Is there a better way to eat dinner than measuring your food on a scale, doing math, & juggling measuring cups? Yes, there is. It is your hand. We’ll get to more on how to use your hand to measure portion sizes in a second, but first lets dive a bit deeper into why counting calories doesn’t work well, & is rarely necessary.
When we talk about weight loss, maintenance, or gain, we look at the energy balance equation CICO (calories in – calories out = energy balance). Fundamentally, if you take in less calories than you expend, you will be in a negative energy balance & lose weight. However, it is really tough to actually figure the number of calories that are really in your food. What it says on the label might not necessarily be true, or even accurate. Research has shown these reported calories can be up to 25% off. Not to mention, by the time the food is on your plate, that number may have changed during the cooking process.
On the other end of the equation, calories out, there are tons of factors that affect this & they’re pretty individualized. You are again dealing with about a 25% error in sorting this number out.
Add those percent errors up & you’re true CICO could be really skewed & leaving you frustrated. At that point, is it even worth all the math, measuring cups, & food scales? The answer is usually no.
Here is a great info-graphic from Precision Nutrition on other problems with counting calories.
We should definitely have an idea of how much food we’re consuming, but counting calories can become high-maintenance, a time waster, & take away the joy of eating. If you want to know whether this is a strategy you should be doing or not, ask yourself this question: “Do I get paid for how my body looks or do I compete in physique competitions?”. If the answer is no, you can get amazing results without counting calories.
The Fix
So now that we established reasons why we do not need to count calories, lets get into the solution: Hand portion sizes.
Here’s a quick summary:
- Your protein portions are determined by your palm.
- Your veggie portions are determined by your fist.
- Your carb portions are determined by your cupped hand.
- Your fat portions are determined by your thumb.
Protein Intake:
To measure how much protein you should be eating, use your palm for protein dense foods like chicken, beef, dairy, eggs, & fish. For men, 1 serving will be 2 palm sized portions & for women it will be 1 palm sized portion at most meals.
Vegetable Intake:
To measure your vegetable intake, simply try to include 1-2 fist sized portions with most meals.
Carb Intake:
For carbs, think about a portion being able to fit in a cupped hand. For most meals, women should aim for one, & men should aim for closer to 2 cupped handfuls. This includes foods like pasta, fruit, potatoes, & oats.
Fat Intake:
When figuring out how much fat to include in a meal, use your thumb to determine a portion size. Women, aim for 1, while men can aim closer to 2 thumb sized portions of foods for most meals. Examples of foods include nut butters, nuts,
Planning: Keep It Simple & Flexible
At each meal, you should aim for:
- 1-2 palm sized portions of protein
- 1-2 fist sized servings of veggies
- 1-2 cupped hands of carbs
- 1-2 thumb sized portions of fats
This per meal hand portion guide is a fantastic starting point, but some people’s needs may vary based off the individual. Men typically need more food than women, and a growing teenage wouldn’t eat the same amount as a senior citizen. Also, an athlete wouldn’t eat the same as an artist. If you’re extremely active or trying to gain weight, you may slightly increase some of these. If you’re overweight or trying to drop some weight, you may dial some of these back slightly.
At the end of the day, most moderately active men will be or want to be taking in:
- 6-8 palm sized portions of protein
- 6-8 fist sized portions of veggies
- 6-8 cup sized portions of carbs
- 6-8 thumb sized portions of fats
At the end of the day, most moderately active women will be or want to be taking in:
- 4-6 palm sized portions of protein
- 4-6 fist sized portions of veggies
- 4-6 cup sized portions of carbs
- 4-6 thumb sized portions of fats
So although the exact amount may vary among individuals, the beautiful part of this template is that you can use the size of your hand to make the necessary adjustments for your goals, needs, & desired results.
Want More Help?
Now that you’ve got this information under your belt, experiment with controlling your portion sizes using this template. For those of you want to dive deeper into your nutrition & fitness goals, I deliver the best nutrition coaching curriculum around using Precision Nutrition’s ProCoach. You can click here for more info on how the program works & how I coach nutrition.
*All hand portion images are from Precision Nutrition
