portion sizes and tips

okay, this morning i had a little panic attack - the batteries in the kitchen scales have run out! and they're those expensive, pill shaped ones, so of course we don't have any just lying around the house.

but then i remembered this post that i've had lying around as a draft for a while. hopefully this will get me through the next few days till my mum gets some new batteries without me going completely insane! i hate not weighing food. but maybe this will be good for me - increasing portion sizes ever so slowly because i don't know how much i have.

i doubt it, i'm more likely to under estimate amounts! aah well.

1 oz. meat: size of a matchbox
3 oz. meat: size of a deck of cards, palm of your hand or bar of soap—the recommended portion for a meal
8 oz. meat: size of a thin paperback book
3 oz. fish: size of a checkbook
1 oz. cheese: size of 4 dice
Medium potato: size of a computer mouse
2 Tbs. peanut butter: size of a ping pong ball
1/2 cup/ 1 oz pasta: size of a tennis ball
Average bagel: size of a hockey puck
Medium apple or orange: the size of a tennis ball
1 cup chopped raw vegetables or fruit: baseball size or the size of your fist
1/4 cup dried fruit (raisins, apricots, mango): a small handful
Cup of lettuce: four leaves


Don't "eat from the bag." When snacking, place a few chips, crackers or cookies in a bowl to help prevent overeating.
Buy single portions of snack foods so you're not tempted by the whole bag or box.
Choose a sweet potato. It has vitamin C, potassium, calcium, vitamin A, folate, beta-carotene and less calories.
Use whole-grain pasta for extra fiber and satiety.
Use spray cooking oils instead of liquid.
If you have really bad cravings, plan a day when you will allow yourself a small portion of it, and eat extra well until then. Try and leave one week, or at least 3 days. The craving will seem like a treat that you have earned rather than given in to (and you never know, the craving may have gone by then!)