Portion Distortion

It's no secret that restaurant portion sizes are much larger than they should be, but this "portion distortion" is also occuring at home. It's possible that as people get used to seeing larger sizes everywhere outside the home, we begin to think of that as a "normal" portion size and take that home with us.

I usually recommend to my clients that they track their Calories and portion sizes for at least a week when they first come to me about changing their eating habits. This is a great way to compare the amount you should be eating with how much you actually are taking in. "Portion distortion" often goes unnoticed until you pull out a food scale or measuring cups. What some people think of as "a bowl of cereal" is often 2 cups or more, and can set you back a few hundred extra Calories that you thought. A store-bought bagel may actually be 3-5 Canada Food Guide grain servings. Many people are surprised to learn they consume half their recommended grain servings before lunch!

Fitday is a great website that I've used for years to track Calories and nutrients. You can also track you workouts, weight loss, and make a journal. Track you Calories this week and find out just how much you're eating, versus how much you thought you were eating. Get your portion sizes in check and you may even notice you drop a few lbs without even trying!

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