Using Your Hands as Portion Tools

Nutrition will always be a hot topic when it comes to how it impacts us inside and outside of the gym. Outside of questions about our strength and conditioning program, which has been voted South Bay’s Best, Best of the Beach and Southland’s Best, questions about nutrition are the next hot topic. 

While nutrition can be hard it does not need to be complicated. Here at BPLA even if you’re not sure where to begin we urge you to simply begin your nutrition journey and ask questions along the way.

Use the Tools You Have

On and off the turf we teach our members to keep in mind that oftentimes the simplest method is the most sustainable method. When it comes to nutrition we start by asking our members to use their hands as portion tools.

Clients who want to be aware of how much they’re eating to lose or gain weight, and/or to improve their health find this to be the simplest method. No access to a food scale? Use your hands as a personalized, portable portioning tool.

Studies show hand portions are about 95% as accurate as carefully weighing, measuring, and tracking your food. With substantially less effort and time involved. And since calorie tracking apps—the tool most people use to track calories and macros—can be off by as much as 20%, the 5% difference is not worth considering for most.

There’s no one-size-fits-all recommendation that’ll work for everyone, but we do have some general guidelines for people who want to try it out. This brings us back to start somewhere and then make adjustments from there. Most people will meet their needs with a starting framework of:

• 1-2 palms of protein-dense foods at each meal
• 1-2 fists of vegetables at each meal
• 1-2 cupped handfuls of carbohydrates at most meals
• 1-2 thumbs of fat-dense foods at most meals

Make no mistake: Hand portions aren't as accurate as macro tracking but they are accurate enough to help you consistently track your food intake, and reach your body recomposition goals. And that’s what really matters.

So when in doubt, use your hands!

#1: Your hands are with you everywhere you go. This means you have a consistent reference point wherever you are

#2: Your hands are generally proportional to your body and always the same size. So they serve as a reliable reference point—without the need for measuring cups or a food scale. 

*image curtesy of Precision Nutrition

If you missed Episode 12 of the The Blueprint LA podcast click here to check it out.