>>Portion Control <<
Regardless of how ‘healthy’ of food you put on your plate, if you eat too much of it you won’t lose any body fat, you might even gain some. It’s a fact of life that if you eat more than than you need, you ain’t progressing. There’s no doubt counting calories is king if you want to know exactly how much you’re eating, however this method isn’t for everyone. Simply applying a few principles can be more than enough to make the difference. So let’s look at a few basic rules:
1. If it doesn’t fit into a small tupperware /chinese tub, it’s likely too much.
Have a look at any of the lean range meals on offer from the health grain, oh so lean, cunningham’s, mourne meats AJ’s kitchen range, any of them, they all have 1 thing in common. Portion control. They all come in small tubs, so you know exactly how much you’re eating and are far less tempted to go and scoop another load onto your plate.
2. Abide by the hand measurements in the pictures.
-For protein-dense foods like meat, fish, eggs, dairy, or beans, use a palm-sized serving.
We recommend women eat one palm-sized portion, and men eat two palm-sized portions with each meal.
-For veggies like broccoli, spinach, salad, carrots, etc. use a fist sized serving.
We recommend women eat one fist-sized portion, and men eat two fist-sized portions with each meal.
-For carbohydrate-dense foods, like grains, starches or fruits; use a cupped hand to determine your serving size.
We recommend women eat one cupped- hand sized portion, and men eat two cupped- hand sized portions with most meals.
-For fat-dense foods, like oils, butters, nut butters, nuts/seeds; use your entire thumb to determine your serving size.
We recommend women eat one thumb-sized portion, and men eat two thumb-sized portions with most meals.
3. Always use a smaller plate rather than a big one. It might be all in your head, but it’s much more satisfying and harder to overload a smaller plate than a big empty looking one.
If you leave the table busted you’ve ate too much. Control your portions and you’ll be in control of your progress.