I Can't Control My Portion Sizes

If you want to control your portions, stop depending just on your will power and try some of the tips below:

Start from where you're at-Gradually reduce your portions so it doesn't feel so depriving and overwhelming. Going from three scoops of ice cream to two-and-half, is going to feel more reachable than going from three to one.

Learn what a normal portion is-Don't get bogged down with being accurate. Focus on what a normal portion is generally; and gradually strive toward that.

Take small steps-If it feels overwhelming, make the goal smaller.

Add color to plate-Think of your plate like a color palette. Strive to make it as colorful as possible with greens, yellows, oranges, and reds. The more colorful your plate, the more satisfied your brain will be and the less you will eat.

Add fiber-Fiber is filling, making you feel full faster and eating less. Foods such as vegetables, fruits and whole grains have the most fiber.

Don't put extra food on table-When you put servings platters on the table, it bombards the brain with more food cues and you'll end up eating more. Leave the extra food in the kitchen.

Use small plates, bowls and glasses-Smaller plates and bowls look fuller to the brain and these signals will make the brain feel satisfied with smaller portions.

Slow down-Yes, it's true. It takes about 20 minutes for messages to get to the brain that you are full. If you eat fast, you'll eat more before realizing you've had enough. Chew everything well before swallowing, swallow everything before taking another bite, take a sip of water between bites, and savor your food.

Wait a little-If you're not sure if you're full or not, wait a little (about 20 minutes). Chances are you'll find out you've had enough.

You don't need to have it all now-Remind yourself that there are no rules about food anymore so you don't need to have it all now. You can change your mind at anytime so you can have some later. It doesn't have to be now.

Diet books

We're inundated with diet books in this country. Since I have to review what's going on in the diet world continually, I feel I am a good judge of what's out there. One of my goals is to make consumers smarter about what they will buy into among the huge numbers of diet books, diet programs and diet aids thrown at them almost daily.

Diet books are a good place to start. Basically, if the book has "DIET" in the title, skip it. Almost by definition, the word "diet" implies a beginning and an end. Do you want to go on something that can't be followed for the rest of your life (which is what is needed to manage a healthy weight for a lifetime)? Publishers put "DIET" in the title to grab you immediately. Publishers know that most people are not good consumers of weight management information so they play on that. But you want to be a smart, informed consumer. You won't be fooled by tricks like these.

The other thing many diet books do is include recipes. This makes the book longer but not necessarily more informative. Colored pictures of food are appetizing but the fact is that most people who buy the books never use the recipes.

If the diet book wants you to buy their products such as special foods, supplements, or exercise products, pass it by also. If you buy into the needing special foods, you will only spend a lot of money and end up in the same place you've been before. The truth is that there are no supplements that cause more fat loss. It's a gimmick-don't buy into it. Finally, how many people do you know that buy exercise products before they intend to start a diet and never use them? It's not the product that is going to cause you to lose fat. This again will only get you to spend money that could be used in a better way or not used at all.

If a weight loss book doesn't promise amazingly fast fat loss, doesn't suggest you have to buy their products, makes good logical sense, and teaches a program that you can follow for the rest of your life, that's where you need to start.