A fist of veggies and a thumb of butter – how to use your hands to measure portions and lose weight like Gladiator Rio
THERE isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to diet and exercise.
Everybody is different after all – not just with our goals, but our challenges and triggers too.
There are numerous physical, social and psychological factors that influence how we try to achieve the results we’re aiming for.
But whether you’re wanting to lose weight or build muscle – or both! – I’ve got you covered.
As a former Gladiator, Rio, and certified nutrition and fitness coach, I’ve put together my top tips for getting to the finish line, whatever that may look like for you.
GET A BASELINE
INSTEAD of jumping straight on a diet that your friend once did or your favourite influencer recommends, start by simply tracking your own food and drink.
Note down what you eat, why, when and how.
Pay attention to what triggers you and how you feel – before, during and afterwards.
It can be helpful to buy a dedicated notebook or journal, but you can also use the notes section on your phone.
This will help you realise the patterns you already have and encourage mindfulness about your food choices.
Sometimes this process just validates what you already know. But there are often a few surprises!
Overall, it can be helpful to really dive into where you’re at right now before you start deciding what food groups to increase or decrease.
PORTION CONTROL
ONCE you have this information, it’s time to take a look at your portion sizes.
The NHS recommends men consume around 2,500 calories a day to maintain good health, while it’s about 2,000 for women.
Exactly how many you need will depend on several factors, including your size and activity levels.
The trouble is, it can be tricky to calculate the calories in food when it’s not available directly on the packaging.
That’s where hand portions come in.
By using hand portions, you are estimating your calorific intake, but arguably that’s exactly what’s happening when you’re reading labels, using scales, or eating out
Jane Omorogbe
Your hands are part of you. Unlike a set of scales, they’re with you everywhere you go.
Using hand portions to assess your energy intake helps you to be consistent, plus it gives you agency over your own planning.
You don’t have to worry when your phone’s battery is dead and you can’t access your tracking app.
And you won’t insult your dinner date by whipping out a set of scales to meticulously measure the delights they’re serving up.
What’s more, tracking calories with online programs can be inaccurate by as much as 20 per cent. Food labelling can also vary by up to 25 per cent in some cases.
Most importantly, we’re all gloriously different. So surely it makes sense to figure out what works for us as individuals, right?
USING YOUR HANDS
EVERYONE has different sized hands and ideas about what makes a healthy portion.
What matters the most is that you take control over your own food habits and have a system that you can rely on wherever you are.
It’s about using this method to track, adjust and experiment with your own nutritional choices.
You may need more or less of certain food groups as life continues to challenge and nurture you.
Using hand portions to measure your food in the beginning helps you learn how to self-assess and adapt.
Over time, this can become something you’ll do automatically.
So how do hand portion sizes relate to the scales?
Hand portion sizes - men vs. women
WOMEN
- 1 palm (protein) – 3 oz (85g) – cooked meat or tofu, 1 cup Greek yogurt or cottage cheese, 1 scoop protein powder, 2 whole eggs
- 1 fist (veggies) – 1 cup (100g) – non-starchy vegetables, spinach, carrots, cauliflower, peppers
- 1 cupped hand (carbs) – 1/2 cup (100g) – cooked grains or legumes, rice, lentils, oats, 1 medium fruit, 1 medium potato
- 1 thumb (fat) – 1 tablespoon (14g) – oils, nuts, seeds, nut butters, cheese, dark chocolate
MEN
- 1 palm (protein) – 4oz (115g) – cooked meat or tofu, 1 cup Greek yogurt or cottage cheese, 1 scoop protein powder, 2 whole eggs
- 1 fist (veggies) – 1 cup (100g) – non-starchy vegetables, spinach, carrots, cauliflower, peppers
- 1 cupped hand (carbs) – 2/3 cup (130g) – cooked grains or legumes, rice, lentils, oats, 1 medium fruit, 1 medium potato
- 1 thumb (fat) – 1 tablespoon (14g) – oils, nuts, seeds, nut butters, cheese, dark chocolate
WHAT ELSE IS IN A PORTION?
UNLESS you have serious food allergies, love a strict routine or just don’t like change and variety very much, you probably won’t be eating chicken, rice and veggies every single day.
You’ll want to mix it up a bit and vary your diet, for taste, enjoyment, flexibility, practicality and to broaden your nutritional intake.
Most foods don’t fit entirely into one food category, they’ll contain some proteins, some fats and some carbs.
And yes, you’re right, two eggs contain less protein than one palm-sized portion of quality steak, which has more protein in it than the 20 to 30g I’ve estimated.
