Follow these helpful tips and strategies to keep your portions controlled and your healthy diet right on track.
Be prepared. When you get home from the grocery store, divide your food into single servings right away (use zip lock bags or Tupperware containers - they're reusable and come in a variety of size). This way you'll never have to second guess your portions, just grab a bag or container and use all the contents for a perfect serving size each time.
Use smaller plates and bowls. A typical dinner plate holds 3 servings of pasta! By using smaller dishes, you won't be able to fit as many servings and it also makes your (correctly proportioned) meal look bigger - which has a proven effect on your level of hunger.
Eat slowly. It takes 20 minutes for your stomach to register and send the message to your brain that you're full - so take smaller bites and chew slowly - not only will this help digestion, but you'll find that you'll get full with less food!
Don't clean your plate. If you're not eating at home or haven't served/prepared your own meal, chances are that the portion size will be too big. Don't feel the need to finish everything. This is where being able to 'eye' the correct serving size will be useful. Look at your plate and separate out the proper portions that you will eat - then have the rest packed up to eat another time, or leave it right where it is.
Follow suggested serving sizes. If your bag of chips says that a serving is 10 chips, then only eat 10 chips. This is when dividing up your food into single servings comes in handy - if you're eating right out of the chip bag, you'll be more likely to overeat.
Eating at a restaurant. If out at a restaurant, keep your portions in control by:
- Splitting a main dish with someone else
- Ordering an appetizer for your meal
- Ordering the half-size portion
- Asking them to wrap up half your meal before it's even served
- Asking for all sauces, dressing and condiments to be brought on the side - this way you can control exactly how much you're using.
Pay attention to what you eat. People are more likely to overeat when in a social situation, or while doing something else, like watching TV. Try to eat away from distractions, be mindful of what and how fast you're eating and when you're getting full. This is not to say 'don't eat out with friends', but just to pay attention to what you're consuming.
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