If I had a dollar for every time I heard someone say, “I know what to eat, I just don’t know how much” OR “I know that portions are my biggest problem” then I would have a lot of dollars.
For the most part, we all know what good food is. We’ve all probably heard to shop the perimeter of the grocery store and we know from years of our own experience and knowledge, what good food is. But so often we eat too much of some things and not enough of others. It certainly doesn’t help that portion sizes in this country are out of control.
So what’s the solution?
Most people immediately think that the ONLY way to solve the dilemma of portions is to count calories. That makes sense right? Get a calorie count, track your macros. Simple fix, right?
Wrong. So very wrong.
First of all, I am here to tell you that counting calories can be a truly miserable experience. It involves calculating calories in (how much you take in through food and drinks) and calories out (how much you burn through daily activity), measuring all of your food with measuring cups and scales (much to the chagrin of your friends and family), and plugging everything into online apps and programs.
It can be a truly exhausting experience and that is with consuming all of your meals from home. Can you imagine how much fun it is to eat a meal out? Well, let me tell you, people will love it when you put a food scale on the table at a restaurant.
And guess what? The odds are NOT in your favor for getting it right. There is up to 25% error in messing up the number of calories in and up to 25% error in messing up the number of calories out. So you could do ALL of this work to get a pretty inaccurate picture of what and how much you are consuming.
Which is why we are here to provide you with the antidote!
Drumroll, please… The hand portion guide!
You can use your hands to help you determine how much you should be eating! This is so great because in general, our hand size correlates to our body size. People with big hands, tend to be bigger than people with small hands. Think of your hand as your own personalized and portable measuring device for food intake.
Here’s how it breaks down:
Your palm determines your protein intake.
Your fist determines your vegetable intake.
Your cupped hand determines your carbohydrate intake.
Your thumb determines your fat intake.
The general rule is that men should try to consume 2 servings of each of these at most meals and 1 serving for women.
Of course, this is just a starting point! You won’t know exactly how your body will respond to this until you try and depending on your goals, you will have to adjust portions as you go.
Confused about what carbohydrates and fats even are and what good ones are? Check out the Nutrition Seminar we did back in May HERE.
And as always, be patient! Eating like this for 3 days will not get you to the results you want. Try for a couple of weeks, monitor your progress, track the numbers, take inventory on how you feel, and move forward once you have analyzed the results. That way next time you go out to eat, you can leave the food scale at home.
Whether you are just starting your fitness journey or a seasoned pro looking for something new, we’d love to meet you! And guess what? Your first class is on us. Click HERE to schedule your FREE Jumpstart Class and let us show you what makes Roux Fitness different!
