The Science Behind Portion Control & Weight Loss

What are food portions?

Before we delve into the world of portion control, it's crucial to understand what a "food portion" truly is. Unlike serving sizes listed on food labels, a food portion refers to the amount you choose to eat at one time. This could be an entire meal or a specific food type, like a portion of vegetables on your plate.

What is portion control?

A calorie deficit, burning more calories than we consume, leads to weight loss. Portion control is the art of regulating how much food enters our bodies, ensuring we stay within a healthy calorie range for our goals.

Why portion control matters

A systematic review conducted in 2021 found that larger portions resulted in eating more food daily. They further explain that consuming smaller portions compared to larger portions was associated with less weight gain. This research therefore supports the idea that if we reduce portion sizes then weight gain could be less prevalent. 

The British Nutrition Foundation suggests that it’s important how we portion control though, as more energy-dense foods should be decreased but you should still eat a generous portion of lower calorie foods like vegetables. This approach should prevent you from feeling hungry but can help you to reduce calorie intake. 

The science of satiety

Our brains have complex mechanisms that regulate hunger and satiety (feeling full). Hormones like leptin and ghrelin play a crucial role in this process - leptin signals fullness, while ghrelin stimulates hunger. When we eat, it takes about 20 minutes for leptin levels to rise and signal satiety, which is why eating slowly and paying attention to our bodies’ cues is important to avoid overeating.

Portion control helps us achieve this by ensuring we consume enough food to register satiety without exceeding our calorie needs.

How can I stick to the right portions?

Here are some evidence-based strategies to incorporate portion control into your daily routine:

Take a look at your dinnerware

Psychology research shows us that people tend to fill their plates regardless of plate size. This means that if you choose smaller plates rather than large ones, you can trick yourself into feeling satisfied with less food.

Diabetes UK sells a portion control plate to assist with how you should organise your plate with different food groups. There are many useful documents online that can help with how much of each food we should eat across the day, such as the government’s Eatwell Guide which separates foods into 5 different groups we should aim to include in our diet. 

Measure and Pre-Portion

Being proactive with measuring and pre-portioning is a great way to make sure you’re eating healthy serving sizes and aren’t snacking unhealthily throughout the day. This could be made easier by investing in measuring cups and spoons, or you could even use your hands to portion as outlined by the British Heart Foundation. If you need snacks throughout the day, pre-portion these into containers so that you won’t be tempted by overeating. 

Take your time when eating

There is research to suggest that eating more slowly by increasing the number of chews per bite could have an impact on hunger post-meal. In a study on the topic, participants were provided with equal-sized portions of pizza with one group chewing 15 times and the other group 40 times before swallowing. Compared to the group who chewed 15 times, chewing 40 times per portion resulted in lower hunger, preoccupation with food, and desire to eat. 

It is often said that it roughly takes 20 minutes for your body to adjust its hunger-related hormone production after starting eating. Therefore, if you take more time to chew and swallow your food, it gives your brain more time to signal that you are full. This is described as mindful eating. By following these practices, it could make eating portion controlled food easier. 

Consider drinking more water

Drinking water at particular times could be a great option to help with sticking to the right portions. A study into water consumption separated participants into either a diet group or a diet group plus 500ml of water prior to each daily meal. Weight loss was greater in the water group than in the nonwater group, and the water group showed a 44% greater decline in weight over the 12 week test than the nonwater group. It is suggested that by drinking water prior to eating, participants didn’t eat as much as they felt more full quicker.

Exploring a comprehensive approach

While portion control is a powerful tool for weight management, it's important to recognise that it may not be the only solution for everyone. In some cases, a plan that incorporates additional strategies might be more effective. 

At Pharmacy2U, we understand the complexities of weight management. In addition to advocating for healthy lifestyle changes like portion control, we are also dedicated to providing medications that can be used alongside a weight management plan created by a doctor if you are deemed suitable after an assessment from a healthcare professional. To determine whether you are suitable to use weight loss medications, complete our online consultation process. It's important to remember that these medications are not a magic solution and should be used in conjunction with portion control, a healthy diet, and exercise. Completing our online consultation does not guarantee that you will be prescribed a weight loss medicine. 

Advice and information to support weight loss