What’s less likely to derail your diet: a big bowl of frozen yogurt or a small chocolate chip cookie? If you guessed the cookie, you’re right—and you’re in the minority. In one recent survey, 62% of people said that the kind of food you eat matters more than how much you eat when you’re trying to lose weight. But new research on portion control says that’s wrong. A study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that women who shrank their portions by 25% slashed 250 calories a day—enough to help them lose a half-pound a week—and still felt full. Ready to downsize? Here are five easy ways to get started.
Trim your trigger foods
Most people typically overeat two or three favorite foods—usually pastas, breads, meats, snacks, or sweets, says Stacey Nelson, MS, RD, LDN, senior clinical nutritionist at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. It may be that we love the taste, nosh mindlessly in front of the TV, or just hang on to a childhood habit. Nelson’s tip: Get to know recommended serving sizes for your favorites, and stick to them as closely as you can. Butter your bread, for instance, with a pat no bigger than a large postage stamp, says Lisa R. Young, PhD, RD, professor of nutrition at New York University and author of The Portion Teller. A serving of fish (3 ounces) should be the size of a checkbook, a serving of steak should look like a deck of cards, and a potato serving should be no bigger than a computer mouse. (For more comparisons, visit EatRight.org and search for “portion sizes.”)
If those portions sound frustratingly small, start slowly. Eat a few spoonfuls less of rice and pasta, or go with half a sandwich instead of a whole. Cutting portions of foods with hefty calories helps you cut calories, period, says Barbara J. Rolls, PhD, professor of nutritional sciences at Pennsylvania State University. And fewer calories equal fewer pounds. Bonus: As long as you don’t go overboard, this simple lifestyle change lets you eat almost anything (we didn’t mention that cookie for nothing).
See less, eat less
“We eat whatever portion is placed before us,” says David Levitsky, PhD, an obesity researcher at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y. So the trick is to avoid seeing more food than you want to eat. This strategy worked for Susan Pedersen, 40, of Wichita, Kan. By immediately putting away food after serving herself the right-size portions, she skipped second helpings and lost 35 pounds. “I’d cook only one portion of meat or serve about a cup of spaghetti and then refrigerate the leftovers,” she says. “The rest of the meal would be salad with a low-fat dressing and some fruit.”
Tweak this approach for snacks. Place a small amount of pretzels in a bowl instead of grazing from bags or boxes. And freeze tempting treats like brownies. They won’t call out from the cupboard.
Shrink your plates
Try eating dinner on smaller side plates; you’ll have less to eat. “When I eat off of a salad plate, I still feel full. It definitely works,” says Suzanne Rapp, 33, an equity trader in Boston who shed 10 pounds in less than three months.
Don’t like salad plates? Try dishware designed to keep your portions in check. Mesü ($50; 973-582-4208 ) offers a stylish six-piece porcelain set that features pastel graphics on the bottom to indicate portion sizes from ½ to 2 cups and pastel lines inside to tell you when to stop piling on the pasta (or whatever).
Create your own after-meal ritual
Brush your teeth. Chew a piece of sugarless gum. Or sip a hot drink like tea or sugar-free cocoa. These rituals can be cues to stop eating and should help curb the impulse to indulge in seconds or dessert, Nelson says.
Try practicing mind over munching
Overeating is often a psychological problem. These mind games may help.
- Think of meat and pasta as side dishes. For instance, fill half your plate with broccoli and cauliflower, a quarter with chicken, and a quarter with linguine.
- Imagine you’re treating your body like a trash can when you polish off morsels you don’t really want. Yuck.
- Many of us are programmed to eat in “units” (one sandwich, one yogurt, etc.), notes a new study in Psychological Science. If that sounds like you, stick to small units. Chances are, you won’t go back for another—or back to your old dress size.
By Alicia Potter
Comments (16)
i am 19 years old and my weight is 190 i know is no normal i have been eatting 2 meals aday and exsursize at the end of the day for like 40 minutes i have a verry slow metabolisam. i donder would you guys be able to tell me what should i do>?
you’re better off eating 6 meals a day. three larger ones and then two snacks. this way you keep your metabolisam up. the exercising is great too!! good luck
Ive read smaller meals multiple times a day is better. Your brain needs carbs but maybe your over loading your body with the wrong kinds and too much.Oatmeal is my choice over cereals. It sounds like you might get real hungry then eat a large meal which is hard for you body to digest and can slow you down. If you eat smaller portions you wont have to work out so hard at the end of the day and your body will thank you for it.
