Size Does Matter
by Meggan Larson
Before I tell you what a good portion size is I do have to tell you what my portion sizes looked like before I came to this conclusion. This is going to be a little embarrassing but to be fair, I did lose 60lbs eating this way! At first, that is. My plate was always piled with food. The eggroll in a bowl recipe was always split between my husband and I. I believe it’s supposed to be at least 4 servings. I’d often eat several slices of Gwen’s pizza (by several I mean 3-4 full pieces when a serving is 2 half slices), half of the speedy thin crust pizza (this should probably be 4 servings), usually a good 8 pieces of payday candy (a serving is like 2-3), I’d cut the basic cheesecake into 4 slices, and I’d make an entire 6-8 servings of apple crisp and eat half in one sitting. Maybe I should have titled this article MORE “Hilarious Confessions of a Trim Healthy Mama“…
The point is, I overate.
Yes, I lost weight at first but I was…
…also nursing a baby. He was weaned a good 6-8 months ago and though I mostly cut out my crossovers, I still ate way too much ~ clearly! In the first edition of the Trim Healthy Mama book, the portion sizes were not very clearly laid out. Some of us (ahem, me) took that to mean I could eat however much I wanted. That resulted in my eating until I was completely stuffed and could barely move. The more I did that, the more my stomach expanded and I could eat more and more and more all the while telling myself that because it was “on plan” it was totally fine. There are many recipes in the book that specify a single-serve portion and in the new THM book the portion sizes are much more clearly laid out which is extremely helpful! It also helped me see that when I ate half of a recipe that should be for 4-6 people, it was obviously too much.
I can’t tell you what your portion sizes should look like because #1 – THM is all about food freedom and telling you what kind of portion YOU should be having is not at all what the sisters would want. #2 – I don’t know you! I don’t know your situation, if you’re nursing a baby, exercising for 2 hours a day, sitting at a desk all day, etc. So I can’t begin to tell you what amount you should be eating.
What I CAN say, is that unless it specifies a single serving in the book, it likely should be split into at least 4 servings. If you’ve been stalled and you know that you’ve been eating on plan, try eating a bigger salad, adding more veggies to your plate, reduce those portion sizes if you know that you’ve been gorging, and wait a little after eating to see if you’re actually still hungry or if you just want to be munching. I was a huge muncher and have been able to cut it down by drinking a lot more water, eating more veggies with my meals, and making FP snacks if I’m really wanting something to crunch on.
Sometimes it just takes a little more effort to keep that weight loss happening. It doesn’t mean you have to starve yourself, but perhaps, gorge yourself just a little bit less often. 😉
~Meggan
ps…If you need help to figure out why you are struggling with the weight in the first place, what plan will work for you, or why you emotionally eat, then I strongly urge you to check out the 5-Day Video Mini-Series inside our private Facebook community-“Release the Weight from the Inside Out” click the link to join the Facebook group! It could be the change you’ve been searching for!
Meggan Larson is a wife, mom of three, and challenge overcomer! Diagnosed with a rare form of cancer and undergoing aggressive chemotherapy, when her second born child was only three months old, gave Meggan an expected twist to her life. Dealing with pregnancy weight gain and the debilitating effects of chemotherapy, Meggan’s weight soared to over 228 pounds. Feeling humiliated with no desire to socialize Meggan was desperate for a change. Shortly after losing 20 pounds with the Trim Healthy Mama program, Meggan found out she was pregnant with baby number three, which ended in an emergency C-section and unexpected hysterectomy. Despite the challenges she faced Meggan has just celebrated her one year “trimiversary”, and her success of releasing just over 60 pounds! Meggan is confident that her success on plan is “doable” for anyone looking to gain back their health and wanting to live a trim and healthy lifestyle!
Disclaimer:
We are not affiliated with Trim Healthy Mama nor endorsed by them. As with all resources, you should review them with care. We have done our best to make the recipes and all menu plans THM compliant in an effort to assist you on your journey.
