Confused about portion sizes?

Rollovers and weeklies are great tools to help you to fit in foods you love, like wine or dessert. But in order to have those extra Points to spend, you need to track accurately, and to track accurately, you know how much you’re actually eating.

A portion is how much food you choose to eat at one time, whether that’s in a restaurant, on your kitchen counter, or sitting at the dining table. A serving is the amount of food listed on a product’s Nutrition Facts label.

Great q. What one person needs to feel satisfied is likely very different than what someone else needs. At WeightWatchers, we call this a “right-for-you” portion size.

How do you determine the right-for-you size? Here are 3 questions to ask yourself before digging in, plus some quick tips you can use at any and every eating occasion:

When I’m deciding on lunch, I look at my breakfast (avocado toast) and my pre-tracked dinner (chickpea pasta primavera) to know what I have left to spend.

Try this trick: Pour the amount you have normally into your go-to bowl. Measure your portion and track it to see the Points value. Then, you can keep the amount you poured or adjust it up or down based on your Budget and what you want to eat. You can also use the barcode scanner to track packaged snacks automatically and adjust portions from there.

How many of us can relate to those moments when you’ve been served a meal that was prepared by someone else and you feel downright obligated to clean your plate in the name of “being polite!” (Ugh. We’ve all been there! But not to worry, we’ll practice more on boundary-setting, later!)

Depending on where you are, some of the things in your environment may be within your power to control and others, not so much. That’s OK! Simply being aware about what factors influence your meal-time decisions is the first step toward making more intentional choices about portions, and it’s the most important action you can take right now.

First off, this isn’t something you should expect to master overnight. It might take some trial and error. And no, you won’t have to measure everything forever - sizing portions consistently (especially foods you eat most often) will help train your brain to recognise amounts on-the-spot.