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Right Size Your Portions

The Basics of Portion Control

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Objectives

  • The History of Portions
  • Understanding Energy In and Energy Out
  • Know you Numbers: Basal Energy Calculations
  • Right Size Your Portions
  • Reading Food Labels
  • Build a Balanced Meal
  • Balance Portions and Food Groups

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The History of Upsizing Portions

  • 1900 - 1949

Laboring Economy: Meant lots of Calories

  • 1950 – 1970

Industrial Economy: More factory jobs, less energy output. Quantity and higher quality foods coming to the market.

  • 1970 - 2009

Business Revolution: Abundant food, pre-packaged, convenience, eating out, fast foods.

  • 2010 to Today:

Information Economy: Food labeling, even at restaurants for high quality, rich foods. More exercise is necessary to burn calories.

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This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC

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Energy In and Energy Out

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What is Basal Energy?

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  • Basal Energy is amount of energy the body requires for basic metabolic function.
  • It varies for every person - depends on age, gender, height & weight.
  • Factor your basal energy in combination with the calories burned through activity to decide how many daily calories are needed for weight loss.
    • Losing weight requires: Energy In < Energy Out
    • Maintaining weight requires: Energy In = Energy Out

Energy

In

Energy

Out

Burn more than you Eat!

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Know Your Numbers:�Calculating Basal Energy

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A Basal Energy Basics

  • Basal energy expenditure equations will estimate how many calories your body burns to stay alive - before any calories are eaten or energy is burned through exercise

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  • Online calculator: https://www.mdcalc.com/basal-energy-expenditure
    • Note: this calculator uses one of several equations to determine basal energy expenditure, you may get different results with a different calculator

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    • Note: this calculator also allows you to choose your activity level in order to determine how many calories are needed each day to maintain your current weight

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Right Size Your Portions

  • Understanding how many calories are in the foods you eat can help you determine the appropriate portion size
    • try tracking calories through an app or a food journal for a few days to become aware of calorie contents
  • Understanding what foods are calorie dense and what foods are low on calories allows you to adjust the portion sizes
  • Eating large volumes of lower calorie foods can help you to feel satisfied rather than eating tiny portions of calorie dense items

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Right Size Your Portions

  • Planning meals in advance can help to keep you on track to meet your nutrition goals

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  • Find a balance of food groups and portion sizes that both satisfy you and are in line with your goals

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  • Build healthy meals by combining food groups - protein + vegetables/fruits + grains (or starch)

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Meal Planning

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Reading the Food Label Basics

  • Take note of Serving Size
    • All nutrition information on the label correlates to the serving size, NOT the whole package
  • Avoid Added Sugars
    • these add unnecessary calories

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Food Label Basics

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Right Size Portion Plates

Re-defining your Portions and Meal Plans

  • Easy Steps
    • 1 starch per meal
    • 1 serving protein per meal
    • 1-2 cups vegetables or fruits per meal

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This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA

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Balance your Food Groups

Proteins & Starches

  • Provide beneficial nutrients
  • Calorie dense
  • Provide energy
  • Keep you full longer

Fruits & Vegetables

  • Nutrient dense - provide essential vitamins/ & minerals
  • Typically low in calories
  • Allow you to eat a large volume while still maintaining calorie goals

Healthy Fats

  • Filling
  • Add flavor
  • Calorie dense - use sparingly

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Helpful Resources

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