Lose weight with easy portion control. Serving size tips.

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March 1, 2011

Years ago, we went to South America on vacation.  

There were so many amazing things I remember about Brazil and South America, such as seeing Rio DeJaniero, the Corcovado, Sugar Loaf Mountain, the Amazon River, hiking the ruins at Machu Pichu.

Another thing that I remember all too well, is when we went out to dinner one night to a famous steak restaurant. We ordered and all shared a bottle of their best wine. We were all laughing and visiting when the food arrived. I was shocked. Placed in front of me was...

:60 Video Tip: Portion control made easy.

Placed in front of me was the largest steak I'd ever seen, it was literally hanging 2" over an already extra large dinner plate.

All side dishes: veggies, potatoes, etc. were on side plates, since the steak filled the entire plate and then some. It was seriously enough to feed a family of 6. 

To say the least, I was so turned off by seeing too much food. I lost my appetite This made me think of the fact that most restaurants serve much more than a single portion - of everything!

I always have my family put single servings of snacks into bowls. Never eat out of the bag.

I ALWAYS serve meals on salad or dessert plates. My feeling is that if you have less on your plate, you will enjoy and savor it more instead of eating fast. You can always get more, why not eat slowly?

If it's too much to remember, just use smaller plates, you'll naturally serve smaller portions!

I am a very visual person. Here are some easy tips to envision when you serve food.

Single serving of ice, ice cream, frozen yogurt, berries is appx. the size of a light bulb.

A single serving of protein is about the size of a deck of cards. (The steak I had in Brazil was the size of 8 decks of cards!)

A serving of veggies, the size of a baseball.

Like pancakes or waffles? Well a CD or DVD is a single serving. Think about how many they serve you (and how big) at your local pancake house!

Golf ball: serving of nuts. psst, i love the pre packaged trail mix and nuts at Trader Joes. Makes it so much easier.

Tips:

Eat slowly, put the fork down in between bits, chew and swallow. You will find that by monitoring how much you eat, you won't leave the table feeling stuffed, but just right. Plus, you won't be eating so many calories.

Studies show that it takes appx. 20 minutes for your stomach to tell your brain that you're full.

As soon as the food comes for my kids, I will put 1/2 in a "to go" container. They never finish their food and this way, it stays fresh and it doesn't end up with ketchup all over it.

Share: I always share an entree when we go out. Better yet, I'll order a few appetizers instead of an entree. It's much more fun because you get to try different foods instead of having just 1.

Lettuce be healthy. I always fill 2/3 of my plate with salad or veggies.

I will eat the healthiest part of the meal first.

I don't keep any junk food in the house, if I am not tempted, I don't eat it.