Big Plate? No, A Little Plate, and Then She Ate!

I believe if we can master portion control, I think we can master just about anything else as we choose to keep our physical temples fit. Here are 7 Portion Control Secrets by Jennifer R. Scott of about.com

1. Meet yourself halfway - You can cut the calories of your favorite foods by 50% without changing about them - just eat half.

2. Downsize your dinner. When eating out, don't be afraid to ask for the lunch entree at dinner time, or ask to order from the children's menu.

3. Resist the upsize offer. Fast food portions are already oversized, so there is no need to add insult to injury by upgrading your meal.

4. Good portions come in small packages. If you find your will-power is overpowered by a full bag of potato chips, don't buy the large bags. Get the individual lunch sized bags one at a time.

5. Size up servings. Just how many of those chips are in one serving. Check the nutrition label to find out - you may be surprised at how small an actual serving looks compared to what you usually eat.

6. Be gone buffets! It is nearly impossible to practice portion control in an all-you-can-eat situation.

7. Compare to control. A really nifty way of learning to control portions is to mentally compare them with common every day objects that you are used to seeing, i.e one cup of cereal is the size of a baseball, one ounce of nuts is the cupped size of your palm, 3 ounces of hamburger is like the lid of a jar of mayonaise, 3 ounces of poultry is like a deck of playing cards, 1/2 cup of cooked pasta is like a golf ball, etc.

So, it's no secret any more! Enjoy!