Lose Weight and Save Money? Easy When You Know How Much You Really Should Eat

What I'm about to tell you is like GOLD in your pocket. Literally.

But here's something even better. Follow this simple rule and you will not only save money, but will definitely lose weight. Pretty fast, in many cases.

My supporters (thank you!) will know that I'm not a fan of counting calories. Suffice to say, there is an almost endless amount of research out there to show why it won't help you lose weight, not to mention that I've proven it many times over in both my own life, and the lives of my faithful followers.

So I'm certainly not about to advocate the 'starve yourself' method of weight loss. It's crazy, it makes you feel awful, and it just don't work. Not in the long-term anyway, and only for water and muscle loss in the short-term.

But portion control? Now that's another story.

Here's the truth about portion size. Brace yourself. Over 90% of people who I've worked with have been eating too-large portions. For most of them, they honestly thought their portions were about standard. Here's the thing. They probably were eating an 'average' amount of food. The problem is our perception has been skewed. ON TV, in restaurants, and any time you care to look around, the 'average' portion size being dealt out is roughly double what people actually need.

No wonder most people find it hard to know how much is enough - or too much.

It doesn't matter how healthy the foods - I've seen many clients struggle to lose weight on an almost perfect balance of food, simply because they are stuck in a habit of eating whatever is in front of them. Whether this harks back to being told not to waste food as a child, or is just a matter of eyes to big for stomach, it's gotta stop.

It may not be just about how much food is in front of you. I've noticed that there's a lot of fear out there about going hungry. Particularly when people have followed restrictive or unrealistic diets in the past - it's like they've developed an unconscious pattern of always keeping their belly topped up rather than experience the painfully empty stomach or general fatigue that comes about when you don't feed your body adequate nutrition. Fair enough. There's nothing worse than the way you feel when you're slowly starving yourself.

Be not afraid!

My style of portion control is not about feeling like you've got nothing to run on. As a matter of fact, when you find the correct portion size, but eat the correct foods, you'll actually find you have MORE energy than if you're eating too much. This is because your digestion system has to slow everything (including your metabolism) down when you overeat.

The long and short of it is that too much is too much - and if you're eating good foods (read some of my articles on fats and proteins to check out whether your ideas of good foods is correct), and exercising regularly, then it's likely you're eating too much. Not saying it's the only possible reason, but we do need to explore the idea.

Now please don't think what I'm saying here conflicts with my teaching on the follies of 'energy in vs energy out'. I'm NOT saying eat less fat or calories.

I continue to advocate what is probably a higher-cal diet than most, because I know how crucial rich and natural fats and proteins are to staying in shape. Let's face it - if it works, it works!

So with all that in mind, let's try and figure out what a good portion size is for YOU.

Five Steps to Finding the Right Portion Size

1. Firstly, ensure you have a representative from each macronutrient group on your plate. This means you need some carbohydrate, some fat, and some protein. All should be as unprocessed as possible, so go with natural, straight from the earth or animal sources. If you miss one of these vital groups out, you are will be lacking some of the nutrients that make you feel satisfied. This is one reason people think they need more food than they do - they're just not getting a good or adequate mix of nutrients. Satisfaction comes from nutrients not quantity.

2. Always buy the best quality you can afford. Eating nutrient-dense organic or free range foods will ensure that you need less food to fill you up. It's nutrients that give you satisfaction, not quantity of food (repeating myself, but this is important!). This is why you can still feel hungry after eating an entire packet of chips or biscuits, even though your belly is full and bloated.

3. Cutting back. Start with this: serve yourself a normal amount. Whatever you would generally go for. Be honest - put as much food on the plate as what you think you normally eat.

4. Cut it in half, and put the spare half in a sealed container for a later meal, or the next day's lunch. (CRUCIAL! Remember to follow Step One, or this won't work and you'll be starving). Do this regardless of how small the leftover food might be. Yes - you may feel a little empty for the first few days. This is because you've overstretched your belly. In most cases, a couple days eating this way will prove that you've been overfeeding yourself. I know I'm being general by saying 'half' but experience tells me most people tend to eat twice as much as they need. If you're still feeling really hungry after 5 days eating this way, increase the quantity (of all macronutrients, see Step One) by 10%. Wait 3-4 days, and then do this again if needed. It's unlikely you'll need to increase again after this point.

5. Eat the half-portion that is remaining as slowly as possible. Remember what your Mum used to say? Chew 30 times! An old Zen proverb I really enjoy puts it this way: 'Drink your food and chew your water'. Great advice for extracting every bit of nutrition and satisfaction from what you eat, and not swallowing calories before you get a chance to absorb them.

Finally, sit back and enjoy the loose feeling between your waistline and your belly - not to mention the extra $$$ in your pocket from not buying so much food!

A final thought - as mentioned, I know it can be scary eating less food. But what would you rather? A few days going hungry as your body adjusts to what it really needs, or a lifetime of creeping weight? Keep in mind, that your energy and wellbeing will improve when you eat less or the right foods.