Our discipline to diet and health will be tested time and again across the holidays. And so you should implement a holiday plan for success if you are sincere about maintaining your current weight through the tangle of holiday temptations. Controlling portion sizes is a vital addition to your plan. Learn more, read, “The Skinny on Weight Gain at the Holidays.”
Tips for Controlling Portion Sizes
Have a strategy before going to Christmas parties. A moderate, healthy snack just before a celebration can help to control hunger and thus begin the afternoon or evening with a more reasonable appetite. Remember when making your plate that small portions of favorite foods are a better choice than tasting a little bit of every dish. And by all means do not sit by the serving tables. Mingle away from where the food is displayed.
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The size of your plate matters. Larger plates make food portions appear smaller. Conversely, small plates look full with less food. So choosing a salad plate instead of a dinner plate will make a noticeable difference in controlling portion sizes. Learn more in, “Weight Loss Trick: Use a Smaller Plate.”
Fill half of your plate with fruit and vegetables and the other half with lean protein. Grilled, baked, or broiled meat or fish should be the choice for protein rather than their fried or breaded versions. Skip the cream sauces, gravy, butter, and sour cream as these should not be part of your bariatric diet. To learn more, read, “How Does the Bariatric Diet Work?”
Estimating portion sizes is a useful skill that can help avoid overeating. A guide for determining portion sizes can be found in our article, “Gastric Bypass Pouch Rules for Dummies.” Print these rules, or excerpts of them, and carry with you as a useful guide at meal times and in-between meals. A few notebook-sized pages folded away should not be inconvenient to manage.
Controlling portion sizes when eating out is a discipline that has dividends. Avoid places that offer oversized servings such as buffets and diners. If such places turn up in your holiday agenda, consider that splitting a meal with a friend is a good solution. Another good approach when dining out is to order a side salad and a protein-based appetizer as a meal.
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Also remember to stop eating once you have become about 80% full. Eat slowly and in small controlled portions. You don’t want your stomach very distended. If you are unsure of just how full you are, just stop eating and wait 20 minutes. If you are still hungry have a little extra. If not, then wait until your food digests before having something more to eat. There is a little trial and error involved until you find the right portion control for you. If your stomach is distended and you feel bloated and uncomfortable, you have eaten too much at that meal.
Drink plenty of water whereas it helps to keep you full. Limit alcohol or avoid it altogether. The same goes for soda.
Simple solutions can be overlooked for no other reason than their simplicity. Do not complicate your program.
Support Makes a Vital Difference
Hopefully you have a support group or at least the bones of one by now. If not, check out, “OA Overeaters Anonymous after Surgery.” Connect with the membership and share your gratitude for your weight loss and the many good things it has brought to your life. A shared success is a success for everyone who struggles with weight loss. Help along the way profits all involved. And its okay to feel good about yourself no matter where you are in your program. So be the first to congratulate yourself but remember to do so with humility, and with gratitude to those whom have supported you.
In good health,
Robert Borne
Content is the opinion of the author and does not constitute or is a replacement for medical advice.
