Knowing your portion sizes

Ok, so you have been exercising consistently now for quite some time and cut the crap from your diet, and still, the weight hasn't budged!!!!

As a Personal Trainer, I take close interest in what my clients are eating because it really does go hand in hand in weight loss and management. I ask my clients to give me a weekly food diary so I can see what they are eating and show them what may be hindering their weight loss goals whilst guiding them toward better choices and educating them about nutrition that will support their energy needs.

At first, I was a little bamboozled because after a few weeks, many of them embraced my guidance and seemed to be eating a well balanced, healthy diet full of lean protein, healthy fats and complex carbohydrates, with little or no processed foods or added sugar, yet still, their body composition had not changed.

I questioned whether they had forgotten to add anything to the list, or maybe they were not being completely honest with what they were eating.

After much investigation, it dawned on me that their portion sizes were most likely the issue here. You really can have too much of a good thing too. With green vegetables being the exception (as they are highly nutritious and filling due to the fiber content yet with very little calories), even healthy foods like nuts, seeds, lean meats, eggs, brown rice, quinoa, fruit and healthy oils can be detrimental to weight loss if your portion sizes are too big.

As a rough guide, 3 main meals per day consisting of 1 serve (palm size) of lean protein (such as chicken or eggs), 1 serve(fist size) of complex carbohydrates (like brown rice or wholegrain bread) and as much salad as you like (no dressing) complimented with two small snacks (like raw nuts and a piece of fruit for example) -using the above insert picture to follow the recommended serving sizes- is really a rough guide to all you should need for the day to give you all the energy you need. Of course this is just a guide and a personal assessment with a trained coach should be implemented.

Compare these serving sizes to your normal plate and ask yourself whether you are eating more than you need to. In my opinion, counting calories is not necessary (although some people prefer to and that is completely fine) and following serving sizes is much more user friendly and faster to learn without the pressure of weighing.

So if you are struggling with weight loss and are at a loss for why, try sticking to portion sizes for a while and see how you go.