Obscene Portion Sizes
In Your Face: Obscene Portion Sizes by Dr. Susan Mitchell PhD, RD, FADA
One of the questions I get asked often is “How many calories do I really need each day?” Grab your iphone or blackberry with your calculator app, a pen and paper or a calculator if you’re in the office because I want you to do a very quick calculation so you know your personal daily calorie needs.
We’re going to talk about the calories in many of your favorite foods. Calories will take on new meaning when you consider the total calories in a food item compared against your personal caloric needs.
Current weight x 12 = estimation of calories needed to maintain your current weight.
Example: if you weigh 155 pounds (155 x 12 = 1860 calories), you are consuming close to 1900 calories per day to maintain that weight. If you are continuing to gain weight, you are eating more than 1900 calories each day.
To lose 1 pound/week = cut 500 calories per day or exercise and burn off part of that 500 calories
Because obscene portions are the norm, we think that’s what we’re supposed to eat and it’s not.Our bodies need nowhere close to these huge numbers of calories so we’re wearing them on our thighs, bellies, behinds, chins, and underarms.
Did you hear that Starbucks is introducing their new 31-ounce “trenta” size? According to information from the Orlando Sentinel, you could add upwards of 200 calories a day to your intake depending on what your “trenta” order is….say a Tazo shaken iced tea versus iced coffee.With 200 extra calories per day, you’re looking at a two-pound weight gain each month… all else remaining the same.
Canada’s National Post included a graphic that compared the 916 milliliter “trenta” to a person’s stomach which holds an average of 900 milliliters. Ok, so ice is likely to take up some of the space.
A few weeks ago in the trends podcast, remember I mentioned Burger King’s Ultimate Breakfast Platter with scrambled eggs, sausage, hash browns, three pancakes with syrup, and a biscuit which delivers 1310 calories. How does that platter fit with your daily calorie needs?Think about it…this is ONLY breakfast.
Maybe you’re thinking you’ll just go with a Dunkin’ Donuts blueberry muffin for breakfast? Delete 480 calories from your daily calorie needs. That doesn’t include anything else at breakfast….just the muffin.
Maybe you’ll change your mind since you have a dinner plans at Outback Steakhouse tonight and you want to have the 14-ounce ribeye steak. Any ideas on calories?This steak will set you back right at 1200 calories (1,190) calories before the potato, salad, bread and drink. This ONE item with nothing else at dinner and nothing else all day is the 1200 calorie limit for many women who want to lose weight.
How about a little chocolate? Baskin-Robbins Medium Fudge Brownie 31° Below will chill you with right at 1400 calories not to mention consume the majority of your daily caloric budget.
Think you’ll slim down your breakfast with a healthy-sounding granola. Bear Naked Fit Granola has 480 calories per cup. Now tell me, can you really eat only ¼ or ½ cup?
I know a lot of guys who like Five Guys burgers…the Five Guys hamburger is 700 calories with NO toppings and no fries or a drink. How about a no-topping cheeseburger and large fries….try 2300 calories before the soda. Not many guys I know can put away those calories without them showing up on their belly.
Huge portions are one big reason people are overweight. They are the norm, what’s offered at restaurants, take out, vending machines, food trucks, you name it. The portions are served to us…we eat it. It’s time for us to take back control of the fork and rethink what we order, share, take home, etc. when it comes to portions. Be aware of your daily needs and think small size instead of supersize.
An award-winning registered dietitian, Dr. Mitchell serves on the health and medical advisory board of Family Circlemagazine. She is co-author of three books— Fat is Not Your Fate, I’d Kill for a Cookie and Eat to Stay Young as well as a contributing author to Macmillan Reference USA’s Nutrition and Well-Being A to Z . A reliable source to the media, Dr. Mitchell has appeared on The Today Show, CNN, and the TVFood Network and is quoted extensively in magazines including Reader’s Digest, Fitness, and Cooking Light.
Distinguishing Dr Mitchell’s work is her ability to integrate sound nutrition and fitness into busy lifestyles to achieve better health, increased energy and creativity. She consults as the nutrition and health expert for Target. A licensed nutritionist, registered dietitian, and Fellow of the American Dietetic Association, Dr. Mitchell earned her Ph.D. from the University of Tennessee (Go Volunteers!) and taught nutrition and health science at the University of Central Florida for over 8 years.
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