What size portions should i eat to lose weight

Here are 15 easy ways to cut portions, trim calories, and lose weight without counting the minutes until your next meal. Filling your belly with water will naturally make you less likely to overeat, she says.

Plus, some symptoms of dehydration may actually be what's causing your rumbling belly, so sipping some water before you eat may eliminate your "hunger" altogether. We're not suggesting you squeeze into pants that are too tight. However, wearing an outfit with a waistband or perhaps a jacket with buttons can serve as a tool to prompt you to slow down and assess how you feel during your meal, says Young.

As your clothing begins to feel a little snugger, it may keep you from going back for seconds. Bulking up your meals with veggies is one easy way to cut calories while filling you up fast. Spinach, for example, can be used as a sandwich-topper or can add fiber and nutrients to pasta and stir-fries, says Blatner.

Other ideas to eat more veggies: swap in mushrooms for half the ground meat in most recipes, make oatmeal more filling with diced apples, and use a whole-wheat pita in place of bread so you can stuff it with more veggies. The color of your plate may influence how much you eat, according to a study in Nutrition Journal. The study conclusions suggest that if you want to eat less, select plates that have a color-contrast to the food you're eating for dinner, like pasta with red sauce on a white plate.

Or if you want to eat more healthy foods, like a bigger salad, eat greens from a large green plate or bowl! Rethink the way you use grains and starches. Take a breakfast parfait, for instance: instead of starting with a granola base, fill your cup with yogurt and then sprinkle just a tiny amount of granola on top for the crunch you crave.

Making a stir-fry? Load up your plate with veggies and a serving of lean protein, then add a quarter cup of brown rice. Dim lights and listen to relaxing music to set the tone for a more leisurely meal, suggests Blatner. Remember to chew slowly, put down your fork between bites, and sip water to make your meal last longer. Here's another way to slow down your eating: munch on foods that require shelling, peeling, or individual unwrapping, suggests Blatner.

Oranges, edamame, and pistachios in their shells are healthy options. When you sit down with a bag of chips, do you really know how many you're eating? So if you buy a bag of pretzels or tin of nuts that contains 10 servings, divide the contents of the container into 10 smaller baggies ahead of time.

Though it may seem counterintuitive to add more to your meal, research shows that starting a meal with soup may help you reduce your overall calorie intake. Your best bet: a broth-based soup, preferably with veggies to help you feel full from the natural fiber, says Young.

Here are a few healthy soup recipes to get you started. It can seem a little overwhelming to start, but it becomes more second nature the more you learn what makes up your food. Multitasking is not good for portion control, peeps.

So try mindful eating. This means: slow down and experience your meal. For instance, did you know it can take your body up to 20 minutes to feel full? If we eat too fast, we will over-eat and not feel satisfied from a meal that should actually be totally satisfying.

Another great idea for those just getting started learning how to portion control is to keep a food journal. So, how do you keep a food journal or diary? You can choose to either keep track using an app or on a notepad. The idea is to track everything you eat, including portion sizes, each day. I prefer the MyFitnessPal app , but there are many, many free and paid options out there. The better you can trust yourself with your food choices, the more healthy of a lifestyle it will be.

This can cause un-needed stress, and is exactly what we want to avoid. So, take it one step at a time. Use this post to find out the ideal macros for you, then start to focus on your food portion sizes. Try reducing them slightly, but do it progressively.

If you want to be successful at the portion control, treat it like a marathon, not a sprint, and set yourself up for success. Portion control at restaurants is very tricky, especially nowadays when restaurants serve extra-large portions. These tips will help you to eat smaller portions at restaurants for sure. For more tips, check out my post on how to eat healthy at restaurants. Mindful eating and informed choices — this is the power of portion control. Here are some of my absolute favorite meal prep recipes because they are well-balanced, delicious, filling, easy, and, of course, allow you to portion control your food!

This post contains affiliate links for products I use often and highly recommend. I live in Dallas, Texas with my husband and four kiddos. This article has some great suggestions on portion control. You can portion control even if you want to eat a healthier diet and maintain your body!

Good day I myself spent tons if money on food learning how to eat right as a diabetic. For example, one study in healthy women noted that eating slowly led to greater feelings of fullness and a decrease in food intake compared to eating quickly In addition, eating on the go or while distracted or watching TV boosts your likelihood of overeating Health experts recommend taking smaller bites and chewing every mouthful at least five or six times before swallowing Summary Sitting down to meals with no other distractions and eating slowly will regulate portion control and reduce your likelihood of overeating.

Jumbo-size packages or food served from large containers encourages overeating and less awareness of appropriate portion sizes. This is especially true for snacks.

Evidence suggests that people tend to eat more out of large packages than small ones — regardless of food taste or quality 16 , In another study, participants consumed over fewer grams of snacks per week when given gram snack packs than when given snacks in standard-sized packages Rather than eating snacks from the original packaging, empty them into a small bowl to prevent eating more than you need.

The same applies to bulk portions of family meals. Rather than serving food directly from the stove, re-portion it onto plates before serving. Doing so will help prevent overfilling your plate and discourage returning for seconds. Summary Eating food from larger packages or containers encourages increased intake.

Try re-portioning snacks into individual portions and serving family meals from plates to prevent overeating. However, it may help to invest in a scale or measuring cup to weigh food and correctly assess your intake Reading food labels also increases awareness of proper portions.

However, doing so may be helpful for a short period to develop awareness of what an appropriate portion size looks like. After a while, you may not need to measure everything.

Summary Using measuring equipment can help increase awareness of portion sizes and correctly assess how much food is normally eaten. Research suggests that people are often surprised at how much food they eat 3 , In weight-loss studies, those who kept a food diary tended to lose more weight overall This likely occurred because they became more aware of what they ate — including their unhealthy choices — and adjusted their diet accordingly.

Summary Jotting down your total calorie intake can increase awareness of what you consume. This can motivate you to make healthier choices and reduce your chances of overeating. Unwanted weight gain may start with large portion sizes. However, there are many practical steps you can take to control portions.

These simple changes have proven successful in reducing portions without compromising on taste or feelings of fullness. For example, measuring your food, using smaller dishes, drinking water prior to meals and eating slowly can all reduce your risk of overeating.

At the end of the day, portion control is a quick fix that improves your quality of life and may prevent binging. Cutting calories to lose weight doesn't need to be hard. Here are 8 clever tips to eat smaller food portions without even noticing.