Portion control = Weight control

Balancing healthy meals with busy lives is challenging for today’s women. However, there are ways to squeeze in healthier eating habits and avoid portion distortion.

Writer: James Combs

For Holly Parrish, it was a monumental task to keep her cravings for those greasy cheeseburgers and sugar-filled doughnuts at bay.

And portion control was a foreign concept.

The 25-year-old Belleview resident often skipped breakfast altogether, thus increasing her appetite and appeal for high-calorie foods. She would eat a big lunch, followed by another big meal for supper. Those late-night hunger pangs were satisfied with a bowl of cereal or something sweet.

Her poor eating habits adversely affected her health. Holly battled acid reflux and struggled to lose weight after giving birth to her children, Christopher, 3, and Karolee, 1.

“My acid reflux was getting so bad that my primary care physician said I needed my gallbladder surgically removed,” she says. “My body was not processing fats correctly and, as a result, stomach acid backed up into my esophagus.”

Food for thought

Like Holly, many women enthusiastically obey that age-old dinner commandment often rooted in childhood: “Clean your plate!” Unfortunately, those plates are typically filled with large portions, and the norm is to eat until the stomach is stretched and full. It is an unhealthy habit and difficult to break.

Few realize that portion control is an essential ingredient to not only losing weight but also maintaining a healthy weight. It prevents overeating and the consumption of too many calories. Unlike a crash or fad diet that people cannot stick to, downsizing portions is a sustainable change to eating habits.

Unfortunately, many people fail to understand the simple difference between portion size and serving size.

“The serving size is the amount of food included in the nutrition facts panel on a food label,” says Anna Gunter, a registered dietitian nutritionist at Leesburg Regional Medical Center’s Wellness Center. “For example, if the nutrition facts panel on a cereal box indicates that a cereal has 200 calories and the serving size is one cup, then one cup of cereal has 200 calories. The portion size is the amount of food that is actually consumed or served. So if you had two cups of the same cereal, then you would consume 400 calories.”

But in today’s world, women wear many hats. They work a full-time job, maintain a clean home, and take their children to soccer practices or dance recitals on weekends. Simply put, there’s hardly any time to be a calorie counter or food label expert.

“Stress and being short on time can both lead to reaching for food choices that are not the healthiest options,” Anna says. “Women need to plan ahead so they will have healthy meals and snacks ready when they are stressed, tired, and busy during the week.”

With such precious little time, what are some simple things women can do to plan ahead?

“I like to cook several servings of whole grain pasta during the weekend to eat during the work week,” Anna says. “I divide the pasta into individual containers for each meal before I put the pasta in the refrigerator. If you have a microwave at work, you can use zip-and-steam bags to steam fresh vegetables for lunch. At home, you can fill the bag with fresh vegetables, such as broccoli florets, green beans, and carrot slices. Another healthy option for busy mothers is to make a salad with salad greens—lettuce and spinach—and vegetables that you like. Add grilled chicken breast strips, some nuts, and fruit such as strawberries or diced mango.”

However, healthy eating encompasses more than planning; it also means eating a balanced meal for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Gunter said each meal should include a grain or starch food such as bread, pasta, or rice; a protein food such as eggs and lean meats; fruits and vegetables; and a serving of low-fat or nonfat yogurt or milk.

“One great healthy snack is popcorn,” she says. “Popcorn is a whole grain food, and whole grains provide fiber. Fiber provides a feeling of satiety, which helps a person feel so full that they do not overeat. Be sure to choose popcorn without added salt and butter.”

Of course, the real challenge is figuring out how much food or drink actually was consumed. A food scale helps women measure proper portion sizes and, thus, is a valuable tool in ensuring they achieve their recommended daily caloric intake. A person’s calorie intake is determined by height, weight, age, gender, and physical activity level.

“A food scale allows you to measure the ounces of meat or cheese you eat or measure the ounces or grams of fruit that you eat,” Anna says. “It is useful to know the amount of food you are eating in ounces or grams if you are following a meal plan that includes specific portion sizes. A registered dietitian nutritionist can help you determine an appropriate calorie goal for weight maintenance or weight loss.”

There is time to lose weight

Holly is living proof that a healthy diet combined with portion control is a recipe for better health.

Instead of spending money on gallbladder surgery, Holly opted to seek help from a nutritionist.

The team at Lady Lake-based Total Nutrition and Therapeutics implemented a healthy, customized meal plan for Holly that emphasized portion control. The nutritionists also determined Holly was allergic to dairy, beef, kale, and lettuce. She eliminated them from her diet.

Her new meal plan yielded immediate results.

“After two weeks, I started weaning myself off my acid reflux medication,” she says. “Today, I’m off those medications entirely and no longer need my gallbladder taken out.”

Holly has lost 45 pounds since beginning the program in August 2016.

She religiously sticks to a balanced meal plan that includes a protein shake and sausage for breakfast; almonds and cashews for a mid-morning and late-afternoon snack; and protein and vegetables for lunch and dinner.

“Women like myself are busy and juggle many things throughout the day, but once you change your diet and begin feeling the positive health benefits, you want to stick with what you’re doing and it becomes second nature,” Holly says. “I’m amazed at how different my life is. I can play out in the yard with the kids without getting tired or winded. By eating healthy throughout the day, I always feel satisfied and never hungry.”