When it comes to portion sizes, many are confused. Are your portions too big, or maybe too small? Are you trying to lose some weight, or maybe to gain weight? If all the information online is confusing you, you are not alone.
Firstly, eating out can mess your vision of a healthy, well-balanced meal. Even when you order a salad – often these plates are big enough to feed three people! According to the report of the National Center for Health Statistics the average adult’s weight, waistline and overall body mass index increased – and that is not a surprise.
If you need any suggestions about restaurants that serve healthy, and right-sized portions, follow our Instagram profile – personal trainers are sharing their favorite places to eat out all the time.
What is a portion control plate?
Simply, a portion control plate is a dish divided into sections, which is supposed to help your calorie counting and provide you guidance when it comes to controlling the size of your portions. It is your best buddy in the weight loss journey, next to your personal trainer.
Also, portion control plate is a visual reminder that you should include veggies and fruits to your meal, so you get all the necessary minerals and vitamins. This way the portion control plate helps you lose weight – it restricts the number of calories you eat in one meal.
Creating your meal this way helps mindful and balanced eating, and it is a great start of your weight loss mission. All Personal Trainers Dubai’s clients get a specialized nutrition plan from their personal trainers. These nutrition plans are created for you to eat healthy and delicious food, including all the needed groceries. You can implement the nutrition plan and recipes you get from your personal trainer to the portion control plate since these fit together perfectly.
How to do portion control?
There are a couple of tips and tricks when it comes to portion control. The one we suggest, especially for beginners, is a portion control plate. Portion control plate has different, right-sized sections for fruits, veggies, grains and proteins, so it reminds you of what you need and how much of it you need in order to have a well-balanced meal.
Once you get used to the size of your portions, you can simply use smaller plates than before. Bigger plates may trick you into having a larger meal, simply because that looks more appealing. Over time, you will learn to stop eating when you are satisfied but not stuffed.
When you finish your portion and feel like you are still hungry, wait for 10 minutes. If you feel hungry after 10 minutes allow yourself a small healthy veggie snack.
There is one more trick that can help you reduce portion size and lose weight, and that is to slow down chewing and swallowing. We know that all of you are very busy and that sometimes you just have a couple of minutes during the day to eat. Unfortunately, that is a habit that you have to change in order to lose weight faster and to ease up the progress.
Every personal trainer is advising to sit down and have a proper meal, no matter how in a hurry you are. This is your health we are talking about, and that is the most important thing.
Finally…
Ask yourself: “Am I really hungry?”
If you are not sure, ask the question again. Are you stress eating or you are eating because it is really the time for your meal? Measure your portions and make sure to follow your personal trainer nutrition plan and have a well-balanced meal. Only by reading this blog you are on the right way.