How to Visualize Portion Sizes

Portion control is one of the first and most important steps in losing weight and maintaining a healthy diet. Many of us are so used to "super-size this" or "12-ounce portion please" that we have a hard time recognizing what a real serving size looks like. Learning to visualize true portion sizes is a critical step to living a healthy lifestyle and is easier than you might think.

Instructions

• 1

  Recognize the distorted portion size phenomenon. Those fries you get at the local burger joint or the steak you order at a restaurant are most likely much more than a serving of starch or meat. Controlling portion sizes and, ultimately, losing weight, starts by recognizing what one serving looks like of the foods you eat most.

• 2

  Prepare your foods in single serving portions. Take a look at your favorite bag of chips or that canister of almonds, and read what one serving size actually is. Most chip serving sizes are measured as 1 ounce or 11 to 13 chips. Take a moment, and set aside 1 ounce of chips, putting them in a plastic storage bag for a later snack. This will help you learn to visualize what a serving looks like when you don't have time to measure or count.

• 3

  Use common visual cues. Portion control starts with being able to utilize visual cues wherever you are eating. When you are in a restaurant, you are not always able to grab a measuring cup or scale and measure out your food. Use cues like body parts or commonplace items to guesstimate serving size. The tip of your index finger is often used as a reference to represent 1 ounce of cheese. A deck of cards represents the serving size of a lean piece of meat. A tennis ball is the approximate size of a 1/2 cup serving of ice cream.

• 4

  The best way to visualize portion sizes is to make the foods and measure them out accurately every time until it becomes second nature. Measure out 1 cup of rice or 1 cup of cereal along with 1 cup of milk. After a while, you will be able to recognize what one serving of milk looks like in your favorite cup.