Tired of counting calories? Then it’s time to ditch this habit! While calories do matter, it doesn’t mean you should spend hours weighing your food and calculating macros. These things can make it hard to stick to your diet. Unless you’re a bodybuilder or a fitness model, there’s no need to track every single calorie in your food. There are easier ways to control your portions and estimate the calories consumed.
Why Calorie Counting Doesn’t Work
Calorie counting has its perks, but it’s confusing and time-consuming. Additionally, calorie estimates are often inaccurate. For instance, if you check the amount of calories in an apple or steak, you’ll get different numbers from different sources. The cooking method used affects calorie content too, so it’s hard to tell how many calories are in soup, stew, or fried foods.
Most people lack the time and patience needed to count calories. When healthy eating becomes complicated, you’re more likely to give up and return to your old habits. To keep things simple, use your palm, fist, and thumb to measure portion sizes and avoid overeating.
A Better Way to Track Calories and Portions
Believe it or not, your hand is all you need to control your portions and calories consumed. This “tool” is always with you and its size never changes. A serving of protein should be the size of your palm. A serving of vegetables should be the size of your fist. A serving of carbs is the size of your cupped hand, while a serving of fats is the same size as your thumb.
Even though some people have smaller or larger hands and thumbs, hand size still matches their general body size. Ideally, women should eat four to six palms of high-protein foods, four to six fists of vegetables, four to six cupped hands of carb-rich foods, and four to six thumbs of high-fat foods per day. The recommended daily food intake for men is six to eight palms of protein, six to eight fists of veggies, six to eight cupped hands of high-carb foods, and another six to eight thumbs of fatty foods. The secret to serving size is in your hand.
