Portion control is not a personal strength. I am definitely someone who can sit down in front of the TV with a jumbo bag of chips and end up inadvertently eating the whole thing by the end of my show. The worst part about that event is not that I’ve probably blown a day’s worth of calories and fat in one sitting, but that I don’t really remember what I ate and might still feel hungry!
To help prevent this kind of caloric catastrophe, I’ve learned a few tricks in enforcing portion control and holding myself more accountable to what I consume. Keep reading to learn more about these portion control tips.
1. Drink water with your food. Water is a calorie-free way to fill your stomach temporarily. Drinking a glass or two with your meal or snack can help you reach that “full” feeling with less food. In addition, your body sometimes misinterprets thirst as hunger, and drinking water helps dissipate that feeling, where food would not.
2. Give your body time to acknowledge your food. I’m not advocating chewing the mysterious “28 times” before swallowing. However, eating more slowly does allow your body to register the food that you’re ingesting. Take time to savor your food, and not only will your meal be a more enriching experience, but you’ll end up eating less because you’ll start to feel full before getting ahead of your stomach.
3. Be conscious of your consumption. One of the dangers of eating while watching TV or a movie is that you are less aware of your eating. It’s amazing how powerful of an effect that awareness (or lack thereof) has on sating your hunger. When possible, try to separate your food from an activity where you would be too distracted from your eating. Conversations at the dinner table are not an issue, but a good action flick, a bag of chips, and a cozy couch is a recipe for trouble.
4. Avoid eating out of the container. Speaking of that bag of chips, one of the best tips for portion control is to actually separate out your portion! Eating straight from boxes and bags with multiple servings can lead to overeating, no matter how undistracted you may be. (“I’ll just have one more cookie…”) Dishing out your portion and then putting away the container makes you much more aware of your actions, should you choose to eat more.
What other ways have you found to prevent yourself from overeating? Feel free to leave a comment and share!