Portion Control Tips for Weight Loss and Weight Management

Portion control is tough. Where we work, where we live and where we socialize we can access a constant supply of tasty, often cheap, delicious foods. It is so easy to get food when you desire it; you can get into the car and drive up to a window that will deliver it prepared and packaged within just a few minutes. And the portions are often enormous.

Popular foods are getting bigger! When you next visit a coffee shop have a look at the foods on offer. Donuts, muffins, bagels, they are all getting bigger in size. In an article for the Huffington Post (Sept 2012) Dr Lisa Young wrote:

I tracked the history of food portions increasing since the 20th century and found that portions are much, much bigger than they were in the past -- 2-5 times bigger, to be exact. And so are people! 

The larger the quantity of food that we eat, the larger we get. And our bodies very quickly get used to these larger portions. How can we retrain our stomachs to be satisfied with less food?

1. Eat from smaller plates and bowls. As children we learn to empty our plates but plates and bowls have increased in size. What filled a plate 20 years ago would not fill a plate now. This has made it very easy for us to eat larger portions without realising it.

By using smaller plates and bowls we can still eat a 'full plate' but the overall quantity of food consumed can be greatly reduced.

2. Use smaller cutlery for eating and for serving. Larger serving spoons enable us to serve a greater quantity of food more quickly. Using smaller spoons means that more 'spoon-fulls' are being served and this gives the impression that we're getting more food. In reality, though, we are likely to be serving ourselves less food.

3. Use a different color plate to the color of the food that you are eating. The less contrast between the color of your food and the dish that you serve it from the smaller the perceived quantity - this can result in over-eating.

White plates and bowls are great for general use as food is rarely all white. The white background will provide a useful contrast with the foods placed on it.

4. Choose to eat fragrant food. Being able to smell your food starts the process of enjoying it so the more that you can enjoy the smell, the quicker you will be satisfied with the entire eating experience.

Eating involves many senses, not only our sense of taste.

5. Keep platters off the dinner table. Having large serving bowls and plates within easy reach during meal times makes it very easy to take additional servings.

Make up individual plates in the kitchen and eat on a table. After emptying your plate, if you still feel hungry, choose to go back for more vegetables only.

Reducing portion sizes can be a real challenge especially if you are trying to lose weight. Some simple tips that 'trick' the mind can really help to make the change easier.

It can be more difficult to adopt these 'tweaks' when you are eating out but sometimes just an awareness of what encourages us to eat larger portions can help us to stop eating once we are full.

Melanie Brooks is a writer who specializes in health and fitness, and healthy aging. You can see her latest website at Skinny Fiber Reviews where she provides reviews, tips and buying advice for Skinny Fiber weight loss supplements, including an article on How To Look Slimmer.

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