From the article: Top 10 Ways to Control Portions
Controlling portions is one of the most important skills you can have when it comes to losing weight and keeping it off. Simple lifestyle changes -- such as not eating snacks directly from the package -- can make a huge difference in your efforts to control portions. For me, packing up half of my meal when eating out is the best portion control trick. What are your favorite easy ways to practice portion control?
Use smaller plates, bowls, spoons
- No need to measure! Eat off a salad plate. Fill the plate 1/2 with non-starchy vegetables, 1/4 protein, 1/4 carbs. Use smaller, 1 cup size bowls for yogurt and oatmeal. Use smaller spoons, helps you eat more slowly.
- —belindakan
Weigh Measure
- I have lost 130 pounds and am maintaining it for 3 years now. In addition to all the great tips from others, I weigh & measure almost everything I eat, as well as record my food and exercise in a daily calories in & out/food & exercise log. Example: A serving of cereal is usually 2/3 to 3/4 of a cup, and it's surprising how small an amount that is. Because my mind is good at tricking my body when it comes to eating, I need to measure out a serving size or however much I'm eating. Also, as soon as you have your portion, put away the cereal box or leftovers or other half of whatever it is you are NOT eating, so that it's not sitting on the kitchen counter waiting for you when you have finished your portion. And when it comes to things like cereal or sandwiches, bulk up on berries with your flakes, or lots of lettuce & veggies in your sandwich.
- —jennykao
Use "kid" size plates
- My husband and I serve our dinner meals on "kiddie" plates ... that way if we go for seconds, the portion equals that of an adult size plate.
- —Guest Barb93063
Fooling the Brain
- Use a smaller plate and make a rule: no "second" helpings. Make half the plate full of vegetables. Learn the difference between hungry feelings and other feelings. Don't be afraid to feel the other feelings instead of pushing them away with food. The feelings really aren't that bad and they go away even if you don't eat more!
- —Guest Barrontoo@gmailcom
Three Ideas
- 1. Restaurant portions are generally huge. Eat half and take the rest home for another meal. 2. At home, use smaller plates. It keeps the plate from looking empty when you take smaller portions. 3. At home, take half what you normally would. You can always go back for more if you need to.
- —Guest hansbear
Planning ahead
- Each evening I get my food ready for the next day, including breakfast. Healthy snacks and lunches are packed up and ready to go (already in the right portion amounts). I measure my breakfast cereal ... otherwise I will eat way too much. That leaves dinner as my only "spur of the moment" portioning. I've been doing this for a month, I've dropped four and a half pounds and I've found that I can't eat much at dinnertime anyway -- my stomach has clearly shrunk!
- —TracyJoy12
Never Finish
- My aunt is in her fifties with a gorgeous size-10 figure. Her secret? She never finishes a whole meal. She always leaves some on her plate. And rarely does she eat dessert (only now and again).
- —Guest ria1981
