• Do you know how to portion your food?

Do you own a food scale?

Do you plan your meals ahead of time?

If your answer to any of these questions is NO, you need to pay special attention to this post to learn why this is so important. Purchasing a food scale is a wise investment you can make for yourself, and for your family. They are so inexpensive and easy to use. I cannot emphasize the importance of portion size enough. We never really know how much we are eating of a certain food until we measure it. Here in the U.S. portion sizes typically served to us are too large, and without even knowing it we are taking in too many calories during any one meal.

If your goal is to lose weight, speed up your metabolism, and gain lean muscle mass, measuring your food is a MUST. Also, meal prepping ahead of time is a sure way to make sure you can stay on track, so we aren’t tempted to swing through the drive through. Take a day to cook a bunch of lean proteins, green veggies, and clean complex carbs.

My recommendation for women is to take in about 4oz-5oz of lean protein per meal, and to eat 5-6 small meals per day. Men need to take in a bit more so their portion size should be between 6oz – 8oz of lean protein per meal. Make sure that your meals are spaced out with 2-3 hours between meals. Pair your lean proteins with veggies, healthy fats and/or complex carbs.

A few protein examples – 94% lean or higher ground turkey or ground sirloin, boneless skinless chicken breast, tuna, white fish, flank steak, egg whites.

A few healthy fat examples – egg yolks, avocado, almonds, olive oil

A few complex carb examples – oatmeal, brown rice, sweet potatoes

A few green veggies examples – spinach, green beans, asparagus