"portion control" page

[fiercehunter]

This is commonly suggested on diet and health related forums pretty much all over the Internet. My question: did it work for you? When you ate things like pizza or cookies or whatever, were you good to go so long as you only ate one?

[zoebird]

I never really did "portion control" -- my sister did. She did calorie restriction, and portioned out everything that she ate. And, she did really well on it -- so long as she continued to do that. Which she didn't, so she gained everything back and is at her largest currently. Maybe second largest.

For myself, I tend not to over eat these things unless I'm stress eating.

Currently, I don't have pizza (pizza in this country is terrible), but I will have cookies on occasion. I usually go for raw ones, which are paleo in their ingredients. And I usually can't have many because they are so dense and filling.

[Sandra in BC]

If by "portion control" you mean portions that are weighed and/or measured prior to sitting down and eating, then no. Except that time I did Weight Watchers.

If you mean serving myself a sensible portion of each food, and listening to my body before going back and getting more, then usually yes.

[JoanieL]

Yes and no. Did it work when I did 1200 calories a day (1400 on Sat and Sun) for 15 months? Yes; I went from 236 pounds to 118 pounds. Did it work as a lifestyle? No. I absolutely have to count calories. My brain doesn't know a good portion. I can easily eat 12-15 oz of beef in a sitting, which is only ok if I haven't eaten anything else much for the day. One meal a day (known in some circles as IF) works for me with a couple of cups of espresso with half and half (measured) factored in. Whatever is "wrong" with me, I like large portions. Eating three ounces of fish, couched on a bed of greens - well I might as well pull my fingernails out for the joy and satitation that brings.

When I was in college, I used to complain that I always put on weight when I tried to "get healthy." IOW three meals a day like the "experts" said. Why? Because when I ate what they said was healthy, I was left feeling deprived and unhappy. One meal a day, even if it was half of a large pepperoni and mushroom pizza, kept me thin.

Oh, and when I did the 1200 calorie a day thing, I always got more than half my calories from my large meal at the end of the day.

[Wildrose]

No, that didn't work for me. However, portion control along with primal living seems to be working. I can eat too much if I don't monitor myself. I'm using a calorie counter right now, and I'm going with what my trainer recommends, which is around 2,200 calories a day. That's quite a lot really. I keep shedding weight!

[fresa]

For a while I tried that, and for a while it did work. That was what you were "supposed to do", so I did. But then I started feeling so deprived that I slowly descended into binging every time I ate something that I considered "unhealthy". I figured the day was ruined diet-wise,so I'd go nuts. It was like a vicious cycle. Then I eventually read somewhere that some people are better to not eat anything at all, and the light bulb went on. From that moment on I've been an "all or nothing" kind of eater. If I can't access it or don't allow myself to have even a bite of it, then I'm good. It works so far! I feel like "portion control" works for some, but not others. And then those others don't understand what's wrong with them when they can't abide by it and decide to give up because they are convinced they will never lose weight. Portion control seems to be preached because no one wants to hear "sorry, you can't have pizza every day". My thoughts on it at least!

[fiercehunter]

But it just makes such good sense. Let's all learn how to control our portions!
Portion control for weight loss - YouTube

[cori93437]

I IF naturally... it has just worked out that way.
1-2 small cups of cafe breve around 10-11, 4-5 days a week. Just water the other days.
Some days I don't even want to eat all of what I fix myself for my one evening meal.
Other days I may end up having a small snack like a cup of yoghurt or an apple.

Never any issue with any sort of binge at all. In fact quite the opposite.
The longer I eat this way the less I find food appealing in that sense.
Prior to eating 'Primal' I ate frequent small meals, had problems with afternoon blood sugar crashes, and binged regularly.

[Pilatesmom]

If I have enough fat in my diet, generally I am regulated on portion size naturally. If I have too much sugar or alcohol I tend to overeat. I have learned this through primal eating. I lose weight the best by eating mostly low carb and doing IF

[Tribal Rob]

If by "portion control" you mean portions that are weighed and/or measured prior to sitting down and eating, then no. Except that time I did Weight Watchers.

If you mean serving myself a sensible portion of each food, and listening to my body before going back and getting more, then usually yes.

This except add to weight watcher; Boots Diets (calorie counting) and slimming world (like weight watchers but with different coloured days and a £ cheaper