Do you have a relationship with your food scale? So much so that you feel as though you have to carry it around everywhere you go in order to count every single macronutrient, calorie intake to the very decimal? Do you also wish to create a better relationship with food and not just see it as numbers on my fitness pal?

Here is a few ways that you can measure out your food without the scale!

Portion sizing, using your hands!

• One level handful = ¼ Cup. (a single serving of nuts is usually ¼ cup)
• One Heaping handful = ½ cup. (a single serving of DRY pasta is usually ½ cup)
• Two hand full = 1 cup. (a single serving of COOKED pasta is usually 1 cup)
• 1 finger scoop = 1 teaspoon. From the first line on you finger joint upwards is one teaspoon in a serving (can be a serving of butter and oil)
• 2 Finger scoop = 1 tablespoon. (a single serving of peanut butter is usually 2 tablespoons or 2-finger scoops)
• Palm size = serving of chicken, beef or fish.
• Closed fist = a serving of fruit or vegetables
• Size of thumb = a single serving of cheese

Portion sizing, using your plate!

• Smaller plates are usually 8-9 inches wide. So this means:
  • ¼ of 8-9 inch plate = ½ to ¾ cups
  • ½ of 8-9 inch plate = 1 ½ to 2 cups
• Larger dinner plates are usually 10-12 inches wide. This means:
  • ¼ of 10-12 inch plate = 1 to 1 ½ cups
  • ½ of 10-12 inch plate = 3 cups

Try out these ways to measure your food next time you find yourself needing/feeling the need to weigh your food. If you continue to constantly weigh every single gram that enters your mouth (and you are not prepping for a bodybuilding competition), you are creating a bad relationship with food and bad habits with numbers surrounding them! Allow yourself a little bit of lenience, and you can achieve your fitness and health related goals all the same-using these methods to do so!

Alternatively, let the chefs at Gym Meal Direct do all the portion controlling for you-as each meal has a different split between specific macronutrients, all you need to do is choose which ones fit in with your goals, lifestyle and taste buds!!

- Bec