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Tips

Control how much you eat

Strategies to help control the amount of food you eat are included in Mayo Clinic: Healthy Weight for Everybody (Mayo Clinic, 2005, $22.95 paperback).

Here are the suggestions:

EAT SLOWLY Quick eating creates a time lag between when you stop eating and when your brain registers that you're full. That makes it easy to overeat before you feel the consequences.

SEE WHAT YOU EAT. Eating directly from a container gives you no sense of portion size. Seeing food on a plate or in a bowl keeps you aware of how much you're eating.

TRY TO EAT THREE MEALS AT REGULAR TIMES. Skipping a meal can cause extreme hunger, which can lead to indiscriminate snacking.

FOCUS ON YOUR FOOD. Avoid distractions. Meals eaten with the television on or while you're reading can lead to mindless eating.

SERVE SMALLER PORTIONS. At the beginning of a meal, take slightly less than what you think you'll eat. DON'T FEEL OBLIGATED TO CLEAN YOUR PLATE. Stop eating as soon as your stomach feels full. Those extra bites add unneeded calories.

KEEP SNACKING UNDER CONTROL. Eating high-calorie, high-fat snacks often affects your enjoyment of regular meals.

SHARE A MEAL. Many restaurant portions are generous enough for you and a dining companion to divide a single entree from the menu between two of you, and satisfy both your appetites.

ASK FOR A CARRYOUT BAG. Make it a habit at restaurants to ask that a portion of your meal be boxed.

[Last modified September 13, 2005, 09:02:05]