By Director of Product Development & Fit3 Trainer Tina Van Horn

Think you know what a portion of peanut butter looks like? Two tablespoons isn’t very much when you start smearing it on your bread. How about an actual serving size of ice cream? Who really only eats half a cup? That’s like three bites. And let’s not even talk about cereal. . . there’s an awful lot of room left in the bowl if you play along with what the side panel of the box says is a serving.

Portion distortion is a real thing. We have become so conditioned to the over-sized helpings served in restaurants that we have no basis for what is the reality when it comes to a reasonable serving size. There are so many packaged convenience foods and beverages that we think are single servings but actually contain two or more servings. We consume the whole thing anyway because we have been led to think a serving is MUCH larger than what it actually is. Always read labels! Even if you think you know how many servings there are in that little package of mixed nuts at the checkout, always check the label. You will probably be shocked!

Easy Mistake 

One of the easiest mistakes to make with Fit3 is not understanding proper portion sizes. When you are getting started, I highly recommend using a food scale for a few weeks until you have overcome the propaganda from the food marketing industry and you get a handle on what is sensible. Every couple of months I get out my food scale and bring myself back to reality because we do have a tendency to wander off. Once you get a grasp of what a true portion looks like, you can put the food scale away and use our Easy Portion Sizes Sheet. This tool is so helpful with everyday portion sizes. Try putting it on your fridge for easy access.

What foods haunt you when it comes to sticking to a single portion? You already know mine: peanut butter, ice cream, and cereal. Funny how none of us have that problem when it comes to a salad!