Holiday hovering. Isn’t that what we all do when all those special foods appear at parties, at relatives’ homes and at buffet tables? How do we control maintaining our weight or even staying on an eating regimen designed to lose weight? Two words: portion control.
If you take pride in trying to get or stay fit over the holidays, we have some hacks for you to try, the first of which is to avoid putting more food in front of you than you see yourself eating. Why? People tend to eat almost all of what they put in front of them. Evidence suggests that sizes of plates, spoons and glasses can unconsciously influence how much food you eat. Large plates make food appear smaller, and that can lead to overeating.
As we mentioned last holiday season, we saw one study where people using a large bowl ate 77% more pasta than those using a medium-sized bowl, and the same thing happened with ice cream. Were they even conscious of the difference? Nope. So swap your usual plate, bowl or serving spoon for smaller ones to reduce the helping of food and prevent overeating.
Smaller plates can also be used as a portion guide. Once you determine your “rations,” consider using half a plate for veggies or salad, a quarter of the place for high-quality protein, such as meat, poultry, fish, eggs, etc. Another quarter can go for complex carbs (grains or starchy vegetables), and add only half a teaspoon for high fat stuff -- cheese, oils, butter. This is, of course, a rough guide. Everyone has different dietary needs depending on activity levels, whether they are on a fat loss regimen, or simply hope not to blow it over the holidays.
Of course, filling up on vegetables and salad, which are naturally low in calories but high in fiber and other nutrients, may help you avoid overeating calorie-dense foods. Need a guide? Women can figure on a palm-sized for high protein food, a fist size for salads and veggies, a cupped hand portion for high carb delights, and a thumb-sized dollop of butter, oils, nuts and high fat food items.
Eating out? Healthline says restaurant serving sizes are, on average, about 2.5 times larger than standard serving sizes — and up to a whopping EIGHT times larger. So ask for a half portion or a children’s dish. If that is not possible, ask for a box when they serve your meal and place whatever constitutes one or two more meals inside it for leftovers. Sharing meals is a great idea too.
Water is also a great hack to avoid overeating. Try drinking a glass of water up to a half hour before a meal to aid in portion control. It will make you feel less hungry and will help you distinguish between hunger and thirst. Studies have shown that middle-aged and older adults who drank 17 ounces of water before each meal resulted in a 44% greater decline in weight over 12 weeks, most likely due to reduced food intake. Lastly, whatever you do, don’t eat directly from a food container. It encourages overeating and there will be less awareness of appropriate portion sizes.
We wish you the happiest of holiday seasons. It has been our pleasure helping you get or stay fit, and we’ll see you back here soon!