PORTION CONTROL
I know how you feel about this; it is so hard to control yourself when the food is amazing, but you have to. Diet, which is a lifestyle, is all about portion control so you can succeed. Portion control will help you boost your metabolism, and depending on what you eat; it will keep you full. Eating 6 small meals every day will help you lose weight not fast, but slow and effectively. When you overeat you feel bloated, and you gain more weight, which is not what you want, right?
Here are some tips for you to know how much you should be eating per day:
As you know bread products are always extra large and this means that it contains like 3 to 4 servings in one piece. For example, a bagel should be the size of a hockey puck. You should be consuming half of the bagel and safe the other half for later. You don't wanna pack those extra calories in one sit; instead, divide it. Consume a total of 5-6 servings of grains each day.
Instead of choosing refined grains such as white rice and/or bread, you should choose whole grains. Why whole grains? because it keeps you full for long periods of time. Refined grains are absorbed quickly into the bloodstream and they turn into fat. Brown rice should be the size of half of a tennis ball and you should consume about 5-6 servings of grains per day.
Grains, such as whole wheat pasta, should be the size of half of a tennis ball. You should consider the extra things you are going to put on it though, the vegetables or meat, and the sauce. You have to count those calories as well. Choose your whole grain pastas and keep in mind that 1 serving gives up to 25% of your daily fiber.
Protein is the best thing you could consume to lose weight or to even gain muscle. Protein is very important when you want to lose weight, it is thermogenic and helps your burn fat. Protein is something that you body needs at all times to maintain muscles, body organs, blood and bones in check.
Chicken breast is one of the best protein option. It should be the size of a deck of cards. To have a better chicken breast, it is better to remove the skin so it has less fat and calories.
Salmon is a wonderful source of protein and omega 3. The size of the salmon should be a deck of cards. The omega 3 in fish is amazing, it helps protect against heart disease and aids in the production of new brain cells.
Beef and turkey burgers should be the size of a deck of cards as well. These are a good source of protein, and helps you lose weight as long as you eat the right amount. Always get lean ground beef if you are making burgers, otherwise, you will be eating a burger full of grease.
Now, I know everybody likes fruit and think that because it is natural it shouldn't make you fat. The reality is that fruit is full of natural fructose (sugar) and if you eat it a lot during the day, even at night, it won't benefit you if you really want to lose fat. I am not saying fruit is bad, all I am saying is that you have to control your intake, and eat it only in the morning as a snack or with your breakfast. Fresh fruit should be the size of a golf ball, such as apple, kiwi, orange, grapes, and so on. If you are a fan of dried fruit, let me tell you that it is not very good because they remove the water from the fruit making them shrink. If you think about it a cup of grapes is the nutritional equivalent of 1/4 cup raisins.
I was a huge fan of juice, I think it taste amazing, but guess what? packed in sugar and full of calories. If you are looking to lose fat, a glass of juice during the day will definitely not give you the results you want. From what I read, the amount of juice you should be drinking is the size of a golf ball. Still I do not recommend drinking juice; instead, eat the fruit, which is packed with fiber.
I used not to like apples, but apples have benefits. They are low in calories and their peel is packed with fiber; also, this peel inhibit the growth of breast, liver and colon cancer cells.
I know I talked about only eating fruit with the size of a golf ball, but grapes should be the size of a tennis ball. NO, I am no saying "find a grape the size of a tennis ball," I am talking about the amount of grapes you consume should be the size of a tennis ball. Red grapes are antioxidants and packed with resveratrol and may help prevent colon cancer.
Most of you may not like vegetables, but let me tell you a secret...I used to HATE THEM! I learned to appreciate their flavor like 4 or 5 years ago. Vegetables are good for you, and helps you lose those extra pounds amazingly. If you love baby carrots (I do), they are excellent source of carotenoids, which is an antioxidant that may help prevent diabetes and cancer. Carrots are known to have their natural amount of sugar so if you are looking to compete against somebody else and you want to reduce fat then avoid this at night. Again, I am not saying they are bad, I am just saying control your portions. For those who are just looking to lose fat by eating vegetables, protein, and carbs twice a day (breakfast and lunch), then it would be perfect for them to eat any vegetable.
Broccoli is packed of sulforaphane, which is one of the most powerful cancer fighting compounds in food. Have broccoli in your breakfast, lunch and dinner to get a good dose of their beneficiary compounds. A tip for you: steam the broccoli lightly for a better release of that amazing compound.
Don't be afraid of good fats. I know some of you are so scared of eating good fats believing it will give you the opposite result, but in reality, good fats fight bad fat in your body. Don't get too excited though, eating too much of it can certainly give you the opposite. We are talking about portion control, and this means that if something is really good like nuts, you should definitely eat the right amount; otherwise, you won't get results. When you eat nuts, it should be the size of a shot glass. Eating small amounts of these healthy fats can reduce appetite and signal your brain that you are full. Please get natural nuts, not the ones that are salted. Salty nuts won't do you any good.
Who loves olive oil? I do and I cook with it as well, which is not good. Why isn't it good? Well olive oil contains monounsaturated fats and when you cook with it, the olive oil turns into saturated fat, which is something you definitely want to avoid when losing fat. The right amount of olive oil should be the size of the tip of your thumb. The monounsaturated fats target belly fat and boost your calorie burn up to 5 hours after the meal. Choose extra virgini oil, which contains the most cholesterol-lowering polyphenols.
Who doesn't love peanut butter? Definitely not me, but peanut butter is packed with good fat and should equal the size of a shot glass. Choose natural peanut butter, is better for you because nothing is added to it, it is just peanuts.
I love dairy products, I love cheese, milk in my cereals and yogurt. Unfortunately, I cannot consume these on a daily basis just because of the lactose (sugar). My goal is to lose fat, and I am sure that is your goal as well. It is best to avoid them until you reach your goal and then control your intake during maintanance. Instead of buying skim milk, go and get almond milk (unsweetened) or if you are lactose intolerant, then get soy milk. Again, dairy products are not bad, on the contrary, they are packed with protein and calcium, which is needed for your bones, joint, muscles and so on. Just control the amounts.
If you are craving cheddar cheese, good news is that you can eat 4 little squares, equal to the size of a dice.
For Mozzarella, it is best to get the shredded one and only eat an amount that equals to the size of a golf ball.
This is it for portion control. I will come back with more information soon. Hope you enjoy this information and hope it actually helps you figure out the right amount when it comes to portion control.