Controlling Your Portions Can Help With Dieting Success
Contributed by: NAPSA
(NAPSA) - No wonder it can be so hard to diet. Most people get in the habit of eating a certain amount of food to feel satisfied-and if they're served more food, they tend to eat more.
A good first step in controlling your weight is to measure the portions you already eat, so you understand how much you are consuming-and then either limit portion size or make healthier substitutions.
If the full plate is important to you, try using a smaller plate. Or keep portion sizes the same, but cut calories by lowering the fat in your dishes and adding more low-calorie ingredients such as crunchy vegetables and leafy salads.
Here are some more tips to help.
Leave a quarter of what you're served on your plate. If dining out, you can place some of the food in a "to go" container right away.
Cut back wherever you can-use a little less butter on your bagel, a little less dressing on your salad. Ask for salad dressing on the side so you can add just what you need for flavor.
A good way to alter your eating behavior is to get used to eating smaller portions. One successful strategy is to serve food on smaller plates.
To ensure satisfying portions, add more fruits, vegetables and beans to your meals.
Use these visual cues when looking at portions. A deck of cards is about the size of 3 ounces of cooked meat. A baseball is the size of a medium-sized piece of fruit.
Don't let deprivation lead to a splurge. If you have a smaller entree portion, fill up the rest of your plate with vegetables and green salad, rather than topping off your meal with chocolate cake.
Measure foods at home so when you eat out you'll know how much pasta or rice you may be eating. A half cup of rice or pasta is a typical serving size but restaurant portions are often larger.
Read food labels to get familiar with calories, fat contents and nutrients you're getting with each serving.
"Value meals" may be good for the wallet but bad for the waist. You may be better off choosing individual items in smaller portion sizes.
Get help if you need it. alli, the only FDA-approved, over-the-counter weight-loss aid, can help boost your diet efforts by preventing about 1/4 of the fat you eat from turning into calories.
For a tryout of the myalliplan behavioral support program, which includes personalized lessons created by weight-loss experts and tools and resources for planning and creating meals, tracking calories and fat, becoming more active and charting pounds lost, visit www.myalli.com.
