How to get used to smaller portions?

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Replies

  • oldandhealthier
    oldandhealthier Posts: 449 Member
    Put your fork down between each bite. Chew completely before picking it back up again and take a sip of water before taking another bite. Chew at least 10-15 times. It'll help to make it seem like you're eating more. And you'll really get to taste and savor your food.
    this and try to time your meals to last about 20 minutes. Stretching it out really does help, and you will get used to smaller portions,
  • mushroomcup
    mushroomcup Posts: 145 Member
    Portion sizes tend to be my issue too. Most of the foods I like to eat are nutritious and have a reasonable caloric content. I just eat until I'm full, even a little uncomfortable. So I'm with you, OP, and it's a drag.
    Has to be habitual. Usually about 21 days of consistent reduced portions is normal. If you pile it on over that time though, you break the consistency and have to start over again. Be determined. It can be done. If someone held a gun to your head and said that's what you had to do to save your life, then you will do it. Unfortunately in reality it really is about your life.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    I think this ("If someone held a gun to your head and said that's what you had to do to save your life, then you will do it.") really puts it into perspective for me. Next time I'm feeling like I can't say no to something or if I know that I'm full but I feel like it's too hard to stop eating whatever yummy food I have in front of me, I'll consider this.
  • NanaWubbie
    NanaWubbie Posts: 248 Member
    A portion of anything is no bigger than the size of the palm of your hand. Got it?
  • LorienAnduin
    LorienAnduin Posts: 15
    I agree with the many people who said keep at it and don't give up. For me, a good bean salad or other vegetable in very large portion made it difficult for me to eat much else. I did have to find ways of fixing vegetables that I found really palatable so that I satisfied the mental and physical appetite. Also being consistent with your meals is a good idea. If you choose one meal a day to eat the same or similar foods, it can become a habit to eat those food and that portion.
  • cbirdso
    cbirdso Posts: 465 Member
    This was super difficult for me too. The hint (from an MFP friend) that helped me was to measure out the proper small portion...eat and enjoy. Then force yourself to wait at least two hours before eating something else. I always felt hungry, but kept telling myself...in just a little while you can eat! Practically would do a countdown. But it really trained me to be satisfied with less.
  • Turtlesallthewaydown
    Turtlesallthewaydown Posts: 64 Member
    Not always available but watermelon always helps me. About two cups gives me a nice full feeling. Also chugging water. More water than I could ever want.
  • avrba53
    avrba53 Posts: 6 Member
    I drink a big glass of water before I start to eat and continue trying to drink a gulp or 2 every couple of bites. Its helped a bunch.
  • H_Factor
    H_Factor Posts: 1,722 Member
    you know how you figure out portion control....you reach a point of deciding that your health is more important than eating what you want. when you reach that point, you will figure out how to stop eating when you're physically satisfied.....the difference between needing food and wanting food. if eating continues to be more important to you than getting healthy than keep eating what you want.

    sorry to be "to the point"....but, really, that's how you answer your questions.

    a related answer...choose foods that fill you up faster like lean protein, healthy fats and carbs with a low glycemic index value.
  • olgitafajita
    olgitafajita Posts: 7 Member
    I would say controlling sugar is a huge deal. I used to have a can of Coke every morning for breakfast ( I know I know) and had a heck of a time sticking to my calorie budget. Even switching to diet soda, I have noticed a huge difference. I just really don't want to eat as much, without even thinking about it much. I would've made the change years ago if I had really realized how much or gorging myself was related to blood sugar spikes and crashes.
  • Christina8585
    Christina8585 Posts: 73 Member
    I feel like this was my main problem too. My mom always overfed me. And she still does if I let her. I'm pissed that she's always had a 22 inch waist from eating like one meal a day meanwhile porking me up! I think she wanted it that way! I've had to take control of my life only now I have disgusting stretch marks and crap.... ugh. So frustrating. Yes, it takes time but eventually you learn portion control...
  • Alyssa__Lauren
    Alyssa__Lauren Posts: 148 Member
    You really just have to stick with it and get used to it. It took me about 2-3 months to get used to smaller portions.
  • A_Warrior_Princess
    A_Warrior_Princess Posts: 344 Member
    Ditto! It helped me not to eat in front of the TV or reading something because then I was mindlessly eating.
  • SonyaM83
    SonyaM83 Posts: 1 Member
    It should take 4 weeks of consistently eating smaller portions for the terrible hunger you are experiencing to abate.

