137.6…Portion Control

It was another dinner out last night. But this was not just another dinner out…it was at my favorite restaurant, Firenze Trattoria. Monday night is my favorite night to go there because they offer half off bottles of wine. Yes!

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My husband and I went to dinner with a friend who was in town. I love taking people to this restaurant. Everything on the menu is delicious. I usually make my decision on what I’m going to order before I go because once I look at the menu, I get confused and want to order everything.

My husband and I split our favorite salad, the Chopped Caesar.

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For my entree, I ordered the Grilled Salmon which comes with pasta (in the best sauce EVER) and fresh veggies.

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I ate about half of the salmon (it was huge) and all the pasta and veggies.

Someone made a comment yesterday about how big they would get if they ate all all the time like I’ve been doing. Yes…it’s very easy to gain weight while eating out a lot. There are a few simple tricks in order to keep your weight in check while dining out. First of all, try to order something that is healthy. But my main trick is all about portion control. The portions restaurants serve you are insane. I know it’s hard, but I try not to finish everything on my plate. I eat slowly, tasting every bite. I  try putting my fork down a lot and drinking water in between bites. These tricks really slow me down.

When I’m at home, I measure most of what I eat. My cereal gets measured and so does my pasta. You’d be surprised at the actual size of the appropriate servings of these things! I have a kitchen scale that I use a lot to remind me of the correct portion sizes. After you measure/weigh things for a bit, you will be able to eyeball the correct portion sizes which is useful when you are dining out.

Breakfast this morning was a toasted English muffin with peanut butter and a side of strawberries.

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I took the kids to school and went to spin class. Afterwards I ran some errands and then came home for lunch.

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Turkey and Swiss cheese on whole wheat with a huge salad. I finally have some produce in my house!

I’m off to pick up the kiddos from school. I’m not going anywhere tonight and can’t wait to chill and hopefully catch up on some blog reading!!

Do you look at menus online before going to a restaurant?

What are your tricks to avoid over-eating?

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Comments

  1. Agreed. Portion control is major. I tend to deprive myself at home so when I do go out I feel like I just want to go crazy...and eat up everything in sight...which is clearly not good. Oh and the serving size of cereal is such a joke! If I don't measure I binge on it so I'd rather just not eat it at all. There are so many restaurants you've written about that I want to try.

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  2. That sauce on the pasta really does look heavenly. I don't do so well with the portion control at restaurants, but maybe I just need to eat out more and get more practice-lol!

    I agree that portion sizes can be suprising when you weight your food. I like to eat a big bowl of cereal but a single serving is quite small! And when I weigh a tablespoon of peanut butter, it is somehow always smaller than when I measure it.

    I love looking at menus before I go to a restaurant! It makes things easier, plus it gives me more control. It's harder to make a healthy decision if it's not made in advance.

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  3. How have you maintained your weight loss? You used to weigh about 5-7 pounds more (right?) that's awesome you can still enjoy good food and wine but are staying thin!! :-)

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  4. @Caroline
    My weight used to be in the mid 160's several years ago. Eek! But yes, I was like 10 pounds heavier a few months ago. I've been really watching calories/portion sizes lately and that is what works best for me. I use an app on my iPhone called Lose It to track my food. I workout usually about an hour 5 or 6 days a week. Everything in moderation! :)

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  5. Your dinner out looks delicious and so does your breakfast and lunch the next day. You eat well!

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  6. I always like to share food so that I can get to taste different types of food and flavours, minus the calories :D

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  7. Portion sizes can be tricky! I think it definitely helps to measure out what you eat, especially if your just starting to eat better. It can be really eye-opening! I try to keep my foods under proper portion control. I also find that if I nibble on small, high-fiber foods before I go out to eat, that I'm also less likely to overindulge at the meal.

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  8. Great tips. My biggest problem is that I eat too quickly. I blame that habit from growing up with two ravenous brothers; you had to eat fast if you wanted seconds!

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  9. You look great! I agree, portion control is the most realistic way to maintain your weight and feel really good. If you don't restrict the type of food, then you won't feel deprived and want to binge at some point. It's taken me a long time to figure that out!

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  10. I do exactly as you do....and sometimes order sides and a salad instead of something off the dinner menu. Great tips/reminders :)

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  11. my trick to avoid over eating when I decide eat out is to eat a very small portion before going out. I usually take a slice of wheat bread and two spoons of honey. This really helps me to control my appetite.

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