The Portion Guesstimator

Portion Recording Made Easy

When recording the portions you consume, apply the following 3 elements to make your recording accurate.

  1. Become a good portion "Guesstimator." Use the portion guesstimating pop-up in the Health Register when portion weighing and measuring is not possible.

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  2. To begin, weigh and measure portions. Purchase a measuring cup, measuring spoons and a food scale if you do not have them already. Yes, this is a tad tedious, but by using them at the beginning of your program, you will not only learn to become a better portion estimator (this comes in very handy when eating out), you will also accelerate the process of attaining your health goals.

When weighing and measuring food, experiment by placing each food in containers of various sizes and shapes or on top of other food items, i.e., gravy over potatoes, etc. In no time, you will learn to accurately estimate and record when eating out.

  1. Adjust caloric intake up or down regularly to compensate for portion recording errors. Numerous dietary studies indicate that people who do not weigh or measure everything they eat consistently, under-estimate the amount they consume by 10% to 20%.

If after a week or 2, you are not experiencing the desired weight loss results, lower your caloric intake by 10%, and thereafter in 5% weekly increments until you "find" your personal average percentage for under-estimating and under-recording portions. Regularly adjusting your calorie intake down to compensate for under-recording will assure accuracy and faster dieting success. Do not reduce your daily caloric intake below 1,000 calories without medical approval and supervision.

You will find the Portion Guesstimator in the Tools menu under Cool Tools.

About the Portions & Serving Sizes Listed in the Health Register

Similar to the approach used in current U.S. Nutrition Facts labels, the HealthKeeper's Health Register likewise rounds off the calories and bar gram amounts for any given food. The difference between these rounded approximations and the exact nutrient amounts are so minimal they will not negatively effect your dietary program.

In many cases, the portions listed in the Health Register are identical to the serving sizes that government research has identified the average person eats in 1 sitting (the same portions listed as serving sizes on the mandatory Nutrition Facts label).

The Guesstimator is a handy visual tool for estimating relative portion size when a measurement would be impractical or impossible.

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