Portion Control and Eating Until 80% full

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So by now, hopefully you’re developing some good consistent habits with your tracking and allowing yourself to have a little bit of wiggle room to enjoy the foods and drinks you want. We shouldn’t have to deprive ourselves with the foods we love but learning HOW and WHEN to have them are extremely important to achieving the RESULTS you want.

The next step in this is eating until you’re 80% full.

Well what does that mean?

80% full?

How do I know when I’m 80% full?

We live in a society where everything is rushed. We’re rushing to go somewhere, picking up the kids, making dinner, etc. Food is no exception. Generally, people are pressed for time and find themselves scarfing down their lunch or dinner just to get to the next task.

We need to find a way to STOP that. You may have heard that it takes about 15-20 minutes for your brain to catch up with your stomach on satiety and it’s true. Taking the time to enjoy, savor and SLOW DOWN your meal will give your brain a chance to catch up to your stomach and avoid overeating. This is your 80% fullness. Not feeling stuffed, not feeling starved, but satisfied. This is a PRACTICE so be please be patient with it.

Here are some tips with portion sizing to help with your 80% full practice:

1. The Meats: the palm of your hand is a great measuring tool. Women 1 palm-sized portion. Men 2 palm sized portions.
2. The veggies: One serving is about 1 fist-sized portion and you should try to eat a few portions per meal.
3. The starchy carbs: One cupped hand portion. If you haven’t just worked out, eat less pasta, bread, rice and other starchy carbs. Opt for a double serving of veggies instead. If you have just worked out, a mix of carb sources is fine.
4. The fats: Today you need some fats from various foods, prioritizing whole food sources like eggs, meats, fish, olives, nuts and seeds. Spread these throughout the day.
   

Is this good stuff? Let me know if this helpful or if there is something else you’d like more info on!