Hello, my dears! It’s Alla Sem here. Do you ever feel like you are doing everything right and you still can’t lose weight? I’ve been there. It may be that you are underestimating what you are eating. Don’t feel bad about this. According to research studies, 80% of us underestimate our food intake, and that includes dietitians!
This is easy to do because portion sizes have gotten so large that our estimate of a cup of rice or 3 ounces of meat is still much larger than reality. One study done at St. Luke-Roosevelt Hospital Obesity Research Center found that participants were estimating that they were eating around 1,000 calories each day when in fact they were actually eating 2,000 calories. Wow! That’s double what they thought.
The Portion Distortion Problem
This was very apparent to me when I worked in private practice. I had plastic food models to show people what a portion size looks like, and they always laughed and thought it was a joke. They would say things like, “yeah right… I eat three times that amount” or “are you kidding?” No joke, my friends. These portion sizes are real, and they look very small compared to what you might estimate a cup to look like.
On my journey from 110 kg to 80 kg, I had to learn this lesson myself. What I thought was a normal portion was often two or three times what I should actually be eating.
The Unconscious Eating Trap
Not only are we estimating our portions incorrectly, we also do a lot of unconscious eating throughout the day, and we underestimate this as well. I tested myself one time with this concept, and I want to share this story because it might sound familiar to you.
When I worked in a small hospital in California, we always had junk food around. There was a bowl of miniature Hershey’s chocolates in the manager’s office, and there were always donuts, cookies, and Sees candies that various medical supply reps and families would bring in. I guessed that I was eating a couple of the chocolates and perhaps a cookie during the day. I really thought I was eating much less than my coworkers. After all, I was the dietitian, and I wanted to set an example of enjoying a little but not going overboard.
I put myself to the test and decided to mark down on a sheet of paper each time I ate some junk food.
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The results surprised me. By the end of a typical day, I had eaten:
- 4 Hershey miniatures
- 2 mints
- 4 shortbread cookies
- 3 Sees candies
This added up to a grand total of 596 calories and 35 grams of fat. Yikes! It is easy to nibble on these little treats unconsciously throughout the day. However, they add up fast and can contribute to weight gain quickly. If you would have asked me how much I was eating, I wouldn’t have guessed it was that much.
Solutions for Portion Underestimation
So what is the solution for this “underestimating what we eat” problem? Here are two strategies that worked for me.
Measure your food for a week. For starters, measure your food in real measuring cups for a week. Get a feel for what a half cup of rice looks like on your plate. An easy way to do this is to use your half cup measuring cup as a scoop for rice and pasta. They work well as a serving spoon. This will let you know if your food estimates are close or if they are way out in left field. This doesn’t mean you have to weigh your food for the rest of your life. It’s just time to make sure that your estimates are on the right track.
Keep a detailed food journal. The second solution is to keep a detailed food journal. This is the best way to be accountable to yourself and to bring any unconscious nibbling to the forefront. Research shows that people who keep food records achieve their weight loss goals more effectively. Get a small notepad and keep track for a week. See if you learn anything new about your eating habits. I certainly did!
The Bottom Line
Portion distortion is real, my dears. We live in a world where super-sized meals have become normal, and our eyes have adjusted accordingly. But your body knows the difference. Take a week to measure and journal. You might be surprised by what you discover, and that discovery could be the key to finally breaking through your weight loss plateau.
With love and belief in you,
Alla Sem
