The Mind the weasel app speaks about eating small portions (300-400 calories) and several meals (5-6) a day. Counting the number of meals is a lot easier than trying to decide what is a small portion. How do you measure 300-400 calories when serving a portion onto your plate? This is especially difficult with home cooked meals where you don’t have a nutritional breakdown. Actually, most bought meals, including restaurant and takeaway food, don’t come with a nutritional breakdown – unless you purchase a ready-made meal from a larger supermarket. Us humans also come in all sizes and a small meal for a 50 kg (110 lbs.) woman may be very different relative to a 120 kg (264 lbs.) man.
As a rule of thumb, or fist in this instance 😁, the size of your fist is a very good estimate of a small portion size relative to your body size. The 110 lbs. woman will most probably have a much smaller fist compared to the 264 lbs. man. Yes, there will always be exceptions 😁, but it is safe to assume that your fist size is generally in proportion to your body size.
When you serve food, the total quantity – including carbs and protein – should approximately equal to the size of your fist. Relative to the size of your body, this fist-size portion is considered a small portion size.
If you are used to eating large meals, this may be difficult in the beginning… but don’t despair! It will become easier over time for the following reasons:
– Eating smaller portions more often will result in your body adjusting to the new normal. You now eat more frequently, so you should not get too hungry between meals.
– Your tummy will shrink over time, with the result that you will feel satisfied with the smaller portion.
Smaller meals translate into better energy levels, stable blood sugar levels and a higher metabolism – your body is becoming a more efficient fat burning machine. This is why “small meals” are the star of our first mindset task in the programme.
No comment