Tips for cutting portion size?

If you have 2 bowls of pasta, why not try 1 pasta bowl & one salad bowl. Might still give you that 'full' feeling with less calories and more nutritious. Pizza the same, try eating with salad, however I do agree it's hard not to eat a full one!

The weighing/logging/slowly decreasing/filling up on veggies are all good tips. I used to always go back for seconds, but I now leave the table, clean the kitchen, and tell myself I'll get more later if I'm still hungry. (I have only rarely gone back and gotten more.)

I will tell you that I notice that when I eat pasta, I want to keep eating pasta and everything else that night. I've had to cut way down--once or twice a month. You may not have this issue, but it's a trouble spot for me.

For me, what worked was a combination of tracking and modifying my food choices.

When I started tracking what I was actually eating, it gave me a better understanding of what I was eating, and that led me to looking into what might be better choices. I am not on a low carb diet, but I now tend to lean more towards meat and veggies than sugars and breads because it's a better bang for my buck hunger-wise - I tend to feel fuller on meat and veggies than on carbs.

Drinking water also helps. And I have to second the person who mentioned habits. I can sympathize with the feeling of having to order a lot of food and feeling hungry for it. But as I started eating differently, I realized that it was more of a habit than necessity, and cutting what I order (and eating at home more often) has helped curb this tendency.

Eat slower. Put your knife and fork down after EVERY bite. Chew thoroughly then when you've swallowed, pick up your knife and fork. Don't be distracted when you eat, properly think about the food you are eating so you're not mindlessly devouring food.

Have a full glass of water before you eat anything.

Tl;dr: Increase protein and veggies, and savor food rather than wolfing it down.

The long version:

I had this same problem all throughout college. It took awhile to realize that while I typically ate healthy foods, my actual habits of *eating* were not healthful. Here's all the things I found that helped me break those bad habits:

- Eat as much protein and veggies as you can. Protein keeps you satiated longer, and veggies help you feel "fuller" without overdoing it on calories.

- Dish out your plate or bowl and physically leave the kitchen to eat elsewhere. There's psychology to being satisfied with eating as much as you have in front of you, and if you have the proper portion and not more on your plate it will help.
-
- Eat slowly and "check in" with your tummy occasionally to give your body time to realize it's being fed and turn off ravenous hunger signals. (I.e. savor your food and don't mindlessly eat.) It can take up to 20 minutes for your stomach to tell your brain it's full - so if you finish your plate, read another chapter/finish the episode you're watching/whatever else before going back for more. 90% of the time if I give myself 15 minutes to let everything settle, I realize I'm not actually hungry for seconds.
- -The same applies for eating in-between meals, in my book: if you finish dinner and are getting a little hungry again later, there's nothing wrong with a pre-bedtime snack; just eat mindfully and slowly so that you don't overdo it before realizing that you're full.

- One of the biggest things for me was re-adjusting my mindset of what "full" meant. This actually happened because I had late evening practices for my sports team. If I ate until I was "full," meaning "STUFFED," then sprinting up and down the field was absolutely *dreadful* because I had a giant food-baby. So I started paying attention to when I felt "full" meaning "SATIATED" - and I stopped eating when I was no longer hungry, rather than when I was actually "FULL" full. (If you know what I mean ). Now I feel "full" when I am no longer hungry, vs still feeling hungry if I am not completely stuffed and having to unbutton my jeans.

marinabreeze wrote: »

For me, what worked was a combination of tracking and modifying my food choices.

When I started tracking what I was actually eating, it gave me a better understanding of what I was eating, and that led me to looking into what might be better choices. I am not on a low carb diet, but I now tend to lean more towards meat and veggies than sugars and breads because it's a better bang for my buck hunger-wise - I tend to feel fuller on meat and veggies than on carbs.

Drinking water also helps. And I have to second the person who mentioned habits. I can sympathize with the feeling of having to order a lot of food and feeling hungry for it. But as I started eating differently, I realized that it was more of a habit than necessity, and cutting what I order (and eating at home more often) has helped curb this tendency.

A lot of this describes my own experience too. Tracking every bite is what helped me learn how to eat the right amount of calories.

I can also relate to the person who replied first, saying a lot of it may be habit. That's an easier thing to "fix" but takes a bit longer.

In the past I had a lot of recipes/meals I'd been making a certain way for YEARS. For example, when I made quesadillas I always used the entire package of 10...for two people. I typically ate 4 and my ex husband had 6. That was just normal for me. I used a whole slice of Sargento pepper jack per every 2 tortillas, plus a bunch of shredded cheddar. They were good, no doubt, and I still eat those...but now I skip the pepper jack slice, and just have 2 tortillas, and stuff them with way more black beans, sautéed bell pepper, and onion. It fills me up, and is awesome. But at first, when tracking and realizing "holy cow that is a ton of cals from tortillas alone" it was a bit sad to me to have just 4 wedges of quesadilla when I was used to 8. So I get that, OP.

grandlinegirl wrote: »

Hi everyone,

I'm giving this weight loss thing another try. I lost 40lbs last time and then got injured and went back to my old ways. The injury still bothers me, but I've joined a gym with a pool and I'm super excited!

My biggest problem is portion sizes. I eat A LOT. For example, if we get pizza, I'll eat 7-8 slices easily. If we have pasta (my biggest weakness) I'll have 2 heaping bowls. Even with a chicken meal, I'll have 2 chicken breasts...

How do I start cutting back? I've tried before, using proper portion sizes, but that left me super hungry and I ended up snacking to fill myself up. I've tried eating 3 regular meals with a small snack in between but it doesn't work. I'm always hungry

If you guys could give me tips, I'd really appreciate it. Thanks!

I always drink TONS of water! I drink about a gallon a day. Sometimes when your body is signalling you that you're hungry, you're actually thirsty and just can't tell the difference.

As for what to eat - well try to eat a lot of protein, which helps fill you up

I eat 5 small meals a day!

Herbalife breakfast shake
Snack - high protein
Herbalife lunch shake
Snack - high protein
Colorful dinner (1/2 veggies, 1/4 protein, 1/4 carb)

Pre-log your diary. Weigh and measure your portions and stick to it.

Log everything. Try logging things before you eat so you can see how much you can fit in your day. Make or order less high calorie food and more low calorie foods. Have a big salad with your pizza and just eat 1-2 pieces instead of 7-8.
Use a smaller plate.
Eat slower.
Drink water or unsweetened drinks most of the time. Save your calories for food.
Wait 20 minutes or so to see if you are really hungry before getting another portion. Drink some water while you are waiting.
Exercise more if you eat more.

Are you getting a lot of veggies? LOAD UP on non-starchy veggies. Measure out a portion of pasta, fill in with veggies, and choose red sauce over cream sauces. Quantity vs quality works well when you're trying to fill up. With pizza - make it at home, thin crust, you control the ingredients and have a salad with it. Good luck!