Portion Control for Office Lunches

We know that portion control is essential for healthy eating, but who can take a food scale with them when eating out of the office? Restaurants typically serve a lot more than what is considered a healthy portion due to the nature of competition. So, how can you enjoy the benefits of eating out of the office while making sure extra calories don't hit your waistline? 

Portion Control with your Palm

When you’re on the go and don’t have the opportunity to measure on a scale or by cups, a great way to portion control your meals is by using your hands. The information in the list below came from Precision Nutrition, a nutritional coaching company. You can find a handy chart on their site here. 

Hand Measuring for Men and Women

Here's a quick list to help you eat healthier portions: 

• Proteins (meats, fish, beans, eggs)  
  • Men = 2 palms
  • Women = 1 palm

• Vegetables (squash, green beans, all the things your parents forced you to eat)
  • Men = 2 palms
  • Women = 1 palm
    
    • Stay away from starchy vegetables like corn, peas and yams (save those for your carb portion)
• Carbohydrates (rice, potatoes, breads)
  • Men = 2 palms
  • Women = 1 palm
    
    • make sure that you’re taking in good carbs (complex carbs).
    • Instead of white rice choose brown rice, pick whole grains over flour and yams over potatoes
    • keep the sugar content low
• Fats (Butter, oils like extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, avocados, nuts, nut butters and seeds)
  • Men = 2 thumb sized portions
  • Women = 1 thumb sized portion

Simply separate the healthy portions on your plate before you eat and commit to only eating those portions. 

These are rough guidelines

Everyone is different. You personally may require larger or smaller portions depending on your daily activities, stature, desire for weight-loss and/or muscle gain. With that said, the guidelines above are a good starting point. 

You may still feel hungry...just wait

Lingering hunger may make you think you are not getting enough to eat. From our hunter-gatherer days, our bodies are geared towards encouraging us to consume more than we need to ensure we survive to our next meal. Your feeling of hunger may not subside until 10 to 15 minutes after you have consumed a healthy portion. Give it some time. 

Don't Make it Hard

Portion control doesn’t have to be difficult. Take this simple method and remove the guilt from office lunch trips!