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Review: Portions Master Portion Control Plate

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Portion control is a great way to lose weight and help people with diabetes manage blood sugar levels. But we know it’s not easy because of the extra time to measure food or count calories. Well, Portions Master’s Portion Plate tool is designed to portion your meals and is claimed to make weight loss “easy as 1-2-3.” We did an in-depth review and looked at convenience, durability, and cost to see if it actually lives up to its claim.

Portions Master Portion Plate

Pros

  • Easy way to portion control
  • Lightweight and portable
  • Easy to clean
  • No need to buy new plates

Cons

  • Some foods don’t fit well

Product Description

The Portion Plate by Portions Master (PM) is a portion control tool with compartments for vegetables, protein and carbohydrates. To use, simply put it on your plate and place food in the compartment.

The default portion sizes will fill half your plate with vegetables, and about a quarter of your plate each with carbohydrate and protein. Turning the dial makes the compartments smaller if you want to eat fewer calories, which you can set to ‘goal weights’ listed on the tool. But no matter if you adjust down or up, the vegetables section is always the large portion which helps with healthy eating.

It’s made of two-pieces of lightweight plastic. The blue piece has the portion sections and the gray piece is what turns to make the portion sizes smaller or bigger. And the two pieces are attached in the middle and come apart easily.

Portion Control and Weight Loss

So why do you need a tool to help portion meals? To put simply, weight loss is about creating a calorie deficit: eat less calories than your body needs, and the body starts using fat for energy. The idea behind portion control is to limit the amount of calories you eat so you create a calorie deficit that leads to weight loss.

Portion control is effective because most people eat more food than they actually need. The standard American meal is full of high-calorie processed ingredients with a large serving size.

But portion control can be hard to do. It often means measuring food, using a food scale, reading nutrition labels or calorie counting. The PM portion control tool is meant to solve all this by making portion control simple.

Our Experience with the Portion Plate

The DiaBettr team tested the Portions Master’s portion control plate with a few different dishes.

We wanted to see how the portion control tool worked with common ingredients and dishes that are easy to make. So we made baked chicken thigh for the protein section, white rice and corn for carbs, and steamed broccoli and cauliflower for vegetables.

What We Like

The first thing we really liked is that that the tool’s food group portion sizes match closely to the plate method for people with diabetes.

The American Diabetes Association recommended plate method for people with diabetes is to fill a 9-inch plate with 50% vegetables, 25% carbs and 25% protein. This is almost identical to the portion sizes used by PM portion control tool. And it even measures just at 9-inches just like the plate method.

Planning meals that work for diabetic meal patterns can be very hard. Not only do people with type 2 diabetes have to limit carbs but also have to limit calories because obesity is common with diabetes.

This tool is a great option for people with diabetes because it gives a healthy portion of veggies, carbs and protein, while keeping the carbs low to help lower or manage blood sugar levels.

Lightweight and Portable

The product is made of lightweight, BPA free plastic. It does feel slightly flimsy but we weren’t worried about it breaking. It has enough flex to help prevent it from cracking easily or breaking if you drop it on the floor (which we tried).

And because it’s lightweight, you can take it with you to restaurants or even vacations where it’s easy to overeat. This may sound a bit silly but if you’re serious about weight loss, bringing this portion control tool will help you stay on track wherever you go.

Easy to Use and Clean

The PM tool is very easy to use and clean. Each compartment is clearly labeled with each food group. The instructions on the packaging are easy to understand, though you don’t really need to read them because the product is so simple to use.

Cleaning is also super simple. It’s dishwasher safe and the compartments are big enough to clean by hand with no problem.

Use for Meal Planning

The PM plate is also great for prepping dishes ahead of time. For people with diabetes, meal planning is a great life hack to control carb intake for each meal.

Prepare a large batch of vegetables, protein and carbs, use the PM tool for proper food portions, then store. You can have pre-made meals for days, not worry about portion size, and save time during your week.

What We Don’t Like

One thing to be aware of is it may take extra time or prep to completely fit food in the portion sizes. You’ll likely have to slice or dice certain foods in order to fit into the physical dividers and make sure you’re getting the right amount of food.

For example, we made baked chicken thigh for our protein source but didn’t fit. The thigh didn’t fit not because the piece was too big but because the chicken bone was too long. So we had to de-bone the chicken thigh to make it fit.

Another example is with corn on the cob. We cut a piece to fit into the carb section but realized that we didn’t top the section with all corn, which means you’re getting less calories. So in this case we scraped off the corn until the compartment was full (see images below).

This not a huge problem but it does add time. Some foods will need to be cut in order to plate your food and you may have to plan dishes a bit more. It’s a little extra hassle but we didn’t expect PM to design their product to fit every type of food.

Portion Plate Competitors?

The PM Portion Plate seems to be a one-of-a-kind product. We searched online for a portion control tool, that’s adjustable, and can be used on any plate. But we couldn’t find a true competitor!

