The accuracy of the measurements will depend on the size of your hand. If you have free time, you can compare your hand estimates to your measuring devices at home, so you can adjust your portions.
Other Tips for Eating Less
When starting a diet, the first step is to change your snacking habits. To achieve your weight goal and a healthier eating lifestyle, you need to make sure that you are not overeating and that you are consuming the right kind of calories that your body needs.
Mindful eating
Savor your food by chewing slowly, appreciating the color, smell, and texture of your food. Steering away from distractions while eating can help condition your mind and body to eat less.
Eat using a smaller plate
The Delboeuf illusion is a visual trick where you have equal portions of food that you place in two different container sizes, one being smaller than the other. When you put the portion of food on a smaller plate, it would trick your brain into thinking that you just have enough food to consume. However, when you place the same amount of food on a larger plate, your brain would think that you need to get more food since the portion looks smaller. A lot of people use this trick to help them stay committed to dieting.
However, in other cases, this may also lead to overeating. Researchers from the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev have found that when people are hungry, especially when they are on a strict diet, they are more likely to notice the portions of the meal no matter what the plate-size is. These findings may result in people realizing that they are eating less, which makes them overeat later.
Eating on a smaller plate may be more effective on people who strictly follow food portions. If you think that this will not work for you, perhaps estimating portion sizes with your hand is better.
Change the color of your plate
The color of your plate might be the reason why you overeat. Using bright colored plates such as blues and greens can help suppress your appetite.
However, based on a controlled study, it was found that black and red colored plates did not affect the appetite of their subjects. The result of the study suggests that the color of the plate may affect someone’s appetite based on different factors, such as the food type and the contrast between the food and the colors of the plate. Still, trying out this technique may be beneficial.
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