Portion Control: Does Size Matter?

Choosing to lose weight is a big step that requires a lot of dedication.  Since you’re reading this article you’re obviously ready to make the commitment to turn your life around and shed the unwanted pounds.

In other articles I’ve discussed the importance of meal planning, but one aspect I haven’t been discussed is portion control.  Portion control is an extremely important factor for weight loss.

If you are eating all the right foods, but consuming them to excess, then you will not lose weight.  Portion control and your daily amount of calories go hand in hand.  If you need 2000 calories a day then obviously through out the day you will want to watch your portions so you don’t wind up consuming too much in one sitting.

Figuring out the portion sizes for the foods we consume can be a bit tricky.  It requires you to read the back of the package, and in most cases you will wind up measuring things and counting items just to get it right.  While it may seem easier to guess the serving size, in the long run you won’t wind up losing much weight, because you aren’t really eating the correct portions.

On the back of almost every product you buy is a “nutrition facts” label.  Among other information, this label tells consumers:

• the serving size
• the amount of calories per serving
• the number of servings in the package.

The exception to the nutrition facts label would be on meat products you purchase, and fresh produce.

When you prepare your meals it is important to look at the label.  If you are preparing meat products then a good rule of thumb to go by is that one serving is roughly the size of a deck of cards.  For fruit, a medium size piece would constitute as one serving and for vegetables, roughly a cup would be one serving.

So the next time that someone tells you portion size isn’t important, you will know better!  If you are serious about losing weight and overcoming your sleep apnea, you need to keep an eye on your portion sizes.