Hand Portion Guide

How to use hand portions

A hand portion is a quick estimate, not a measurement. Hands scale roughly with body size, so bigger people get bigger portions without a scale. Treat the numbers on the cards as a starting point and adjust from your weekly weight trend.

A common starting point for a main meal

• Protein: 1 to 2 palms.
• Vegetables: 1 to 2 fists.
• Carbs: 1 to 2 cupped hands, more on heavy training days.
• Fats: 1 to 2 thumbs across the meal.

Using it with Indian meals

One cupped hand of cooked dal, rajma or chhole matches the legumes card. A palm of paneer, egg or chicken covers the protein. For per-100g values on common Indian and Middle Eastern foods, use the food database. For a calorie and macro target built from your own body data, use the Calorie Planner.

When to use a scale instead

Hand portions can be noticeably off for dense foods such as nuts, oils and cheese. If your weight trend does not match your plan after two to three weeks, weigh those foods for a few days to find the gap.