Whether you’re looking to lose weight or maintain your current size, it all comes down to calories — and some simple math. Calories in must equal calories out to keep your weight steady; and to lose a few pounds, you must burn more calories than you eat. Sounds simple enough, right? Unfortunately, healthy eating often falls apart at portion control. Without watching how much you eat at meals — and how much you snack in between — you run the risk of overeating. The following tips can help you eat less and keep your calorie intake in check.
Measure Portions to Prevent Overeating
Portion control — eating just the right amount of each food — starts with an understanding of serving sizes. Use the “Nutrition Facts” chart found on all pre-packaged foods as a guide. The first entry is serving size, followed by the number of servings found in the container. All the information below that, including calories, fat, and sodium, are dependent on eating the amount of food in the serving size. If you eat twice as much as a serving size, you have taken in double the number of calories, carbs, and fats listed. When possible, weigh the food or count the number of chips, for example, to make sure you’re not eating more than you intended.
Count Every Snack
Snacking can be a dangerous source of overeating because people often don’t pay attention to how much they’re eating. A recent report released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture shows adolescents get on average 526 calories from snacks each day — or almost a quarter of their day’s calories. And the more snacks they eat in a day, the higher their total calories. In fact, teens who snack four times or more a day end up eating more than 1.5 times the calories eaten by those who don’t snack at all. Bottom line: Watching your snacks can help you eat less and encourage healthy eating.
Limit Nibbling on Food While You Cook
To eat less, you need to forego the grazing. When you’re cooking, it’s tempting to sample the foods, but it’s better to wait until the meal is served. By the same token, resist eating leftovers off your child’s or spouse’s plate — it’s easy to forget to count calories that weren’t on your own plate. Keeping a food log can open your eyes to the extra calories you eat in a day. Write down every bite you take or beverage you sip for a couple days, and then look at the list. The results might surprise you, and encourage more healthy eating habits.
Choose Filling Foods
Selecting filling foods can help you eat less. Whole grains and lean protein are two excellent choices. Nasser suggests eating soluble fiber for breakfast. For other meals, start with a bowl of soup to take the edge off your appetite. Eating three whole fruits a day can also fill you up without overeating. Good choices include apples, oranges, and grapefruits.
Don't Put Extra Food on the Table
Put away any food that won’t be going on your plate before you sit down to eat. You’ll be less tempted by a second helping if you have to take food out again. Sometimes just seeing food sitting within arm’s reach can cause overeating. You’ll eat less by hiding leftovers, snack foods, and desserts where you can’t see them constantly.
Cut Your Meal in Half
Dining out is a major contributor to overeating, thanks to the massive portion sizes many restaurants serve. Next time you go out, consider eating only half your meal — you’ll save half the calories. You can ask your server to help by wrapping up the extra portion “to go” before you even eat. Splitting a dish with a friend is another easy — and economical — way to eat less.
Slow Down and Enjoy
Many of us get so used to rushing that even eating becomes a hurried affair. When you eat quickly, you often eat too much. Extreme hunger can also lead to overeating. If you tried to eat less during the day, you may be hungrier later and end up wolfing down too much dinner or a late-night snack. Another mistake is to eat while doing something else, such as watching TV or surfing the Internet. If you aren’t paying attention, it’s more likely you’ll overeat. These are all bad habits you need to break. Concentrate on healthy eating by taking small bites, chewing thoroughly, and enjoying your food.
Don't Forget to Drink Water
Alcohol, soda, and even juice can contribute to unwanted weight gain. Not only should you eat less, but you should also drink fewer high-calorie beverages or, better yet, cut them out altogether. Healthy eating includes healthy drinking — both the beverage and the quantity. “Drink 8 ounces of non-caloric liquid every hour,” suggests Nasser. Good choices include water (regular or sparkling) and sugar-free teas.
Listen to Your Body
It seems so obvious, yet many of us let our minds control our bodies instead of the other way around, especially when it comes to overeating. Before grabbing a snack, ask yourself if you’re truly hungry or if you’re reacting to your emotions or eating out of habit. Eat less by not using food to cope or to distract you — take a walk instead. And don’t automatically open a bag of chips because you’re watching TV or order popcorn because you’re at the theater.
Cue Your Taste Buds: The Meal Is Over
Many of us don’t feel a meal is complete without dessert. Try retraining your taste buds. Healthy eating means knowing when to stop. Next time you eat, skip the chocolate cake and try establishing a new food cue instead. Drinking coffee or tea, or chewing a piece of gum, is a healthier way to signal the end of a meal.
Do Your Homework
Part of successful portion control is being able to recognize a healthy portion size. Visit the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute’s Portion Distortion Web site to learn correct portion sizes and see how portions have increased in the last 20 years. You can also learn healthy eating habits by talking to an expert. “A session with a nutritionist is a great investment,” says Susan B. Roberts, PhD, professor of nutrition at Tufts University in Boston, Mass., and author of The “I” Diet. “They can show you portion control, and there is nothing as good as visual demonstrations.”Don't Give Up
When it comes to healthy eating and portion control, most people slip up every now and then. Travel, whether for business or pleasure, can wreak havoc on even your best intentions. So can working overtime, stressful situations, and many other factors. If you can make a plan to help you stay on track during schedule changes, that’s great. If not, don’t beat yourself up over an unhealthy eating choice. Look at tomorrow as a new day, and make a fresh start with your healthy diet.
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