Portion Control

I overcomethat urge ever since I had almost all calories memorized on my mind..


Also just this month taking pictures of my food before eating it, It's also a great way to remind yourself that you have just eaten.

Photo food journalling your food helps too. Besides, who else wanna take a picture of a big amount of muffin/?

there u have it. Portion control.:D

I think this is a really big barrier for most overweight people, myself included. Using smaller plates and measuring and weighing is a good teaching tool. It helps you learn what a portion is, so that when you are eating out or with friends you can guestimate portion size. I also try and eat slow and without being in front of the TV, really paying attention to whether or not I'm full/satisfied.

Smaller plate worked, I also use smaller fork. Makes me eat slower, so I feel full faster. If I have a snack, like ice cream, I put it in a coffee mug instead of bowl. Makes it seem like more.

I'm a volume eater, too. So I have vegetables with most of my meals. Example: pasta with sauce, and a pile of broccoli next to it. By the time I'm done, my stomach just assumes I had twice as much pasta. And not only is it about filler, but the fact that my body could really use the nutrients anyway. I feel physically and mentally better for having done it (even though my taste buds would prefer double pasta).

I found these bowls that have a really large lip on the outside with a design so visually it looks as big as a dinner plate but in reality it's just the tiny center that gets filled.

I fill the bottom with spinach or roasted vegetables or mashed cauliflower or sweet potato. Then whatever protein I'm eating goes on that with dollop of avocado or homemade mayo for excitement.

Also I weigh most of my food. It's incredibly eye opening to see the actual recommended portion size.

Lots of veggies! I'm more into eating lower calorie foods, personally, than smaller portions of calorie dense foods, so my plate is always pretty full and around 400 calories. To be fair though, my problem was never overeating during meals, but eating thousands of calories in snacks.

Figure out why you're overeating - emotional reasons, boredom, etc. It might seem lame, but I started keeping a journal and wrote down how I was feeling every time I had the urge to overeat. Also, soups and veggies are your friend!! They're low in calories and filling. Start meals with a soup and/or salad, ensure half your plate is filled with veggies as your main, etc. Soon your body will get used to feeling full and you won't have the urge to overeat as much.

Eat a couple of bites...just enough to get the taste on your tongue

I measured everything and find recipes that either a.) I can have more than one serving of, or, b.) portion sizes are already fairly large.

Spread it out and make it look pretty, like in a facny restaurant. Loads of salad to fill up the space.

When I make a recipe (using MFP's tool), I split it up into bowls/plates immediately based on the number of servings it should be. I just weigh each bowl to make sure they're about equal. Then it goes into my fridge in four individual bowls for example. Then I don't have to measure each time I eat, and I know I'm just eating a serving. (and I have several meals prepared in advance--less cooking!)

Smaller plates are good.
I also ate lots of portions of vegetables in my meals. That way I could fill up and still remain within my calorie limit. I ate one portion of meats and starches; and I weighed & measured everything. For example, a meal might be a 4oz steak, 1/2 baked potato and 2 or more cups of vegetables (approx 500 calories; depending on steak variety, size of potato and how much vegetable).
Another "trick" I learned and really enjoy now as a change, is to substitute spaghetti squash for pasta. It takes on the taste of the pasta sauce nicely. There is a difference in texture between squash and pasta but if you don't mind that, it's a change you can make and not miss out on pasta nights.
Bean dishes are good, too. They are higher in calories but are filling to make up for it and you can still fill up on vegetables on the side.

Thanks for the great tip on Mindful eating !!! Sometimes we get too busy and we think that if only we can eat faster, finish faster, we can get more stuff done. But we end up with the same amount of work and with a lot more calories than we intended.:(

That is so true! What it really helped me to understand is this: If I have the thought that X would taste really good right now and I don't have to choose between eating it and what I am currently doing, I will ALWAYS eat it. If I have to think about whether or not I want to stop what I am doing -- turn off the TV, step away from the computer, put down the book I am reading, then I will actually think about whether or not I really want it. The first time I decided it wasn't worth the time it would take to eat something was a mind blowing experience for me. Doing nothing else while I eat also allows me to pay attention to the whole process, including whether I want or need to eat all of what I put on my plate. In the two-plus years since I started doing this, my portion sizes have decreased simply because I have a better sense of what will satisfy me.

There was a whole lot of other work going on for me on this journey, but this is by the far the most important and effective thing I have done, and the one that has made it possible for me to stay with everything else.