helpful for moderating food intake. It’s a way to “nudge” people into making better food portion decisions. 

Conversely, larger package sizes tend to encourage people to eat more. This has been demonstrated time and again. You’ve undoubtedly noticed that particular foods' portion sizes have increased dramatically over the last couple of decades. The phenomenon, sometimes referred to as “portion distortion,” is very obvious in restaurant food portions (the amount that customers are served) and in packaged foods and beverages at supermarkets. 

Practical Ways to Manage Portions

Despite the fact that modern life is set up to encourage overeating via inflated portions, all is not lost. You still have control over how much you choose to consume. That’s where portion management techniques come into play. Don’t worry; you won’t have to micromanage every spoonful of food you eat! I’ve written before about how managing portions is helpful for people with GERD or reflux, and those tips work for everybody, so check them out. Here are a few more suggestions for practical portion management skills you can start practicing today.

Measure It: Simple, Effective Tools

Portion pros rely on a few basic tools that most people have on hand at home. Measuring cups and measuring spoons are staple kitchen tools, and you can use them in a few ways:

1. Figure out how much food your usual bowls and cups hold. If you routinely pour your cereal up to a certain level in your bowl, how much cereal does that end up being? Brace yourself, you might be shocked. Do the same with your usual drinking cups or glasses. Squat, wide glasses can be especially deceiving, often holding more liquid than tall, narrow glasses. You can also practice measuring out easy-to-measure foods like rice or pasta to better understand how much room those foods take up on the plates you use at home.

2. Measure out any “problem foods,” you know, the ones that you have trouble eating in moderation (Hello, trail mix! Is that just me?). Check the packages for the Nutrition Facts label and note the serving sizes. Then measure out that amount for yourself. The more you do this, the more you’ll train yourself to recognize what one serving looks like. Note: The amount of food your body requires may not match the suggested serving sizes, but it’s a good starting point, and you can adjust it for your health and nutrition needs.

Read Labels: Check Serving Sizes

I’ve already touched on label reading, but aside from checking the serving size listed, be sure you check to see how many servings are in that package. That information is at the very top of the Nutrition Facts label (“servings per container”). This is so important because many food packages that appear to hold one serving actually contain two or more servings. Think chips (those small bags look like one serving, right?), candy bars, soda, juices, bottled smoothies and protein drinks, microwave popcorn, and many other foods.

Tune In: Your Body Signals For Hunger and Fullness

As a credentialed mindful eating instructor, I frequently write about and work on this suggestion with clients. We all have messages from our bodies that tell us when we are hungry and full—and to what degree. The trick is to be aware of them. When we were babies, we naturally followed these signals, crying for food or turning away when no longer hungry. As we grow older, we can lose touch with these innate indicators due to things like school and work schedules, desires to modify our bodies, and social pressures on eating occasions. Assess your hunger by taking a moment to tune in (closing your eyes briefly can help) and check how your body feels. Doing this twice: once before beginning to eat, as well as mid-meal (when you’re halfway through the amount of food you’ve served yourself), helps you eat with intention, selecting the amount of food to match your hunger level. 

Your Restaurant Routine: Smart Ordering

Since restaurants are notorious for serving huge portions, it makes sense to preempt that. 

• One technique I routinely employ is to look at the menu online ahead of time. That way, I only need to look at the list of daily specials when I arrive. It gives me time to think about what I really want and how hungry I am that day, and I can then fashion my order accordingly. 

• At all but the fanciest of restaurants, if I know I’ll be ordering an entree, I ask for a to-go container when I order instead of waiting until the end of the meal. Then, when my order comes, I simply place half of the entree in the container right away. That solves most of the huge-portion problem and allows me to have more fun during the meal without worrying so much about overeating.  

• If I’m not vibing with the entree selections (which is typical for me), I will order a side salad and an appetizer or a veggie-based appetizer and a protein-heavy appetizer. The portions for appetizers are very appropriate for an entire meal if you are combining them. Be sure to ask that both your selections come when the others get their entrees so that you aren’t halfway through your meal when the others are just getting their food.

Get Mindful: Slow Down and Savor

Eating quickly is often a matter of habit. That means you can change it by training yourself to use attention and intention. Eating at a slow pace is one of the foundational skills of mindful eating. It gives your body and brain the time needed to communicate fullness signals. While you are doing it, focus your attention on how your food looks, smells, and tastes. Take note of temperature and texture as well. Aim to take 10-15 minutes to eat half the food on your plate or in your bowl (set a timer on your phone and put your phone away from the table if you need to until you get used to eating at a slower pace). At that point, stop eating and assess how your body feels. How hungry are you still? How full do you feel? Then proceed to eat intentionally and slowly, consuming just the amount of food needed to result in feeling pleasantly full—not stuffed or at all uncomfortable. And remember, it takes practice to get good at slowing down, so don’t give up!

What techniques do you use to keep your portions reasonable? Share your tips in the comment section below!

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