Natalie,
Rae and Lena are right on about dividing 3 big meals into 6 smaller meals/snacks. Another thing you might look at is the types of foods you are eating - http://healthhabits.wordpress.com/2008/05/10/news-flash-caveman-diet-goodyour-diet-bad/
and the type of exercise you are doing - http://healthhabits.wordpress.com/2008/04/10/the-components-of-physical-fitness/ - don’t focus on just doing cardio or yoga or weights
When I’m in a public place, it’s hard to control my cravings - like at the movies. I can smell the popcorn and it drives me insane. I have no self-control, so I can’t ‘just have a few bites’; I just remind myself that I’ve tasted it before, and it’s nothing new. I can have some later in place of an even worse snack.
i’m 25 a parent of 2. i’ve tried diet pills, walking, and eating healthy. the pounds juz dont seem to drop. i’m 5′2 and i weigh 247 with a bmi of 40 plus. do u have any solutions
The best way to loose weight is portion control, make sure you eat 3 meals and have 3 snacks. Eat high protein, low carb meals. I like to eat Healthy Choice Steamer/Healthy Choice Meals as this is my way to control portion sizes. Also make time for exercise whether it is a complete workout or just going for a walk everyday with your children. I know it is easier said than done. I was at one time 381 pounds and had tried hundreds of diets and finally gave into Gastric Bypass Surgery because of health issues. But now I have changed my eating habits and am doing great. In 1 year I have lost 140 pounds. Even though I had surgery I will have to make my eating habits a lifestyle change otherwise the weight will come back on. Good luck but do something while your children are young so you acn enjoy them to the fullest…I wish I had.
A great way to control my eating when I’m in public is to order a kid’s size! At the movies here, it comes with a small popcorn, small soda and a “fun size” candy. I’ve never gotten any grief over being in my 20’s ordering for a 6 year old. :-) I’m am perfectly stuffed when I order a happy meal or a kids entree…
I think that it’s important to remember that it takes time for your body to get used to eating smaller portion sizes…maybe even two to three weeks. You get used to eating smaller portions and then you’re satisfied much easier. I try to look at packages to see what the portion size is and then actually measure it out with a measuring cup to make sure that I’m getting the right amount. If you stick with what is on the package as the portion size you can almost always be sure you’re not going to over eat…even if you’re eating M&M’s! It’s not easy, but at least you think about it each time you open a package. Then, put the package away and walk away! Good luck!
Hi, I am not eating three healthy meals daily.
However, breakfast is meat protein,coffee, full glass of water.
Lunch a light meal of vegetable salad w/water or ice tea,homemade to control the sugar.
Dinner, meat, salad, carb (cup of rice, or pasta or potatoe. with glass of water and or ice tea. snack around 8pm. a fruit. water. good night. I have lost a total of five pounds (30 days.) 210 down 205. and still losing. I feel good.
I am 27 a mom of 3 and 175 lbs. I had my third baby one year ago. I have been having a hard time losing weight, I start off good eating small protions for about a week, then my husband comes in with chips and soda, plops down and offers me some. It doesn’t take long to wear me down. What are some good tips when you are changing your habits completely alone?
When my husband does that, I get my own snack - a Weight Watcher’s bar, candy, or icecream. Then be sure you have a large glass of water, skim milk, or coffee/tea with no sugar and finish that up. You’ll be full so you won’t be looking at what he’s got!
I’ve found that 3/4 of the success of losing, for me, was being prepared and having the right things in the house. Buy lots of fruit and veggies and make all snacks the low-cal Weight Watchers yogurt, cheeses and sweets. I lost 17 lbs. so far!
One thing that helps me is to never eat anything out of the package. I need to see what I’m eating, so I pour a little into a bowl, put the package away, and that is all I will need to eat. When it’s in the package, it goes from package to mouth, never being seen, and you eat the whole package! Good luck.
natellie drink wu-long tea after every meal it will speeden up your metab.;p
I agree with all those who suggested smaller meals and snacks more often in the day. Drinking plenty of water will help also, as well as green tea. More fiber and whole wheat (substitute white rice with brown, whole wheat pastas for regular, etc.) Another good thing to do is read labels! Be mindful of calories, trans and saturated fats, and sugar that is in whatever you are eating or drinking (you would be surprised how many calories are in a lot of the juices and juice-type drinks out there–and a diet soda instead of a regular is not so bad, you get the same bubbly feeling with little or no calories). Try incorporating extra virgin olive oil in meals. Bake, saute, grill instead of frying everything–when you do fry, use canola or blended oil and not vegetable oil. It all makes a difference. I’m 27 years old and since my senior year in high school my size has always fluctuated between 12-18 (on average I was a 14). Over the last year I have gone from a 14 to a 10 from just paying attention to what I eat (I can’t tell you the last time I exercised–even though I should)…and I LOVE to eat and I LOVE being a 10 even more! :) Part of weight loss is a mind thing. I hung a picture of my mother when she was about my age (she’d had three kids and was probably about an 6/8) on my mirror as motivation. I figured, “I could look like that.” And now I do. (Now my momma wants the picture back!)Pick your own motivation and use it. Good luck ladies! Don’t give up.
It is necessary to mentally control yourself when you feel like you could eat the entire refrigerator. I’ve been there. It isn’t easy getting your mind off of it, but I have developed a habit before eating. I look in the mirror at myself, from several angles, and ask myself out loud whether I really want to eat as much as I think I want. After reassessing everything I don’t like about my body, I don’t feel so hungry anymore. And I am able to control what I eat, and how much I eat.
It is really hard in the beginning, and I know it sounds unreal now. I have been through rough times, too, but everything is possible! All you have to do is love your body, and get optimistic about the changes you can do about it!
Oh, and green tea is amazing! I have been drinking green tea for more than 4 years now, on a daily basis.