The Handful Diet
Planning dinner doesn't have to require maths skills. There is a simpler and more easy way to stay on top of your diet and that is The Handful Diet. All you need is your hand. Literally. No scale. No measuring spoons or cups. Just your hand.
It's common knowledge that counting calories is the way to lose weight. Calories in vs calories out. Simple equation. It sounds simple. Eat less calories than you burn you'll lose weight. Eat more calories than you burn and you'll gain weight. But it's not that simple.
I believe that calorie counting is rarely necessary and if you are going to do it just do it for a little while until you get a visual of how much is enough or too much.
No carrying around food scales. No calculators or smart phones needed. Just your hand and the ability to count to two.
Protein Intake:
For protein-dense foods: meat, fish, eggs, dairy, or beans use a palm sized serving.
For men, it's recommended to have 2 palm sized servings with each meal.
For women, it's recommended to have 1 palm sized serving with each meal.
Note: A palm sized portion is the same thickness and diameter as your palm.
Vegetable Intake:
For veggies: broccoli, spinach, salad, carrots, etc. Use fist sized serving.
For men, it's recommended to have 2 fist sized servings with each meal.
For women, it's recommended to have 1 fist sized serving with each meal.
Carbs Intake:
For carb dense foods: grains, starches or fruits. Use a cupped hand to determine serving size.
For men, it's recommended to have 2 cupped-hand sized servings with some meal.
For women, it's recommended to have 1 cupped-hand sized serving with some meal.
Fat Intake:
For fat dense foods: oils, butter, nuts, seeds, use your entire thumb to determine serving size.
For men, it's recommended to have 2 thumb sized servings with each meal.
For women, it's recommended to have 1 thumb sized serving with some meal.
Of course, if you’re a bigger person, you probably have a bigger hand. And if you’re a smaller person… well, you get the idea. Your own hand is a personalized (and portable) measuring device for your food intake.
Planning your meals flexibly
Based on the guidelines above, which assume you’ll be eating about 4 times a day, you now have a simple and flexible guide for meal planning.
For men:
2 palms of protein dense foods with each meal;
2 fists of vegetables with each meal;
2 cupped hands of carb dense foods with some meals;
2 entire thumbs of fat dense foods with each meals.
For women:
1 palm of protein dense foods with each meal
1 fist of vegetables with each meal
1 cupped hand of carb dense foods with some meals
1 entire thumb of fat dense foods with each meals.
This is a starting point. Adjust your portions at any time using outcome-based decision making, aka “How’s that working for you?”
Click below and download The Handful Diet guide to your laptop or mobile phone!
Happy Healthy Living,
The Gymcess
