Apologies for posting this a day late, but I think you will find it is worth the wait.
I have a wonderful giveaway, courtesy of the people at Eat Smart Scales: specifically, the Eat Smart Precision Digital Scale.
This is a great scale. I already have a digital scale (a wedding present); it took me more than a year to read through the manual to figure out the mechanics (I hate reading directions for gizmos and gadgets in general--and me with my Ph.D.--especially for items I believe should be easy-to-use). It certainly does the job, but it has at least 40 functions I have never used, nor plan to use, is clunky, eats batteries, and costs more than $100.
Enter in the Eat Smart scale. $25, ultra-light, and (according to the manual), easy-to-use. Would it really work?
Instead of one year, it took me one minute to glean the answer. Perfect. Kevin has a series of small weights in his workshop, so in addition to measuring this that and the other in the kitchen for accuracy, I also tested the scale using the standard weights. Exact, every time. It matched up to the fancy scale on every single item.
Here are the specs:
1. 11 pound (5 kg) capacity (excellent for bread-making!)
2. Precision to 1 gram.
3. Stable, flat platform (my other scale has the platform on a pedestal; heavy, unusually shaped objects are precarious. Not so with the Eat Smart scale.
4. Uses good old AAA batteries. I don't know who decided that toddler toys and kitchen gadgets are best powered by hard-to-find, expensive button batteries, but it drives me crazy. The Eat Smart Scale has the added advantage of preserving a modicum of my sanity :).
5. As mentioned before--affordable! I am all for a bargain so long as it is quality. Check!
6. Easy to use: Does anyone need calculus features on a digital food scale? I don't. This one has what is needed, nothing more, making it super-easy to use: tare a bowl, zero the scale, read negative numbers, and switch between metric and English weights.
7. Easy to read: A big display that makes it easy to scan and proceed with your baking/eating/etc.
The scale is available for order on amazon.com, but you can enter to win one right here!
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GIVEAWAY!
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One (1) lucky winner will receive an EatSmart Digital Precision Scale.
It's easy to enter:
Starting from the time of this post until next Thursday (April 1), post a comment to this post that answers the following question. I'll randomly select the winner and announce on the blog next Friday (April 2):
What is your best portion control tip?Mine is specific to lunch and breakfast, when I am typically by myself, working from home: rather than scarf my food computer-side (which I did for years), I stop what I'm doing, put my meal on a pretty plate, and spend a minimum of 10 minutes eating and enjoying.
65 comments:
I like using smaller plates for portion control. Dessert and salad plates are great for any meal. Also, Anthropologie's latte bowls are perfectly sized for cereal or anything else. Thanks for the giveaway!
I buy the individual bags of chips and Cheez-Its and whatever else my husband or I wants to snack on. I know they're a little more expensive but it saves me from grabbing a handful every time I walk by and then realizing I've eaten the whole bag!
well for a long time i have measured everything exactly. I've stopped being so crazy with it and now i usually use my hand or just eye it, i've gotten used to what a portion looks like so its good!!
my favorite portion control tip comes from mommyblogger mindy roberts: if you're going out to eat or having an otherwise indulgent meal, order what you want and just eat half. brilliant! my favorite personal tip is to be a struggling college student. minuscule portions of beans and rice can really do wonders for one's figure!
I drink at least a full glass of water during my meal and try to eat slowly so I don't overeat without even knowing it.
When we eat out, I eat half of my meal and bring the rest home for lunch the next day. When I'm at home, I use small bowls and plates!
I always pack lunch for work, since that keeps me from buying a giant meal at the cafeteria. If I pack lunch after I eat breakfast, I can use my head instead of my stomach to decide what a reasonable portion is!
My favorite portion control tip is eating on a salad-size plate rather than a dinner-size plate and trying to have 3/4 of the plate covered with fruits and vegetables and the other 1/4 with the protein/carb part of the meal. And I need this scale to replace my primitive 12-year-old Weight Watchers scale.
Eating on my toddler's little plates!
I try to eat a small salad at least 30 minutes before my main dinner-- it helps me eat less and also helps me get some of my veggies in for the day!
I drink at least one (sometimes two) glass of water before each meal. Also, if I'm feeling like snacking because I'm bored or stressed, I drink a glass of water and force myself to wait 10 minutes to see if I am actually hungry. Usually, I'm not. So, my best portion control tip is: WATER!!!
We almost always use small lunch plates when we eat so when we load up, we're still not eating too much. After a few years of doing this, the regular sized dinner plates seem gigantic! I'd certainly weigh 10 pounds more if I used those every night at dinner.
