What counts in the war against obesity is not what you eat, but how much. To lose weight, you must consume fewer calories than you burn each day. It doesn't matter where the calories come from, but how many you eat. According to Medline Plus, the key to losing weight is portion control. To assist dieters, a number of companies have created plates with pictures or sections to guide your servings.
Significance
Portion sizes in restaurants, on family dining tables and in packaged foods have steadily increased along with the rate of obesity in America, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC. The emphasis is to get as much food for your money as you can. Larger portions for relatively little extra money are attractive and appeal to consumer's sensibilities. Large packages that contain more than one serving encourage overeating and deter dieters from understanding proper portion control.
History
Choices in restaurants have exploded, offering a huge array of fast food and sit-down options. According to the CDC, the number of restaurants in the United States increased by 75 percent between 1975 and 1991 and continues to rise. Portion sizes in pre-packaged snack foods have risen substantially since the early 1970s, as well, so that many labels now exceed federal guidelines for healthy serving sizes.
Features
A healthy diet is one that allows you to lose one or two pounds a week and is nutritionally balanced. According to MayoClinic.com, successful dieters lose weight and keep it off because they have learned how to control how much they eat while partaking in the foods they most enjoy. An overly restrictive diet is unrealistic and sets you up for failure. When you feel deprived, you are more likely to binge on the food you miss.
Effects
People tend to eat more than they need when presented with larger portions, according to the CDC. Dieters eating normal and larger portions tend to report similar feelings of fullness, regardless of how much they ate. Additionally, when uninformed about the serving size they were presented with, both lean and heavy diners tend to consume the entire serving. While you may be able to eat an extra large portion at one meal, you could theoretically eat less at the next meal to compensate for the splurge. However, CDC studies show that most people find that difficult to manage.
Solutions
A diet based on a portion plate utilizes a dinner plate divided into three sections. Half the plate should be filled with vegetables, one quarter of the plate should be filled with carbohydrates and the other quarter is reserved for your protein portion. Some products on the market provide pictures on the plate that reflect the comparable size of a suggested, healthy portion. For example, according to the Weight-control Information Network, one cup is equal to a closed fist and two tablespoons is about the size of a ping-pong ball.
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