How to estimate portion sizes without a scale

You do not need to weigh every meal. Knowing the ballpark for foods you eat often and sizing portions with your hand is enough to keep a reasonably accurate food log.

The hand method

Your hand scales with your body, which makes it a handy personal measure:

• Palm (thickness and size of your palm, no fingers) — a serving of meat, poultry or fish, about 3–4 oz cooked.
• Fist — about 1 cup: rice, pasta, cereal, potatoes.
• Cupped hand — about 1 oz of nuts or dried fruit.
• Thumb — about 1 tablespoon of oil, butter, peanut butter or dressing.

Typical calories

Ballpark figures — recipes, brands and cooking methods vary.

• Cooked white rice, 1 cup — about 200–240 kcal.
• Cooked pasta, 1 cup — about 200–220 kcal.
• Cooked chicken breast, 4 oz — about 180–190 kcal.
• Large egg — about 70–80 kcal.
• Slice of sandwich bread — about 70–100 kcal; a bagel — 250–300 kcal.
• Slice of pizza — usually 250–350 kcal.
• Medium banana — about 105 kcal; medium apple — about 95 kcal.
• Fast-food burger — usually 300–600 kcal; medium fries — 300–400 kcal.
• Peanut butter, 2 tablespoons — about 190 kcal.
• Can of regular soda (12 fl oz) — about 140–150 kcal; regular beer (12 fl oz) — about 150 kcal; glass of wine (5 fl oz) — about 120 kcal.
• Latte with 2% milk, 16 fl oz — about 190 kcal, more with syrup.

Where hidden calories come from

• Oil and butter: about 100–120 kcal per tablespoon — frying, dressings, “a little butter” on toast or vegetables.
• Sauces: mayo is about 90–100 kcal per tablespoon; ketchup, BBQ and sweet sauces add up too.
• Nuts and cheese: healthy but dense — about 160–200 kcal per ounce of nuts and 100–120 per ounce of hard cheese.
• Drinks: juice, soda, coffee drinks and alcohol — calories without fullness.
• Bites and tastes: sampling while cooking, finishing someone's plate — it adds up over a day.

Train your eye

For a week or two, weigh or measure your usual portions and compare them with your guess. Most people underestimate rice, pasta, oil and nuts — check those first.

In Temfy Nutri you can photograph your plate and the AI estimates the weight of each food; correct the grams if you know better (accuracy is covered in counting calories from a photo). For foods from the database, portions are entered in grams — and in pieces or servings where the food lists a piece or serving weight; the app recalculates calories and macros for you.