Everyone knows that one of the biggest contributing factors to being overweight is overeating. The simplest way to combat that is to just eat less. Sounds simple. It is, if you cut back your portions. There is no reason to stop eating any one type of food (unless it’s junk food, and even then you can have some as an occasional treat), but rather controlling how much of each thing you eat.Â

Many of us don’t even know what an adequate portion size should be. Go to any high-chain restaurant and your plate will be piled high of food, sometimes you’ll be served up to five portions in one sitting! So just how do you watch your portion size and reduce your waistline?

Eat slower – you’ve heard it before I’m sure, but it’s so true, if you take time to eat your meals your brain will have adequate time to register you’ve had enough. Many of us are out of touch with our bodies and we keep eating until we feel so full we could burst. Try to make the mind and body connection by eating your food slowly and taking the time to enjoy each bite.

The Portion Plate – You don’t need to invest in any fancy plate to help you do this, it’s really easy to do anywhere. Mentally divide your plate in half, fill the first half with vegetables then divide the remaining half in half again. One quarter will consist of a portion of carbohydrates such as pasta, rice, and so on and the other quarter should consist of a protein such as chicken, fish, eggs or beans. That’s your new portion rule from now on, one-quarter protein, one-quarter carbohydrates and one half fresh salad or veggies.

While the suggested servings have changed a little bit over the years, it’s still pretty basic. We need more of the fiber, fruits and veggies than we do meat and fats. Generally we need about six servings of breads and cereals (high fiber/whole grain is best), three to five servings of vegetables and two to four servings of fruit. If you have some of each at each meal and snack, before you know it you have all you need. Then you spread out the two servings of meat and two servings of milk throughout the day, you don’t feel like you’re depriving yourself of the things you enjoy. Allow for a small sweet treat somewhere in the day as well, as long as you’ve had all your veggies first.

Keep the visual image of what your plate should look like anytime you are about to make a food choice. If you’re just having a chicken sandwich for example remember the chicken serving should ideally fit into that quarter of the plate, add two slices of bread and fill up the rest with fresh salad or veggies.

With a little common sense, and a bit of planning, it’s pretty easy to watch your daily portions. When we visualize how much food that really is, it becomes much easier to manage. By eating mostly healthy snacks, that helps keep things in balance and showing some results in your weight loss.

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