What are Proper Food Portions for Maintaining Weight

Putting the proper size food portions onto your plate for each meal is key to maintaining or losing weight. What does the proper portion size of food look like? To give you visual comparisons for suitable serving sizes, eDiets.com
Nutrition Specialist Renee Brunetti, LD/N, Put together this visual aid to choosing proper food portions.

Visual examples of different size food portions:

• 1 medium fruit -- tennis ball or tight fist
• 1/2 cup of fruit, veggie, cooked cereal, rice or pasta -- cupcake or tight fist
• 1 cup of raw salad -- the amount you can hold in two hands cupped together.
• 1 medium baked potato -- computer mouse
• 1 cup of cold cereal -- large handful or tight fist
• 1-ounce bagel -- a yo-yo
• 3 oz of meat, poultry or fish -- palm of a woman's hand or deck of cards
• 1 ounce of cheese -- 4 dice or the top half of your thumb
• 3 1/2 ounces of tofu -- 4 ice cubes
• 1 ounce of meat, fish, chicken or poultry -- 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon -- the tip of a medium-framed woman's thumb (also, 3 tsp is equal to 1 tbs)
  

These food portion sizes expand with cooking:

• 1 ounce of pasta will cook up to about 2 ounces, which is equivalent to 1/4 cup. Pasta doubles in volume.
• 2 tablespoons of rice cook up to about 6 tablespoons, or about 1/3 cup. Rice triples in volume.

Using this guide to proper food portion size will ensure that you aren't eating too much.

One great weightloss tips for making it seem like you have more food is to use a smaller plate to put it on. Use a small place and pile it high with the servings above. You'll have no trouble maintaining your weight or losing, if that is your goal.