    I know this may sound silly, but embrace the hunger initially. Unless of course, it is making you woozy. That is a sign that you might need to eat a bit more. Embrace hunger? Why?!? I know you are think I'm nuts right now. But check this out.

    You feel empty, right? Like you haven't filled up? That's your brain controlling your body, not your body alerting your brain. Your brain has been conditioned to expect a certain volume through years of high volume intake. And since our body is designed to accumulate fat in times of plenty so that we can survive through times of famine, your brain is gonna tell your body to fill the f* up while it can! (bad brain, sooo not nice) BUT.... The good news is that by sticking to your new food regiment for at least 4 weeks, your brain will "reset" to expect less, and then your brain will stop tormenting your body as much.

    Soooooo, in the mean time. When you are hungry, practice some mental tricks for your brain. Think about the food you've already eaten. You know that you've eaten enough to supply enough energy to support you until the next meal, right? Well, tell yourself, "I have eaten enough. This is training. I can go one more hour. One more hour isn't so bad. I can do this." Then wait.

    Another trick is to try and create a distance between your mind and your physical body. In your head, say to your body, "no, I have had enough food. If you need more energy, we have plenty lying around. Go get some from our storage supplies" (aka your fat cells)

    While these techniques will do nothing to stop the hunger, they can give you back the feeling that you are in control of the situation. That it is your CHOICE to remain hungry and let your body readjust. And eventually you will. Dieting takes just as much, if not more, self-control as exercising. But you can do it!!

    Lastly, when you are hungry and know you don't need more food, drink water. I prefer sparkling water with cucumber and mint, because it makes me feel elegant, fancy, and it is difficult to drink too fast on account of the bubbles :)

    Oh, and I didn't mention it before, but are you taking your daily vitamin? Sometimes you are deficient in an essential vitamin or mineral and your body is just craving the mineral (which it expects to get through foods). If it's meat you crave, you might be low on iron, b-vitamins, zinc, or magnesium. Red meat especially is a great source of these vitamins.
  • ash190489
    ash190489 Posts: 587 Member
    Make sure your dinners are filling and full of veggies and lean protein to keep you satisfied and full. Drink a glass of water before hand, take smaller bites and chew it properly and use a smaller plate. You may just need to cut out pasta and rice and use healthier alternatives I.e. quinoa instead of rice and whole grain whole meal and whole wheat pasta and will your small portion add heaps of veggies and lean meat.
  • ecdce
    ecdce Posts: 129 Member
    You can try starting your meal with a salad or bowl of soup (broth based, nothing creamy or high calorie). Studies show that people eat fewer calories during meals that begin with soup. I would try something like a light vegetable soup. Cooked veg is more appealing to some people. Another thing to try is adding more seasoning to your food than normal. Dont make it gross or inedible, just more flavourful than you typically enjoy. For me, I don't really like spicy things, and will naturally eat a MUCH smaller serving if my food is just a tad too spicy. Same with pepper. Garlic, on the other hand, doesn't faze me. I would not suggest adding more salt or salty seasoning mixes to your food, though.
  • StrongAndHealthyMommy
    StrongAndHealthyMommy Posts: 1,255 Member
    my tip: drink a cup of water 10-15 mins before you eat, and cut your portions SLOWLY... . once you are done eating have another glass of water.... (of course you could drink some water or whatever you want during your meal)
  • Fr3shStrt
    Fr3shStrt Posts: 349 Member
    A portion of anything is no bigger than the size of the palm of your hand. Got it?

    I was actually thinking about this today as I looked at my dinner, because the piece of tilapia on my plate was huge, and the pile of broccoli next to it was also huge. BUT my dinner was only 264 calories, so size isn't everything :wink:

    OP- I agree with most people here - you just need to give it time. It take a whole lot of will power at first, but it gets easier. I find it helps to log what I'm going to eat before - either earlier in the day or even the day before. I have all of my meals for tomorrow already logged in. It means I don't have to make any decisions and that makes it easier. Think of will power as a muscle - it gets stronger with practice. So look at those difficult situations where you want to go for a second helping as opportunities to practice your will power.
  • linsey0689
    linsey0689 Posts: 753 Member
    I drink water before I am going to eat so my stomach is pretty full when I start eating. Also I do the veggie thing which you said doesn't work for you. One other thing I do is eat more often so I never get to the point where I am super hungry because then I don't overeat or at least it is less likely. For example if I am going to have a meal bar I have half then an hour later the other half. I don't know it just works for me but I am about 5 months into as well. Another thing I did is change my meals on this site to Breakfast, Mid morning snack, lunch, late afternoon snack, dinner and late night snack and try to eat that many times or at least 4-5 of them. Hope that helps! If you have any questions feel free to add me as a friend or message me

    Best of luck to you!
  • herblackwings39
    herblackwings39 Posts: 3,930 Member
    Portion size is my major problem too. It takes some getting used to. I tried the smaller plate routine but I just ended up staking it taller.:laugh: I finally told myself to get into it gradually. I put the proper potion size on the plate and tell myself that if I am still actually hungry after that portion I can come back for seconds. I have learned to chew my food longer and to put down my fork between mouthfuls. I now enjoy my food more. It still took some getting used to.

