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I grew up in a house where you cleaned your plate for the sake of some starving children in africa....anyways, it has left me with an incorrect idea about what a reasonable portion is. Can you give me basic measurements and some real life comparisons on what one serving of foods should be. For example..."1 serving of cheese is equal to ____ oz or one "dice" sized cube". Knowing how to compare with a real life object gives me a visual reference, and knowing the weight measurement can help me when buying groceries and ordering at restaurants. Thanks guys!

Good question Amber. RIght now it is important to keep your portions small. Here is an easy way to remember all that:

• Deck of cards - a serving of meat, fish or poultry or the palm of your hand (don't count your fingers!) - for example, one chicken breast, ¼ pound hamburger patty or a medium pork chop
• Baseball - a serving of vegetables or fruit is about the size of a baseball or ladies fist
• Computer mouse -  small baked potato
• A rounded handful - about ½ cup cooked or raw veggies or cut fruit, a piece of fruit, or ½ cup of cooked rice or pasta - this is a good measure for a snack serving, such as chips or pretzels
• Check book - a 3oz serving of fish
• Golf ball or large egg - one quarter cup of dried fruit or nuts or 1oz
• Compact disc - about the size of one serving of pancake or small waffle
• Six dice - 1 serving of cheese
• Thumb tip - 1 teaspoon of peanut butter

Amber I think we grew up in the same house!! I have found it helpful to have a smaller plate. The dishes I got as a new bride I swear were 12 inch platters!!...now we use 9 inch plates (what used to be called a salad plate) So when I dish up my meal it looks to fill that plate all the way up!! I make sure to have a good balance of foods...  half my dinner plate is veggies of more than one kind and the other half is divided with lean protein (skinless chicken breast is my favorite) and some form of whole grain (usually brown rice). I add variety by using different spices.  When I first started I weighed everything!! Now I can visualize my portions and know that I am doing great...Hope this helps along with Coach Lou's real life visual aides!! I also just read the Portion Distortion article on the Members Only page and that made total sense!