This system works because you use the averages to gauge your overall intake.
Your plate of veggies also contains a bit of protein, just like your salmon or steak has some fat content.
Take a look at the chart below. I’ve simplified it so it’s easy to follow.
Once you’ve got an idea about where your energy’s coming from, you can drop the grams and calorie counting and just work with your hands.
By using hand portions, you are estimating your calorific intake; arguably that’s exactly what’s happening when you’re reading labels, using scales, or eating out.
At least you’re being consistent, and there’s enough evidence to suggest that this way of assessing your energy intake is as accurate as it needs to be unless you’re a professional or semi-professional athlete.
For most of us just wanting to improve our health and fitness levels, this system is easy to understand, and it offers you insight into the kinds of foods you’re eating.
Together with keeping your food journal, you’ll start to figure out how your diet helps or hinders you achieving your goals, whether that relates to your energy levels, sleep, moods, muscle mass, weight loss or anything else.
Of course, using your hands to gauge your portion sizes isn’t as accurate as methodically tracking your diet.
But not everyone wants to live and eat like that, especially long term!
Most people just want to understand how their body works. Today.
And they want to use a system that also works for tomorrow, next year or the next decade, when our bodies and hormones have done a complete number on us.
Using hand portion sizes can be more than 90 per cent accurate.
That’s at least comparable to basic food trackers and scales – only your hands don’t cost you a penny.
ACROSS THE WEEK
SO how many hand portions should you eat every day?
Well, that depends on your goals, body type, and genetics.
Start at the beginning. Listen to your body and adapt as necessary.
Most people can begin here:
- Protein dense (each meal): 1 to 2 palms
- Carbs (most meals): 1 to 2 cupped handfuls
- Veggies (each meal): 1 to 2 fists
- Fats (most meals): 1 to 2 thumbs
Experiment and adjust according to your individual needs and results – whether you prefer to eat fewer carbs or fat, or you’re vegetarian or vegan.
For example, perhaps you have a relatively slow RMR (resting metabolic rate), meaning you don’t burn many calories while resting.
If your body doesn’t use that much energy, either naturally, or because you’re not particularly active for whatever reason, this could mean that you store excess carbohydrates as fat quite easily.
Try increasing your activity and/or swap out a handful of carbs for an extra thumb of fat to encourage your body to burn fat as a fuel source.
THE PRACTICALITIES
IF you’re about to eat something, measure it in that form, whether it’s raw or cooked.
Don’t scoop up boiling potatoes with your hands! Just gauge the size of the portion you’ve dished up.
The portions relate to the amount of food that’s on your plate, not in the pan.
It’s the same with yoghurts and drinks. Don’t waste your smoothie by pouring it into a cupped hand and watching all the lovely nutrients literally slip through your fingers.
As long as you always use the same method to assess your energy intake, this system will support you.
WHAT’S WHAT?
- 1 cup of whole milk contains some protein and carbs, but for simplicity’s sake, count it as one thumb of fat.
- A cup of low fat milk could be seen as 1 cupped hand of carbohydrates.
- You could also count a cup of something sweet like hot chocolate or a small milkshake as 1 cupped hand of carbs.
- And a full fat chocolate milk could be seen as 1 cupped hand of carbs + a thumb of fat.
- 1 cupped hand of processed food, crisps and cookies for example is 1 cupped hand of carbs + a thumb of fat.
WHAT ABOUT ALCOHOL?
NOW this is where it can get tricky.
- One serving of wine, spirits or ‘normal’ beer is 1 cupped hand of carbs or a thumb of fat.
- One serving of sweetened spirits (gin and tonic, cocktails), dessert wine, or special beer is either 2 cupped hands of carbs or 2 thumbs of fat or one of each.
Here’s the thing.
- Decide how you’re going to assess your drinks.
- Stick to that plan.
- Experiment with your intake and see what results you can achieve.
AND DISHES?
LASAGNE, stew, soup . . . how do you assess these kinds of foods?
Make a best guess and again, stick to it.
As I learnt in my nutritional training, ‘set it and forget it’.
WHEN WILL I SEE RESULTS?
THAT depends – on you, your body, and your mindset.
Start by keeping a food diary using the hand portions as guidance, for about a week before you start to change anything.
If you have medical issues, are on medication that could be affected by altering your diet, or you have a challenging relationship with food, please consult a registered professional to support you before you make any drastic changes.
And remember… It’s not about your diet. It’s about your lifestyle.
Because the hardest part of the plan is sticking to it. You’ve got this!