I used to always find myself snacking as I prepared dinner. Now instead of nibbling everything, I concentrate on making everything look pretty on the plate. Sounds weird, but when a meal looks good, I seem to be more satisfied with less. Also, if I still feel hungry after eating my meal, I make myself wait 20 minutes before eating something else. Usually by that time I find I am no longer hungry.
i use smaller-sized plates when i eat. i also eat some fruit and salad prior to the main meal, it helps you eat more of the healthy stuff and less of the higher calorie meal.
I try to make sure most of my plate is veggies. And I measure out things like cereal (easy to overestimate, I think).
I try to measure out an individual serving, then put the package back right away before I even start eating. Also, I try to drink plenty of water and eat more slowly.
I like to eat slowly, and when I am done eating, wait 20 minutes to feel full. If I don't then I go back for (a little) more!
I usually put everything I plan to eat on my plate all at once (rather than taking just a little and then going back for seconds or thirds). That way I decide up front how much to eat and stick to it.
I only open the fridge when I know what I want to eat, otherwise I just take everything available! It's very efficient!!!
Camila F.
naomemandeflores@gmail.com
All my suggestions have already been mentioned, the only new one to me that I LOVE is Camilla F. who says she only opens the fridge when she knows what she wants. BRILLIANT!
I always keep snacks with me so when I get a little hungry I can eat something so that when it's meal time i'm not starving and over eat. A small plum or a few carrots are my favorite.
for portion control instead of snacking out of a bag of chips, cookies, or any snack, I get out a bowl and fill it and put away the bag. Thanks for the chance at the giveaway.
i dont really control my portions strictly.
but to keep myself from unneccesarily overeating, i try to listen to my body.
i try to get all the important nutrients in my diet
and if i need snacks, i'll go with frozen berries and grab as many as i need, not want.
My main portion control tip is when I'm hungry, I try to drink a whole glass of water first and when it comes when it comes to lunch and dinner I eat the salad or veggie first.
I also over the years have learned my bodies cues and stop when I feel almost full so I don't feel over full a few minutes later.
I use my smaller plates and I serve it already portioned out (like in a restaurant.) My husband is very partial to "see" food, see the food - eat it, so I keep it off the table as much as possible. I also need a new scale to replace an ancient spring type.
Nice: i just got a scale recently (no need to include me in the giveaway) and LOVE it. No more pondering "exactly how many calories are in one sausage when the serving size is 4 oz and there are 9 servings and 7 sausages in this package?" and i've been (trying to) weigh everything i harvest from the garden so that i can have a real idea of how much produce i've actually... produced! this year. Not counting all the nibbles i steal in the garden, of course.
My best portion control tip is this: a sleeve of girl scout cookies is not a serving. I know it's hard to believe, but it is true.
I use the weigh, meausure, count method of portion control when I want to have great amounts of success. I use the handful-eyeball method when I want to feel like I'm the boss and not the food controlling me. And then there are those days when . . .(I don't want to talk about those days)
All kidding aside, I have to say that always being prepared is the best motto.
I tend to NOT use a dinner plate but use a salad plate. It looks like a lot of food but is less than using the dinner plate.
It's been said before, but using a smaller to plate to begin with...then I fill half of the plate with veggies before adding anything else so that I don't overdo on my protein and carbs portions.
I did Biggest Loser online for a while and learned all about portion control. Now I feel pretty good just guesstimating the amounts that look right on my plate. And I know things like 1 slice of bread is a grain, etc.
CHEW, CHEW, CHEW... it's amazing how often we put something in our mouth and then just swallow. Chew it, savor it. Amazingly, you'll eat your entire meal that much slower and we all know the benefits of eating slower!
Eat slowly and stop at that first twinge of fullness. :)
I plan out what I'm going to eat before I get any of the food out so that I already know my portion and I stick to it because that's what I planned before my eyes got big from the tasty treats.
As a university student, I don't have much time to cook. But I'm a sucker for baked goods, so on weekends I bake a bunch of stuff (muffins, breads, etc) and individually portion them out to put in the freezer. This way, I'd have to thaw one brownie at a time.
my favorite portion control tip is to never ever put the food on the table. measure and weight in the kitchen, then take my plate to the table...and cook just enough not a lot of leftovers...no seconds!
My best portion control tip is eat no more meat than the ball of your hand. Most meat we get is bigger than that, so then save some for the next day!
I am a gastric bypass patient. Measuring food is a part of my life, and always will be! My best tip is to never eat in front of the TV or computer. Also, I put all of my food into little sing serving containers, just grab a couple of containers and I have a meal!
I had a terrible habit of eating snacks out of the container. Before I knew it, I would have consumed multiple serving sizes. I now transfer snacks out of the original container into single-sized servings.
When I need to control portions, I fill up my plate with things that don't need portion control: green veggies (sans sauce), beans, etc. IF there's any room leftover, then I can put other things on it.
