This was an eye opener for me :[ - 1/7/2013   2:36:57 PM

Chips, Ice cream and pop corn... Hard to get them to portions... - 12/12/2012   9:23:08 AM

Great info
THX - 12/9/2012   6:24:29 AM

The fast food beverage looks like an iced tea. Unless it's sweetened iced tea, I don't know where those calories came from...! - 12/4/2012   10:53:26 PM

The chips really surprised me. I eat them maybe once every two years, but when I do I eat half a bag at least. - 12/3/2012   2:14:43 PM

Wow, considering how many times I've eaten a whole bag of Twizzlers, that was pretty eye opening. - 11/20/2012   3:09:12 PM

I eat almost none of the foods in the article's graphics. i think an article illustrating portion distortion in common dinners like lasagna, enchiladas, pasta, etc. would be much more helpful. - 11/18/2012   10:13:01 PM

I am trying to stay away from processed food. - 11/18/2012   8:55:24 PM

When I became more aware of my health and started reading labels, I was shocked at how many servings were in a so called personal size package. Take the Honey Bun for example. I'll admit it. I used to eat those. Well, I had no idea that one of those buns was really TWO servings. I'd look at the label and see 350 calories and think that's not too bad. Nope, it was really 700 calories. The same thing with a jumbo muffin. Thought they were only 400 calories. Same thing, two servings per muffin. 800+ calories for that jumbo. portion distortion indeed. - 11/18/2012   6:29:45 AM

Unsure of what that drink is from the drive in. Is it tea with sugar? Looks like tea.. I only drink plain brewed tea,, nothing in it.. like coffee.
Is that popcorn popped in a pan or in that bag? Is it air popped? Not quite clear.. - 11/18/2012   6:27:18 AM

Thanks! That was helpful. - 11/17/2012   5:24:29 PM

Twizzlers have been my go-to candy for eons.

So horrifically high in calories for such a fleeting sense of enjoyment. - 11/17/2012   4:01:00 PM

I wonder how that stacks up with favorite food to binge on. Actually, it's Good and Plenty candy. I'm a helpless sugar eater when it comes to licorice. I only buy the small box but my grocery store sells the movie size of 4.5 servings! It's so gross to have to enter that many calories on my tracker. - 11/17/2012   3:20:02 PM

I'm also realizing how even the serving sizes listed on packaged foods are too high. I'm finding that the most appropriate serving size for me in many cases is half the listed serving size ... and it's more than enough. And I too was shocked by the massive number on the twizzler package. I always thought that was one of the relatively better choices of candy. Learning something new every day thanks to SP. - 11/17/2012   2:01:51 PM

The best way to know how much to eat is know how many calories our body needs. First: measure your height, second: your weight at B.M.I. (19 to 25) as per one's genetic make up. Third: fat% lower than 30% for women 20% for men Fourth: evaluate basal metabolic rate to know how many calories one needs. add calories as per one's daily physical activity. Daily food intake: 30% protein, 50% carbohydrates and 10% fat. Food should contain enough vitamins, minerals and fiber mainly from vegitebles and grains. - 11/16/2012   9:20:51 PM

Wow used to love Twizzlers now not so much. - 11/16/2012   4:56:41 PM

Pasta, particularly spaghetti (not shown) is what confuses me the most. Is a 2 oz serving size before or after cooking or does it matter? I'm a huge pasta fan and know that I eat more than one portion but I'm really not sure how many I'm eating. In my defense I have switched to whole wheat pasta! - 11/16/2012   12:31:53 PM

Seeing the size of a serving of dried apricots shocked me. I am not an apricot eater, but do have another dried fruit that I thought might be a healthy snack. That might be dangerous. The one that I have trouble stopping eating is the nuts. I love to eat pecans and cashews and just a half handful really adds calories and fat. - 11/16/2012   11:51:23 AM

I was mostly surprised by the popcorn and the Twizzlers, well now I know!!! - 11/16/2012   11:13:23 AM

One of my go-to winter foods was Lipton Soup Secrets Noodle Soup. I never looked at the Nutrition Facts until I started monitoring my salt intake. I was shocked to discover a serving size (670mg sodium) is 2 Tablespoons. Who eats just 2 tablespoons of soup? There are 8 servings per packet at a whopping 5,360mg of sodium. I usually ate a half packet per serving. Now I don't eat it at all. Sigh. - 11/16/2012   10:47:33 AM

