One of the best ways to make sure you’re eating healthy and doing right by your body is to practice good portion control. This means knowing how much to eat and knowing when to stop. Unfortunately, the idea of portion control is a huge challenge for many and while it does take a lot of discipline and control, accomplishing this goal isn’t impossible.

Just as smokers find it hard to quit cold turkey, those that love their food can find their own obstacles to overcome when it comes to practicing portion control. However, there are some secrets to learning how to master this eating habit. With practice and time, you can easily figure out when you’ve reached your limit.

Perhaps one of the most difficult places to put portion control into place is the dine-in restaurant. Dining out with your significant other, family or friends can place a lot of pressure on someone trying to cut back on the amount of food they eat. But the good news is that there are some tricks you can utilize to make sure that you’re good to go no matter what you order. The next time you eat out at a restaurant, look over the menu carefully. If you want to make sure you don’t overeat then start off with an appetizer, salad or cup of soup, then instead of ordering a full-sized entrée, opt for a half portion if they are available. Doing this will cut down on your hunger pangs by the time the main course arrives, which will ensure that you won’t overeat in one sitting. If the restaurant you’re eating at doesn’t offer half portions, look into choosing something off the children’s menu. Forced to order a full-sized entrée? Don’t fret - eat what you can until you feel full (not bloated) and have the remainder of the dish boxed. You can then take the food home and have it for lunch or as leftovers for tomorrow’s dinner.

For those having issues with their eating habits at home, portion control can be incorporated literally by strategically tricking the mind by using smaller plates. The best way for you to cut down on the amount of food you eat during dinner is to use smaller plates, like salad plates and stay away from regular sized, main course plates. This will limit the amount of food you can place on your plate, thus enforcing portion control. You can also put this same trick to use when eating outdoors at a barbeque or picnic. Search for smaller plates if they are offered (or bring your own) and get a nice scoop of each of your favorite foods. Avoid going back for seconds or else you’ll defeat the purpose of portion control - and no, filling up more than one small plate with food doesn’t count as portion control!

It takes a lot of discipline but once portion control becomes a part of your life, you’ll have a much easier time staying within a healthy weight range and keeping off the extra pounds.

Related Articles
	Cut Calories Quick! Anyone who has tried to diet in the attempt to lose weight or has counted calories until they couldn’t stand the sight of numbers anymore, knows that being able to eat comfortably without worry is easier said than done. If you’ve been there and done that, try something different to cut out   ...Read more		Decoding What Makes a Healthy Salad Salad is one of the icons of healthy eating and more people are making the attempt to include this meal into their daily eating regimen. However, not all salads are the same and while you think chomping down on some greens is making you healthier, it’s what’s in the salad that will really determine   ...Read more