A Tiny Routine That Has Helped Me Keep My Food Choices in Order

[maayws]

Lately, I’ve been working on eating in a more structured way.

A little change I made was to start adding labels to the containers I use for meal prep, as well as to certain snacks. With a NIIMBOT label maker, I create basic stickers showing details such as the name of the food, its calories, or the portion size.

On snacks I tend to eat too much of, I put a short note right on the packaging to remind myself how much I plan to eat in a day.

Honestly, it’s nothing major, but having those small prompts around has made it much simpler to keep my food decisions under control.

 

[Shittersfull]

If it’s working for you, good. Small routines stacked up over time can lead to big results. For many people, portion control is an issue. My approach is to place every daily serving into a separate zip lock bag. When I get my food ready for the day, I take a zip lock with a chicken breast, a ziplock with two chicken thighs, a ziplock with 1/2 lb of ground turkey and a can of sardines. No thinking, no adding it up.

 

[maayws]

Shittersfull said:

If it’s working for you, good. Small routines stacked up over time can lead to big results. For many people, portion control is an issue. My approach is to place every daily serving into a separate zip lock bag. When I get my food ready for the day, I take a zip lock with a chicken breast, a ziplock with two chicken thighs, a ziplock with 1/2 lb of ground turkey and a can of sardines. No thinking, no adding it up.

This approach really appeals to me! When everything is already divided into portions, staying on track gets much simpler, since hunger doesn’t force you to make a fresh decision each time.

 

[Herkimer P Shagnasty]

Anything that arrives in a bag gets split up first. Crisps, snacks, whatever. The entire bag at once. That way Fritos stay on the menu, as long as it's a single ziplock a day

 

[Skidude]

2 things,

I aim for a daily calorie target that sits under my real goal (without weighing every single thing, hitting exact numbers is tough, so this leaves some slack)

I keep things on hand that I can just grab and go, with plenty of sweet, salty, or savory options

 

[Stace_wow]

maayws said:

Lately, I’ve been working on eating in a more structured way.

A little change I made was to start adding labels to the containers I use for meal prep, as well as to certain snacks. With a NIIMBOT label maker, I create basic stickers showing details such as the name of the food, its calories, or the portion size.

On snacks I tend to eat too much of, I put a short note right on the packaging to remind myself how much I plan to eat in a day.

Honestly, it’s nothing major, but having those small prompts around has made it much simpler to keep my food decisions under control.

What useful ideas!

I usually end up having the same meals again and again and again that keeps everything simple! I like to cook proteins in big batches, and keep fresh fruit and veg ready. When I want a snack I go for protein chips/bars/ice cream type items. At least my protein gets a boost if I am feeling snacky!

 

[eidos]

Shittersfull said:

If it’s working for you, good. Small routines stacked up over time can lead to big results. For many people, portion control is an issue. My approach is to place every daily serving into a separate zip lock bag. When I get my food ready for the day, I take a zip lock with a chicken breast, a ziplock with two chicken thighs, a ziplock with 1/2 lb of ground turkey and a can of sardines. No thinking, no adding it up.

Mayo Clinic physicians put out a book with guidance on portion sizing. Take protein: a serving at each meal ought to be roughly palm-sized, and anything larger than your hand means you've gone overboard.

Carbohydrates get compared to a baseball, too. Where I live, though, baseball isn't played — only basketball and rugby...

 

[leonli]

That sounds like a solid approach! I might try it myself...perhaps I’ll begin putting labels on my meals as well. When I eat too much, I often try to compensate by doing additional workouts. It’s really quite annoying, particularly on days when my job leaves me completely exhausted and exercising is the very last thing I feel like doing.

 

[maayws]

leonli said:

That sounds like a solid approach! I might try it myself...perhaps I’ll begin putting labels on my meals as well. When I eat too much, I often try to compensate by doing additional workouts. It’s really quite annoying, particularly on days when my job leaves me completely exhausted and exercising is the very last thing I feel like doing.

I get exactly what you mean! Labeling my food came about partly for that same reason. With my NIIMBOT label maker, I can add small reminders, and it makes me more mindful about what I pick.

 

[Alex_9327]

Great tip! Picked up something new today. I've got a niimbot m2 sitting here, so I may as well try it out.

 

[maayws]

Herkimer P Shagnasty said:

Anything that arrives in a bag gets split up first. Crisps, snacks, whatever. The entire bag at once. That way Fritos stay on the menu, as long as it's a single ziplock a day

That's a great concept!

 

[maayws]

Alex_9327 said:

Great tip! Picked up something new today. I've got a niimbot m2 sitting here, so I may as well try it out.

Nice! I own the NIIMBOT M2 as well. At first, my only plan for it was to put labels on my meal prep, yet it wound up being useful for storage boxes and for tidying up stuff all over my house too. It comes in really handy, and it makes keeping everything clear and organized far simpler.