However, what you will find are portion control plates or divided plates with fixed compartments for carbs, vegetables and proteins (like the one’s below). These are fairly common, budget friendly, and made in plastic, ceramic and other materials.

But the downside is finding a portion control plate or divided plate with the portion sizes you want. Especially if you’re doing the diabetes plate method, the plate needs the correct portion sizes and has to be 9-inches. You’ll have to spend some time to find the right plate. And there’s also a chance of not finding the right plate and have to settle with the closest thing.

We also found that most portion plates simply don’t look very nice. These remind us of the plates in elementary school or plates for toddlers, something you wouldn’t want to use when eating with others.

Our Verdict

We give the Portions Master Portion Plate a score of 9/10! They claim it makes losing weight “as easy as 1-2-3” – and we mostly agree.

Counting calories, measuring or weighing food – all the hard things about portion control, the PM portion control plate tool makes easier. Simply place it on top of any plate, fill with food, and you’re done. You get the right portion sizes to lose weight and it promotes healthy eating habits. The price is also reasonable at just under $30. You can find fixed portion control plates at lower prices but none of those are adjustable and you’ll probably need to buy more than one plate.

The one downside with this portion control plate tool is it may take some extra prep time to make foods fit in the compartments. Be sure to factor in a few minutes extra to cut or dice up foods so you can fill the compartments fully.

Overall, we think the PM Portion Plate is a great tool to start working on your weight. You should still prep meals with healthy, minimally processed foods to see even better results. But just getting the right-sized portions on your plate is big step in the right direction that this tool makes super easy!

Review: FitVille Footwear

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For people with Type 2 diabetes, foot issues can make getting around painful and frustrating. That’s a big problem because walking is actually one of the best exercises for diabetes. Most shoes don’t have the comfort you need if you suffer from diabetes-related foot conditions, and can even make foot condition worse. So the DiaBettr team tried out FitVille shoes, one of the few shoe brands designed for people with diabetes or foot conditions.

FitVille’s Stride Core Running Shoe

Pros

  • Comfortable
  • Non-slip, feels steady
  • Prolonged walking/standing

Cons

  • Mediocre design
  • Limited color options
  • A lot of ankle space

FitVille’s Stride Core running shoes are designed for people with foot issues, like diabetes-related nerve damage. These conditions can make walking more painful because most shoes are too narrow and create friction. And you may not feel that friction due to numbness, making the foot condition worse.

FitVille’s shoes are made with their patented “PropelCore” dual-density soles, which they’ve designed to east foot discomfort. The Stride Core has a wide toe box to give extra room and uses a breathable upper (the entire part of the shoe that covers the foot) for more breathability and comfort.

Our Experience with FitVille shoes

We used FitVille’s Stride Core shoes doing mostly light-intensity walking, and short bursts of jogging on a treadmill. Our tester, Jeff, is a 43-year old male with a high BMI and exercises about once a week. Our tester used the men’s version but from our research, should be similar to the women’s version.

Photo Credit: DiaBettr.com

What We Like

One of the first things we noticed was how comfortable the shoes are. The padding and the sole gave the right amount of cushion. The shoes did feel a little loose around the ankles – which took some getting used to – but our feet felt snug and secure. We imagine the extra space is to let the shoes breath better. Our tester spent about 45 minutes with the shoes but said he could have spent over an hour walking in the shoes and would have little discomfort.

The other thing we noticed was walking felt more steady and balanced. The shoe’s wide base and anti-slip helps ‘plant’ your feet to the ground so you’re less likely to stumble. Even during light jogging, the shoes kept our tester steady and didn’t have to worry about slipping or tripping on the treadmill.

Lastly, we thought the Stride Core’s price was reasonable, which sells for about $90. That’s priced below from competitor Orthofeet.com where their shoes for diabetes are priced well above $100.

What We Don’t Like

The Stride Core’s bland design and limited color options are the biggest negatives. The azure colored shoes we tested had some yellow trim for contrast but is mostly just blue. The other color options are black and tan so you don’t have a variety to choose from.

The overall design is clean but does look a little bland. The brand’s “F” logo is on each side and doesn’t look too busy (a plus for us). But aside from basic lines and stitching, the overall design doesn’t really catch the eye.

There’s nothing wrong with simple designs but having only two other colors available is a drawback in terms of looks and appearance. And according to their website, FitVille only sells four other shoe models designed for diabetes. While competitor Orthofeet sells over a dozen models.

Our Verdict

We give FitVille’s Stride Core a score of 8/10. The shoes really do provide extra comfort and cushioning that you don’t find in most shoes. And the wide toe box and anti-slip feature makes your feet more secure, which is important when exercising.

But the bland design and lack of color options is what lowered the score for us. With competitor brands offering more styles (but at higher prices), it would be nice for FitVille to offer more colors to choose from.

If you care more about performance than design, then the FitVille’s Stride Core is a reasonably priced athletic shoe to start exercising and getting fit.