Post by MINX on Aug 17, 2006 3:15:31 GMT -5
It's tough to know what constitutes a portion size. America's portions on average are 3 TIMES bigger than what they should be. That makes it very easy to overeat, and can really throw off your idea of how many calories you are consuming in a day. Here's some easy reminders as to what portion sizes should look like:
1 teaspoon (5 ml)
about the size of the top half of your thumb
1 ounce (28 g)
approximately inch cube of cheese
volume of four stacked dice
slice of cheese is about the size of a 3 1/2 inch computer disk
chunk of cheese is about as thick as 2 dominoes
1 handful (palm) of nuts
2 ounces (57 g)
1 small chicken leg or thigh
1/2 cup of cottage cheese or tuna
3 ounces (85 g)
serving of meat is about the size of a deck of playing cards
1/2 of whole chicken breast
1 medium pork chop
1 small hamburger
unbreaded fish fillet
1/2 cup (118 ml)
fruit or vegetables can fit in the palm of your hand
(about the volume of a tennis ball)
1 cup (236 ml)
about the size of a woman's fist
breakfast cereal goes halfway up the side of a standard cereal bowl
broccoli is about the size of a light bulb
1 medium apple = A tennis ball
Weigh or measure your food until you are able to estimate portions correctly. Accurately estimating food portions can be difficult if you are dieting or hungry. I purxchased a digital scale from Wal-Mart for $12.99, and it works great! It really helped me understand how a portion should look. I know that as powerlifters many of you don't worry about precise portion sizes, but at least keeping things in check will prevent having to obsessively diet to make weight. (not to mention cut down on the amount of diet plans i have to make lol)
~MINX
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1 teaspoon (5 ml)
about the size of the top half of your thumb
1 ounce (28 g)
approximately inch cube of cheese
volume of four stacked dice
slice of cheese is about the size of a 3 1/2 inch computer disk
chunk of cheese is about as thick as 2 dominoes
1 handful (palm) of nuts
2 ounces (57 g)
1 small chicken leg or thigh
1/2 cup of cottage cheese or tuna
3 ounces (85 g)
serving of meat is about the size of a deck of playing cards
1/2 of whole chicken breast
1 medium pork chop
1 small hamburger
unbreaded fish fillet
1/2 cup (118 ml)
fruit or vegetables can fit in the palm of your hand
(about the volume of a tennis ball)
1 cup (236 ml)
about the size of a woman's fist
breakfast cereal goes halfway up the side of a standard cereal bowl
broccoli is about the size of a light bulb
1 medium apple = A tennis ball
Weigh or measure your food until you are able to estimate portions correctly. Accurately estimating food portions can be difficult if you are dieting or hungry. I purxchased a digital scale from Wal-Mart for $12.99, and it works great! It really helped me understand how a portion should look. I know that as powerlifters many of you don't worry about precise portion sizes, but at least keeping things in check will prevent having to obsessively diet to make weight. (not to mention cut down on the amount of diet plans i have to make lol)
~MINX
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