    This. I've learned over time that if I portion my food out in the proper serving size and wait 15-30 minutes many times I don't actually need another portion, but knowing that I can have more if I really want it has helped. There's none of the "That's ALL I get?!" feeling. Smaller plates never worked for me because I knew the plate was smaller. There was no tricking my mind with that.
  • paxbfl
    paxbfl Posts: 391 Member
    Some interesting responses here!

    I agree with the water suggestion. I find drinking a LOT of water helps me feel full.

    I also agree that sugar and simple carbs like white bread and pasta are best avoided when you're really trying to drop weight.

    Also... try eating 5-6 mini-meals throughout the day instead of 3 larger meals. When you get used to this, you're not nearly as hungry going into the meal so you're satisfied with less.

    Finally... allow yourself a cheat meal once in a while. We all like food or we wouldn't be here. Have something you really enjoy and eat a lot of it. Afterward, you'll feel like CRAP and won't want to do that again for a long time. :)
  • stephaniemejia1671
    stephaniemejia1671 Posts: 482 Member
    OOOOOOhhh yeah, this was a BIG hurdle for me to jump over, smaller portions. I started drinking water in between meals, heck I started drinking it all the time. Water, somehow it's all about water. You just have to give it time, you'll get comfortable eating a little less as the weeks go by.
  • sugaree1202
    sugaree1202 Posts: 184 Member
    I started tracking what and how much I eat 2 years ago and realized my concept of portion size was way off. It took a few days but eventually my body got used to it and I was able to eat at a calorie deficit without feeling hungry. It takes time for your body to adjust but here are some of the things I did to cut down on portion size, start eating healthier and successfully lose weight in the past and currently since I gained a lot of weight after an injury:

    Stay hydrated - thirst is often mistaken for hunger
    Eat slowly - it takes time for your brain to get the signal that your stomach is full, like 20 minutes, I can overeat by a lot in 20 minutes. Stopping eating before you are full will work too or only put an appropriate sized portion on your plate then wait 20 mi utes before eating anything else to see if you are still hungry.
    Eat 5 small meals a day instead of 3 big ones
    Don't let yourself get so hungry that you binge
    Fill up on lower calorie/whole foods first so you eat less of the higher carb/sugar foods
    Eat enough protein& fiber, they keep yoy full longer than sugar and carbs
    Track what you eat - it helos me to see how much of my daily intake a food is before I eat it
    Eat what you like in moderation so you don't feel deprived.
  • thistimewillbedifferent
    thistimewillbedifferent Posts: 217 Member
    I echo the suggestion about having soup before (or at the beginning of) the meal. Just one cup of a broth-based soup like a consomme or miso soup can make a HUGE difference in how much you can eat afterwards.

    I used to eat very large portions of certain foods before I started making this lifestyle change a priority. Steak was a bad one for me -- I'd order the nice lean filet mignon in a restaurant, and then eat every single bite of what I thought was an already-small or reasonable portion. When I started working with a nutritionist and she explained to me how little of that steak she wanted me to eat, I laughed...and then almost cried. There was no way I could fathom going from eating 12 ounces to eating 3 ounces. So instead, I started by eating only 9 ounces. Once that seemed reasonable/feasible, I started cutting it in half and going for 6 ounces. After a very long time, I was able to settle at 4 ounces, one third of what I used to eat. Sure, it's still a bit bigger than what the "standard" portion is, but it FINALLY keeps me full and satisfied (assuming that I am eating lots of veg with it), and I am shocked to think that I once used to eat three times as much. The same goes for pizza -- I used to eat an entire pizza by myself. (Pause to hang head in shame.) I didn't try to jump straight to eating two pieces and stopping -- I started with "only" half a pizza and then worked my way down over time, one slice at a time. Now I truly am satisfied after "just" two pieces. And I ALWAYS make sure I have veg on the side.

    Best of luck finding what works for you. It takes a lot of time and patience, but it is definitely possible.

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