Portion Control

[Scooterjam]

Hi folks,

Scooter here. I'm still losing but I had a thought. I was wondering if some of you people who have lost large amounts of weight, whether you've reached goal or not, do you still have problems, or issues with portion control. I've found that now I've lost 52 pounds or so, I seem to be struggling with that. Not enough to really worry, it seems since I've added so many new things in, I have a virtual buffett, and find I'm going through my 30 - 35 carbs in no time at all, where as before, (earlier rung and induction) I had a hard time filling up the 20!! Like I said, I'm still losing, now only 1 - 2 pounds each week or so, I need to kick up the exercise since I'm gigging a bit less (summer winding down).

Any thoughts? Thank you!!

[Maerow]

Yes, it's a continuous fight.

I discovered that I LIKE that too full feeling, and I am pretty sure I have stretched out my stomach, because I can pack food away like none other, and I am a fast eater. Paying attention to how much I eat and retraining myself to stop once comfortable is hard.

I know I have to defeat that monster so I can safely maintain what I have lost.

[Momtofour]

I battle portion control with some foods and not with others. There is a recipe for a Hamburger, bacon, quiche thing in the recipe section. I have to watch myself with that. It is so good I could eat 3 servings. I am usually fine with steak and a veggie though. I think it is adding cheese and cream to items that get me wanting to eat more. I control myself, but the battle is always there in my head.

[cristylp]

Originally Posted by Scooterjam

I'm still losing, now only 1 - 2 pounds each week or so, I need to kick up the exercise since I'm gigging a bit less (summer winding down).

Good grief, I need to put my glasses on... I kept wondering why you were "giggling" less. LOL !

[not2late]

After I lost my first 40 pounds, I noticed that my portions were going out of control because I was still eating like 245 pounder. The portions in particular were the "Eat liberally" foods like protein and fats.

What I do is follow the standard portion sizes for protein (3 ounces) and fat, which is roughly 1-2 teaspoons. So I will serve myself a 3 ounce portion of chicken. Eat it. Then see if I still need to eat more. But before I pick up the serving spoon, I ask myself---do I absolutely positively need to eat that because I'm still hungry? If yes, then I serve myself a a 1 to 2 ounce portion.

Yes, it is hard to train yourself to eat normal sized portions.
Yes, when you're learning how to eat, you might overeat and you might undereat.

But, in the end, I think it's better for you. I know people who eat like I did at my heaviest, then run the gym and spend the next 2 hours working it off. What does that teach them about eating habits? Nothing, imo. The sad fact is once they stop exercising, they'll gain weight. And the more weight they gain, the less energy they will have and they will really slack off with exercising. But they'll still eat the same amount of food because they're used to eating that amount.

Keep up managing your portions, Scooter. Eventually, you'll re-learn all those appetite cues and you'll learn when to stop.

[boonie stomper]

I've been using a few strateegies with some success, but will probably always have trouble with portions especially when eating favorite foods or eating while watching movies or sports.
1. Eat slowly. Keep food in mouth awhile and take breaks between bites.
2. Use small dishes instead of large (was taught early to eat all on my plate)
3. Pack travel meals in small individual serving containers.
4. Wait 1/2 hour before having seconds (you may change your mind)
5. Drink water before eating.

[Seshena36]

I personally cant offer any help with this...portion control really isnt a problem for me with the things we are allowed to eat.....rather I find that i dont eat enough.....the only things that I used to have problems with are things like potato chips and beef stroganoff hamburger helper...LOL....even then my eyes were just always bigger than my stomach. I would try to eat more than would fit and then feel like a lead weight was in my tummy. Oddly, I'm overweight, probably because of WHAT I ate but not how much...I have a rather little stomach I think as far as portions that go in to it.....

[Scooterjam]

Thank you so much!! I appreciate the feed back.

By the way Cristy.....'gigging' I'm a musician. My performances are gigs.

giggling......wouldn't that be nice though, the more you giggle the more you lose!! haha!

Just like right now!! LOL

[I'mCurvin]

Hey there.. This is only my 8th day on induction.. but been on and off atkins in the past as said before. I find sometimes if the food is just in front of my face, I will eat more than I 'want or need'. I'm not eating anything off induction, so the foods that I have more than I should of are only meats. BUT, I do notice it stalls my weighloss for the next day or two. Just because it's here and I can eat it, doesn't mean it's okay..=). Congrats on how far you've came.. keep up the awesome work

Sara~

[Miss Phode]

Sometimes portion control is an emotional thing. I use food to stuff down feelings I don't want to feel. For me, it never really had anything to do with being hungry. It's an on going struggle for me, and likely will always be.