How To Use The Plate Method for Portion Control

Last Updated on June 24, 2019 by Ellen Christian

Do you know how to use the plate method for portion control? I’m sharing a few tips that will help. When I was younger, I never had a problem with my weight. I was always thin and sort of took it for granted that I always would be. Unfortunately, as I grew older and had children, I slowly started to put on a few pounds and a few more pounds until I was about 45 pounds overweight and very unhappy with the way I looked. And, I really didn’t think I was eating too much. I wasn’t one to sit down and devour a whole box of cookies or a whole bag of candy. I just ate *regular* meals and still couldn’t manage to lose weight. This post contains affiliate links, and I will receive compensation if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.

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Plate Method for Portion Control

After joining Weight Watchers, I began to really take a look at how and what I was eating. Sure, there was some junk involved that I needed to cut out but my big problem was portion control. After all, I was used to thinking that a serving of starch was the size of a large box of fast food french fries…. NOT. Definitely not a serving. It’s certainly marketed as a serving for one but it definitely is not. Do you know how much a serving of protein is? How about a serving of mashed potatoes or rice? I had no idea how huge my portions were until I took a look at what a real serving size was. I was eating way more than one serving and I never even knew it. Portion control is the key.

Weighing

While there are some things that I weigh in the kitchen, it’s really much easier to measure a serving based on size. Plus I don’t really want my company seeing me weighing out a scoop of pasta or measuring a half cup of rice. I still need to have a valid way of keeping track of what I’m eating though. Using a food scale will help you understand what a 4 ounce piece of chicken breast really looks like.

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Fist Method

I’ve heard a lot about measuring a serving based on the size of your fist or a golf ball. I have never been that successful using this method. I may think that the rice on my plate is the size of a golf ball, but without one near me to judge, I’m probably off. The problem I have with using a fist as a guideline is that my fist is not the same as your fist. And, how many times does that pork chop really look like your fist?

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Plate Method

One of the easiest methods I have used is the plate method for portion control. With the plate method, each type of food should take up roughly a certain portion of your plate.  Using a portion control plate makes this process even easier.

• 50% of your plate should be filled with non-starchy vegetables. Look for carrots, broccoli, spinach, kale, tomatoes, etc. Avoid starchy vegetables like corn, beans, and peas. Your body will convert starch to sugar more quickly.
• 25% of your plate should be filled with lean protein. There’s nothing wrong with enjoying a juicy steak or pork chop. Fat gives our meat flavor. However, be sure that a majority of your protein comes from lean meat.
• 25% of your plate can be filled with starchy food. It’s best to opt for whole grains like long grain brown rice or quinoa rather than a slice of white bread or white rice. For those doing Paleo or gluten-free, this is a great time to enjoy winter squash or sweet potatoes. Despite my husband’s insistence, potatoes are a starch and not a vegetable.

If you’re dealing with diabetes, a diabetes portion control plate will definitely help.

The Extras

There are still a few areas that you need to be careful with when using the plate method for portion control. If you are enjoying a pasta dish and want to add cheese, it’s important that you add only one serving of cheese. Using a portion control cheese grater allows you to see exactly what one serving of grated cheese looks like.  A portion control pasta scoop makes it easy to see what one serving of pasta is when you fill your bowl.

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Sometimes, it’s necessary to use a variety of different portion control methods depending on whether you’re eating at home, at a friends’ house, or restaurant. But, by following these techniques, you’ll soon learn the correct portions to eat in order to have a healthy diet.

Ellen Christian

Ellen is a busy mom of a 22-year-old son and 27-year-old daughter. She owns 5 blogs and is addicted to social media. She believes that it doesn’t have to be difficult to lead a healthy life. She shares simple healthy living tips to show busy women how to lead fulfilling lives. If you’d like to work together, email info@confessionsofanover-workedmom.com to chat.