Portion sizes are out of control in the United States, including in New Jersey and East Brunswick. Medical weight loss gives you a chance to put those portion sizes back into perspective so that you can finally start losing weight.
A bag of chips here, an over-sized slice of pizza there—sometimes the problem isn’t always what we are eating, but how much of it we are downing day in and day out. While it is common knowledge that pizza isn’t good for your weight loss goals, many people think that one slice of pizza isn’t going to hurt them too badly. Unfortunately, when that one slice of pizza is the size of your head, you might be underestimating just how many calories that ‘measly’ slice is holding.
Whether you are at home or one the go, eating oversized portions can lead to several hundred extra calories a day. For some people this is one of the primary causes for weight gain. For others, these extra calories could be what are stopping you from losing weight.
By learning healthy portion sizes during your medical weight loss program you will be better equipped to keep your weight off long after your weight loss program comes to an end.
Learning Healthy Portions
The problem with portions today is that they are oversized absolutely everywhere you go. This has caused many people to develop a warped perception of what a healthy portion size really is. Visual aids are often helpful in guiding people to make healthy meal choices based on images they are already familiar with.
A few common visual aids for portion sizes include:
- A computer mouse is the same size as a potato
- A baseball is the same size as one cup of broccoli, carrots, salad or mixed vegetables.
- A deck of cards is the same size as 3 ounces of cooked lean meat.
- One poker chip is the size of one tbsp. of margarine, butter or mayonnaise
Learning how to detect proper portion sizes takes time, but Dr. Liu can help you with the process. Nutrition education, healthy dietary habits and weight loss medications to reduce hunger all help with portion control, as does following the OPTIFAST meal replacement diet.
Once you put portions in perspective, you might be surprised by how much easier it becomes to follow a low-calorie diet. Try eating smaller portions and waiting at least 15 minutes before loading up on seconds. This gives your stomach a chance to feel full before you start eating more.