Learn about what correct portions are, and never eat while doing something else (watching tv, reading, at the computer, etc). Sit and enjoy what you're eating and pay attention to when your body says you're full. Oh, and drink lots of water!
This is what I typically do before each main meal... Drink a large glass (16 fl oz) of water. Then I use smaller than normal plates and bowls and eat with the smaller fork (salad-sized) and spoon. The smaller dinnerware allows limits how much can be put onto it and the smaller flatware limits how fast and how much can be taken in at a time. So far, so good. It seems to be working...
I like to divide items that aren't already bite-sized. I'll cut croissants, muffins, sandwiches, bananas, and other things that size or larger in half (or even thirds) before eating. Often, I'll feel sated after half a croissant, whereas if I don't cut it up beforehand I'll just keep eating until the whole thing is gone, even if I don't really want it.
My portion control trick is to start with a moderate to small amount of food and wait at least 20 min before getting seconds.
dumei42 gmail com
For snack time: I stop everything, get some fruit, veggies, meats, cheese, and crackers. and ENJOY every bite! I usually enjoy this with a nice big glass of water. Some days it's grapes, Swiss cheese, salami, and an apple. Always healthy, filling, and there are endless possibilities. oh and I always cut them up and arrange them on my plate in a pleasing way. We eat with our eyes first!
Use small dishes and silverware!
Great giveaway! I try to measure out things that are easy to go overboard with such as cereal, grains, and cheese.
Like you, I practice mindful eating. Eating at the kitchen table, focused on my food, is the best portion control I know
Whenever I bake, I try to wrap and freeze individual portions so we don't eat too much all at once. Thanks for the great giveaway!
Mine is to WEIGH your food. It totally helps! I have a scale but half the time it doesn't work so a new one would be nice lol!
My portion control is to eat my salad first which is rather huge. There won't be room for much else. :)
For desserts, I cut them up into individual portions and freeze. If it's out on the counter, I'm more tempted to overeat on the sweets.
Choose me! Choose me!!! :-)
My portion control tip is to automate my meals. I eat basically the same smoothie every morning. On Sundays I measure out the frozen fruits(blueberries, stawberries,mixed berries & banana)into seven zip lock bags and stack them in my freezer. Each morning I can quickly add the bagged fruits to my VitaMix along with spinach, flax,Pom juice,and apple. Easy to sip on the way to work!
The best thing that is not unique is the size of the plate, glass, bowl, etc that I eat from. Most of us have been taught to eat everything on our plate so this technique can significantly reduce calorie consumption assuming you don't have seconds. Another related technique is to leave one bite of each item on the plate. This can add up to 100 - 200 calories per meal depending on what your are eating.
When it comes to portion control I think it's important to approach it from all sides: mental and physical. Eating is a combination of the two so controling how much you eat should not only focus on the size of you plate (which is very important) but also how you are mentally approaching your meal. I find it is easier to have self control over my portion size when I don't allow myself to think "I'm starving". I have noticed that if I go into a meal being consumed with that thought that I eat more than I really need. Sure there are times when I need more food than usual (after lots of exercise for example) but, most of the time that's not the case. It also helps if I don't let myself focus on how small the portion is or let myself think "that's not enough". The mind is a powerful thing which is also why small plates help because we think we are eating more than we really are.
the best portion control for me is to eat when starving. when i eat small meals throughout the day my portions are normal.....
I use smaller dishes, dish out my portion and walk away. I also try to eat something healthy & filling regularly & not wait until I'm starving to eat.
When it comes to snacks (which are usually healthy ones), I always portion out what I want to eat in a bowl instead of eating directly out of the bag
I like to measure high energy density items like walnuts, but leave other things to my hunger signals (like veggies & hummus for instance)
Using smaller size plates and eating slowly enough for your brain to register fullness.
I use a bento box (or partitioned tupperware) to help portion my food! I love the aesthetic it has, plus the portions are much more in line with what they should be.
I either eyeball an amount or use measuring cups to portion out my meals/snacks and then walk away from the kitchen. That way I don't tend to keep going back for more since I'm close. For work I make up lunches the night before when I'm not hungry, so that I don't give myself larger portions.
I pack my lunch the night before. That way I can measure everything out and not end up overeating while I'm on the go. (It's also a GREAT time saver!)
I measure and weight everything in advance... E.G. Buy a large tray of chicken then bag up in to 2 oz portions. This goes for just about everything... beans, chips, oatmeal, pasta. Takes alittle extra time but really makes you think when your cooking instead of over guesstimating.
I use two things for protion control of grains/rice. An ice cream scoop and a large serving spoon. Both of these tools help to keep me honest when plating grains.
We use small plates for dinner and try to focus on eating while eating rather than reading or watching TV.
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