Weight Loss - Take Control With Portion Sizes

Losing weight doesn't have to be complex. In fact, the easiest way to lose weight without dieting and without fuss is to take control of your portion sizes. We're all used to super-sized portions because of the huge amounts of food we're served when we eat out.

Retrain yourself. Slimming down your portions slims you down as well. Start by recognizing what healthy portion sizes look like. You may be surprised that a healthy portion size, although much smaller that the portions you're used to eating, satisfy you and make you feel full.

At-A-Glance Portion Control - Retrain Your Eyes

You can train yourself to judge healthy portions over time. This is important, because once you know what a "serving" is, then you know how much you should be eating. For example, a serving of a steak is the size of the palm of your hand, and a baked potato to go with that steak is the size of a bar of soap.

When you eat out, ask for the entree menu, and order from that. If you choose to order from the standard dinner menu, then ask that half your plate be packed up so you can take it home with you. The restaurant won't mind, their goal is that you enjoy your food and that you return to eat there again.

When you're eating at home, use a smaller plate for dinner, and start the meal with vegetable soup. If you make the soup yourself, from vegetable stock, a can of chopped tomatoes and a selection of sliced vegetables (simmer for half an hour to cook) it will not only fill you up, but add vitamins and minerals to your diet too.

Since your vegetable soup and a salad fill you up, you'll find that you won't notice that you're eating smaller portions of steak. Within a week or two, you will have retrained yourself so that the smaller, healthier portions now look "normal" to you - you won't want larger portions.

Taking control of your portion sizes sounds complex, but it doesn't need to be. Just think to yourself: half of restaurant portions, and you'll soon be able to judge the right portions for you to help you to lose weight and to keep it off.