Any suggestions on ways to help limit myself to just one ser

neatfreak

I do really well for breakfast and lunch it seems that when it comes to dinner (supper), I have a very difficult time limiting myself to just one helping. We eat dinner as a family and talk about our days...so am I distracted as I eat so I think I need more? I don't know. Does anyone have suggestions on ways to limit myself to just one serving at dinner, other than will power because, right now, that isn't working?

quara

Try not to have a 'family style' dinner, where all the food is out on the table for people to help themselves. You can prepare individual plates with as much as you'd like, and then tuck all leftovers away in the fridge before you sit down to eat. Keep the veggies out on the table, though, so you can have seconds of those

AR89

I quite often have a craving for something sweet when I finish dinner but I find that if I get up and make myself a cup of tea and sit down and drink that before I let myself consider getting anything more to eat then I generally don't feel like getting more... Hope that helps!

fitnesspirateninja

I have two suggestions:

1) Make smaller meals
or
2) As soon as you're finished with making the meal, put the leftovers in a tupperware and put it out of sight (in the fridge, freezer, etc...)

Good luck!

in_it_2_win_it

I think if you reward yourself, it would be ok.. like if you say to yourself " if I only eat 1 plate or smaller portion then I can have something sweet" and if theres a night when you have 2 helpings then you don't get a sweet that night.. like you would with kids.

wpij25

I have two suggestions:

1) Make smaller meals
or
2) As soon as you're finished with making the meal, put the leftovers in a tupperware and put it out of sight (in the fridge, freezer, etc...)

Good luck!

That is exactly want I do...it really makes a difference! :happy:

downtome

You can try using a salad plate for your dinner meal and when your done if your still hungry have a little more but the best thing is, is to be concious of what and how much your eating, point blank....you have to be if you want to lose weight. Count your calories and portion sizes before you eat it, that's what I do, then if I am talking or watching TV I know exactly how much I have eaten for dinner.Good luck. Hope this helps you.

servilia

If salad is a part of your meal then have seconds fo that first, before you move on to the main meal. And water is your best friend!

anubis609

It depends on what you're eating for dinner and how you go about eating it. For starters, if you aren't doing so already, eat slowly. If you're shoveling in food by the spoonfuls and trying to get as much in as you can before you start feeling full, it probably isn't a great strategy. Having a great conversation in the middle of dinner is a great way to pass the time in-between bites which should give your stomach time to digest what's been put in and send signals to your brain that it's already becoming satiated. Secondly, if there's a lot of food on the table, the thought of "not wasting food" shouldn't be limited to finishing it all in one night. It can always be saved and prepared for the next day's lunch, or re-prepared for a different variation of it for the next dinner.

In general, what could help is if you start off breaking down your dinner consumption into courses, such as starting off with a healthy salad and a controlled portion of dressing, a variety of vegetables and some lean meat, like fish, chicken, or turkey for the main course, and if you're still not fully satisfied by then, you could have a small fruit at the end. Any bread should preferably be whole grain or wheat.

Water should also be the best choice of liquid refreshment. Drinking a glass of water before you even start eating can give your stomach a fuller feeling sooner. Throughout each of the courses for your meal, drink some water. In-between courses, drink some more water. Water is not only good for you, but also helps aid with the digestion process. If you feel like there's no taste and you can't stand water by itself, you can squeeze a wedge of lemon and/or lime to give it some flavor. If you're a soda drinker, diet soda would be a better alternative. But keep water next to you with anything else you drink.

The key is to involve healthy alternatives to a usual family style dinner. Your plate should have a variety of colors from green (darker types of leaves, broccoli), yellowish (types of squash, yellow peppers, onions, cauliflower), orange (carrots, orange peppers), and red (tomatoes, peppers) to augment any browns, like meat or potatoes. A lot of the colorful veggies offer a lot of fiber. The fiber content of your food will dictate how full you will feel and it should keep you fuller longer.

As for seasonings and sides, stray away from anything salty and sodium-rich foods. Seasoning alternatives are available like Mrs. Dash, which has no salt whatsoever along with different flavored spices. Additionally, you may add a bit of kick to your palette by adding some hot sauce, red pepper flakes, or ground pepper. Spicy food will make you slow down your intake because of the heat, and give that time for your stomach to send those full signals.

These are just some of the wide variety of ways you can do to help with wanting more than one serving. And if all else fails, go for second helpings of the veggies. They're low in calories and they're good for you. I hope any of those tips helps you in your journey.

Tuckersn

I like the salad and plenty of water before dinner. Also, try not to go over a few hours, prior to dinner, without having something to eat . . . something around, even a couple hundred calories, will keep you from feeling famished by dinner. I know if I go too long before eating I tend to over-indulge and indulge in the wrong foods.

dwarfer22

Plan your meal ahead of time, what you will eat and how much. Log it ahead of time. Measure your food carefully, put the rest away, then eat. It will be much less tempting to go back for more when the food is less accessable, plus the added motivation of knowing that you'll have to change your food log may deter you from going back. Plus with meal logged ahead of time you can see your remainder for the day and plan a sensible snack for later in the evening.

TimH1970

Something that I find is a big help to me is in between bites I put my knife and fork down and I keep the food in my mouth as long as I can... don't know is that will help you or not??

MzBug

You can eat all you want...of vegies! Limit your starches, protein and fats. If the vegies are plain (no butter or sauce) you can eat all you want with little damage. Maybe start with a cup of broth soup (vegies and meat only) or a largish salad.

Good Luck!

mollymoo89

Drink a full glass of water before dinner!

neatfreak

Thanks everyone for your suggestions! I have a lot of new ideas to try.