Many of us find it difficult to control ourselves when we start eating. How can we limit out portions?
Portion control is a struggle for most of us at the best of times, and because it such a common problem, there are some simple strategies we can adopt to help us control our portions.
We need to focus on eating more slowly, to give ourselves time to tune in to our body’s hunger and satiety. It takes 20 minutes to half an hour for our brain to receive the message that our stomach is full. So, we need to take our time.
When we are no longer feeling hungry but still want to eat, we need to think about why. We might be bored, so we need to find something else to keep us busy. We might be upset, so we need a call a friend and let it all go! We might be stressed or anxious, so we should turn on some music or go for a brisk walk to relax and de-stress.
We shouldn’t try and fix our problems with food.
Try and keep portions down by following these simple, basic tips:
• Use a small plate. As simple as this sounds, it works. Studies have shown that people eat more when there’s more on their plate, regardless of how hungry they feel. So put less on your plate, but trick your eyes into thinking you’re eating more by using a small plate.
• Never eat directly from a container, bag or box. It’s so hard to keep track of how much you’re eating when you’re just reaching in and stuffing food in your mouth. Before you know it, the bag is gone. Instead, serve yourself one portion on a plate or in a bowl, put away the rest, and only then sit down to eat.
• Measure, measure, measure! Keep some sort of measure on hand, and measure out your cereal into a bowl, your rice onto your plate, your tuna salad, your potato chips, your strawberries……. try and learn to subconsciously measure everything. It does make a difference to your perception and understanding on portion size.
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And remember, alcohol is fun with a meal, but really are empty calories. Enjoy a glass but more isn’t better.
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