Size Matters - With Portions, That is!
About a 5 minute read.
If you want to lose weight, maintain a healthy weight, or even gain weight, you need to consume a different amount of energy (aka calories) than you expend. However, that’s a gross over-simplification, because there are numerous factors that affect calorie measurement, calorie expenditure, and changes in body weight. At first glance, measuring calories in vs. calories out seems like a sensible method, until you actually try to measure calories. For now let’s just consider calories IN. What is a “medium-sized” apple anyway? And did you know that many calorie counters are off by as much as 20-50%? Not only that, but the FDA has approved 5 different methods for food companies to calculate the calories in their packaged products. You can bet they’ll use the one that makes their food look most favorable.
Another thing to consider is whether or not it actually helps to track the calories you consume. Who has time to log every single bite, sip, or taste you put into your mouth, then look it up, measure it, and do the math? Don’t get me wrong - from time to time I find that tracking food can be really helpful - the key being from time to time, and only for a few days. If tracking works for you as an ongoing and sustainable habit, that’s great! Personally, I find it tedious. Besides, these days we can become downright obsessed with numbers that don’t really tell us the right story. Calorie counting is one of those things, in my opinion.
But don’t despair. There’s a better way.
As you know, I’m all about simplifying things. When we keep things simple, they are easier to understand, easier to remember, and easier to do. So forget counting calories unless you’re a physique competitor or a professional athlete who needs to calculate your weight to the nearest ounce or gram. As a matter of fact, even competitive athletes can do well with what I’m about to tell you.
Portion size matters. Period.
Let’s talk about packaged foods, in spite of the fact that I don’t like them much. I buy and eat them sometimes, it’s just a reality of life. But have you ever actually read the Nutrition Facts insert on that packet of nuts, trail mix, or the “snack size” bag of chips or cookies? What about that neon-coloured or fizzy beverage you grabbed on the go? You may be very surprised to find that many of those packages contain more than 1 serving, even though they’re packaged and marketed as “singles.” They’re labeled that way because most people will glance at the calories and think they’re doing well with 100-250 calories in their snack or beverage. However, if that “little” packet happens to be 2-3 servings, you’ve accidentally consumed an entire meal’s worth of energy. Oops.
The other thing about portion size is that we actually need a lot less food than we think we do. Since the 1980s, portion sizes have doubled, and even tripled, from what they used to be. Unfortunately, we have come to think of value in terms of how much we get for our money, rather than how much our bodies need or want. Whenever I find my clothes are starting to feel a bit too tight, the most common reason is that my portion sizes have started to get bigger.
The great thing is that you have a built-in portion control mechanism with you at all times. And no, it’s not your phone - it’s your hand. It’s a brilliant measurement because it is perfectly scaled for your body! Now, before you get all worried that this is a bunch of hooey, let me assure you that this has been tried and tested by some of the best folks in the industry. I personally have talked to coaches who put themselves through an experiment to see how these guidelines would work for them during physique competitions, weight loss goals, and endurance sports training. And every one of them said it worked even better than counting calories, fat grams, etc. So how does it work?
Look at your hand. We’re going to use it in a few different ways. Here are the general recommendations.
One portion of VEGETABLES or FRUITS = The Size of Your Fist
One portion of PROTEIN = The palm of your hand (minus your fingers)
One portion of FAT = The size of your thumb
One portion of CARBS = Your cupped hand
So, how many portions of each should you eat in a day? Again, that depends on a lot of different things, but the general daily intake recommendations for active people are:
WOMEN
4-6 palms of protein-dense foods
4-6 fists of vegetables
4-6 cupped handfuls of carb-dense foods
4-6 thumbs of fat-dense foods
MEN
6-8 palms of protein-dense foods
6-8 fists of vegetables
6-8 cupped handfuls of carb-dense foods
6-8 thumbs of fat-dense foods
Instead of worrying too much about the math, try starting out with just 1 portion from each food group per meal and see how that goes. You can always eat more once you let it settle and decide whether you’re still hungry.
Note: These guidelines are simply a starting point and should be adjusted based on activity levels and individual needs - this is where working with a nutrition coach can be helpful, but of course, feel free to experiment.
(By the way, men generally need to eat more than women do. Sorry ladies, but our body size, metabolism, and hormones are just different, and we don’t tend to carry as much muscle as men do. It’s not sexist, it’s just the way we’re made.)
If you have to eat food from a package, consider what’s in it. Does it have good stuff for your body? Does it help you get closer to your health goals? And how much of it will you eat? It’s perfectly fine to eat more than a serving of a particular food, by the way. Just make sure you monitor your total intake over the course of a day. The bottom line is, if you’re consuming more energy than you expend, the result is going to be weight gain.
So, there you have it. (Portion) Size matters. To be honest, this also is an oversimplification of a very complex thing. Ultimately you need to find the right balance for your body. Age, health status, food intolerances, and a number of other factors also need to be considered. However, this gives you a great starting point for experimenting and finding what works best for you. And don’t ever worry about getting it “perfect,” because there is no such thing. Try for just a little bit better than what you’re currently doing. Keep it simple.
Before I go, I’d also like to tell you that it’s not just what we eat, or how much we eat that matters. How we eat is just as (if not more) important. But we’ll save that subject for another time. I think you have enough to chew on for now. (See what I did there?)
Have a health of a day,
Juli