I have started calculating how many calories there are in a whole container (bag, box, etc.) of a snack. I figure that unless I share it, which I usually don't, I am going to eat all those calories myself. It's just a matter of how quickly. This deterred me from a lot of purchases. That's not to say that I am perfect. I definitely have a problem with bags of dried mangoes (similar to the apricots). I try to avoid them or in the least, to buy a small bag. It doesn't always work, but this blog will make me rethink my habits. - 11/16/2012   10:08:05 AM

I was always a little confused on the popcorn math. I figured there's not much more than 4 cups of popcorn in a regular sized bag until I actually measured it. I was surprised to find about 8 cups of the fluffy stuff inside the bag. Between the unknown calories & all the salt, that could be a pretty big diet derailer. ;) - 11/16/2012   9:43:29 AM

The chips are absolutely ridiculous! Not that I eat them anyway, but geez! - 11/16/2012   9:13:13 AM

I do not like Twizzlers and thank goodness for that, I also don't eat the apricots. However I do like the dried pineapples, so I guess I need to start looking at the nutrition info on this after this eye opener. - 11/16/2012   8:21:32 AM

Wow, like everyone else I was shocked by the twizzlers!!! No more for me! The only popcorn I eat is the 100 calorie bag kind. It's enough to satisfy me and I know the calories!! - 11/16/2012   6:43:47 AM

Yikes!
Seeing the calorie total really brings home the damage that can be done with mindless eating. Measure out that portion.
Thanks for doing this. - 11/16/2012   5:23:00 AM

I love these visuals. They really bring it home. No excuses.
Thank you. - 11/16/2012   4:44:49 AM

Thank you, thank you, thank you for this wonderful article. I'm trying to show my teenager what a real serving size is. Maybe coming from you, rather than me, she'll assimilate it better. - 11/16/2012   4:42:48 AM

Shut the front door! Im shocked at 3 twizzlers & 20 chips. At that rate, Ive eaten a gazillion portions in my life. Smh. Time to change & Quick! Definitely need to reduce or avoid the goodie aisle all together when I go shopping. Im still shocked. - 11/16/2012   3:58:27 AM

I agree it is difficult to limit the licorice expecially when it is fresh. Most of the other items, I take out a serving and put the package away. - 11/16/2012   12:01:31 AM

Wow - I am with MEOWMEOWGIRl on the Twizzlers stat - that was a shock to me - 11/15/2012   11:04:32 PM

I used to eat an entire bag of microwave popcorn for lunch. Boy was I wrong. Now my problem is chips. 20 chips? That's like trying to eat 1/2 a doughnut.

I finally found a tmblr picture of a little child in the snack aisle of the supermarket, reaching for a bag of chips. The caption read "Don't do it. It's not worth it." I keep that picture for motivation. - 11/15/2012   11:03:47 PM

great blog, thanks - 11/15/2012   10:28:26 PM

While I am not a huge twizzler fan my favorite thing is red vines. The serving size is 4pcs but 3servings per box. I can eat one box a day. So I try not keep more than 1 to 2 boxes around me. One is in the car the other one is in a drawer in my bedroom. I like seeing serving sizes I think they make the whole process of how much we can consume easier.....Thanks! - 11/15/2012   8:41:32 PM

HA HA I could STILL see it said TWIZZLERS - BUSTED!!!!! I have got to STOP eating microwave popcorn in the bag as its just full of FAT I know I would be better off with popping it and adding my own topping - I have one of those microwave safe popping bowls. - 11/15/2012   7:54:27 PM

Wow! I just put that up on facebook so my friends and family could see. My dad is a twizler fanatic! - 11/15/2012   7:48:34 PM

Not eating the whole candy bar is generally silly but I agree with the rest. - 11/15/2012   3:31:26 PM

Apricots! It gives me chills to think of how many times I've devoured a 1/2 bag thinking it was a 'healthy' snack. YIKES! - 11/15/2012   3:00:26 PM

I can't tell you how many times I've eaten a whole bag of Twizzlers. The worst part is, I have always known better! I can say that it has been at least 2 years since I have done so, though. - 11/15/2012   2:39:23 PM

I've never eaten a pound of Twizzlers, but I was shocked that there were over 1,000 calories in the bag. - 11/15/2012   2:25:29 PM