How do you manage your portion control?

When I cook dinner I measure out all my food and then I put whatever is left into containers and put it in the fridge before I even sit down to eat.

Also...brush your teeth right after you eat...

I agree! Also, if you're making more than one portion, split the portions into separate containers before you even eat your meal! That way you know what's for now and what's for later.

And yes, BRUSH YOUR TEETH! That has been the best! I eat until I'm just full (not stuffed), brush my teeth, and then I get the lovely mint taste (that doesn't taste good with any foods!).

Best of luck!

Well, I have the advantage of just cooking for myself. So I sit down and plan my meal in my food diary before I cook it. That way I know how much of everything I'm going to use and how many calories will be going in. I cook one meal at a time and avoid left overs, since they're harder to account for.

Mainly I just don't have anything in the house that I would be tempted to overindulge in. No cookies, candy, chocolate, crackers, chips, ice cream or butter. I do have some bread in the house but keep it in the freezer so that I have to take the time to thaw it in the microwave before I can eat it. I also keep Nature Valley granola bars (190 calories in a package of two) on hand, and I usually have one package a day. I like them but not so much that I keep going back for more. I make lists of things that I like but that have no or very few calories, such as Constant Comment tea with Splenda and lemon juice, canned artichoke quarters in water, asparagus, mushrooms and Dungeness crab, and try to plan meals and snacks around them.

My food scale - I damn near measure everything...it's sad - but...it helps!

I've had to go out and buy myself a second set of measuring cups and spoons cuz I measure everything, EVERYTHING!

I measure all of my food before preparing it. I also keep prepared meals in the fridge--the portion is already managed, so it's easy to log on my food diary every time (my tupperwares are only so big, lol).

I also use 8" diameter salad plates instead of regular 10" dinner plates. It LOOKS like there's tons of food on my plate so I don't feel deprived.

I don't go back to the pantry to snack because I don't buy snack foods anymore. It's working for me, but I understand it's not for everyone. Give it a try and see what works for you. I have nuts and dried fruit, but no chips, crackers, cookies, etc. I eat apples with peanut butter between breakfast and lunch, or as a "dessert" if I'm short on calories at the end of the day. I also eat pears with natural cheese. My fiance just bought me some dark chocolate covered almonds, but I'm eating those very sparingly! If salty snack foods are your weakness, just don't buy them. You can't eat them if they're not there. At first, I had to talk to foods I knew I shouldn't eat. I had to look at them and say "NO" out loud and think about how much better I would look in my dresses if I didn't indulge in that stupid, empty calorie snack. My coworkers have caught me doing this to pizza and doughnuts. Now they see I've lost almost 20lbs and they're thinking I may be on to something....

Lastly, I follow my Memere's rule: if you think you're hungry, you're probably just thirsty. Have a cup of hot tea or some water with lemon and wait 20 minutes. If you're still hungry, then go ahead and eat something.

90% of the time, I'm just thirsty and not interpreting my body correctly. I've started keeping a bag of lemon slices in the fridge at work just to put in my water glass. It's pretty, too--makes you want to drink and enjoy it!

Good luck!

I eat off a smaller plate which makes it easier to control portion. I also do not go back for seconds.