Easy Ways to Eyeball Portion Sizes

Cara Stewart, RD, LDN, member of the Penn Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery team, provides everyday objects as a guide for standard serving sizes of common food items.

At home you measure and weigh your food to maintain portion control, but because portion sizes at restaurants are notoriously larger than what’s recommended, it can be difficult to figure out how much you are eating when you eat out.

Uncertainty about portion size is particularly problematic when trying to lose or manage weight. For successful weight loss, it is essential to know and keep track of your food intake.

Use these comparisons to everyday items as a guide to standard serving sizes of common foods.

• 3 oz. of meat = A deck of cards
• 3 oz. of fish = A checkbook
• 1 ½ oz. of cheese = 3 dice
• 2 tbsp. peanut butter = A ping pong ball
• 1 medium-sized fruit = A baseball
• 1 cup of cooked vegetables = A baseball
• 1 medium potato = A computer mouse
• 1 cup pasta = A baseball
• 1 bagel = A hockey puck
• ½ cup of ice cream = A light bulb
• 1 tbsp. butter or oil = A poker chip

Get More Information About Weight-loss Surgery at Penn

If you are considering bariatric surgery as a way to permanently lose weight, you can find out if the surgery is right for you by attending a free information session about the Penn Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Program.

Learn more about weight-loss surgery at Penn at this free session and meet physicians and team members from the Penn Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Program

Register for this free weight-loss event here.