How to Eat Less Food

Eliminating just 100 calories a day can make a difference in your health. Here are ways you can change your eating habits to eat less food.

1. Leave one bite on your plate or one chip in the bag. Slowly progress to leaving more bites until you are eating 25 percent less food than before.
2. Eat snacks out of a small bowl instead of out of the bag, and eat them one piece at a time instead of by the handful.
3. Decide before you begin eating how much you will eat. When you eat out, divide the plate into two portions and have one portion boxed right away; use visual cues, such as grill marks, to know when to stop eating; or ruin the rest of the food by adding tons of salt or Tabasco sauce. At home, serve everyone’s portions (from the kitchen, not the table) and then put away the rest of the food.
4. Eat when you are hungry, even if you are going out to eat in an hour. Bring a snack with you wherever you go. Ignoring hunger causes you to overeat later. Stop eating once you reach your “happy medium.” You should not feel stuffed, uncomfortable, or in pain. Eating slowly and taking breaks between servings/courses will help you get a better sense of when you are full.
5. Our bodies sometimes confuse thirst for hunger, so drink a glass of water when you feel hungry. If you still feel hungry, then eat.
6. Drink water before meals to fill you up a little. Other options include eating soup or snacking on fruits and veggies high in water.
7. Eat at the table, not in front of the TV or while reading. If you must have a distraction, choose one that causes you to pause while eating, such as doing a crossword puzzle or writing an email.
8. Serve food with smaller utensils on smaller dishes. Your eyes will see a full plate and think you are eating more than you really are. Also, eat with smaller utensils (my favorite is eating ice cream with the sample spoon--makes it last longer!).
9. If you always like to eat seconds, serve a half portion the first time. After having seconds, you will have only eaten the amount of food in one normal serving.
10. At buffets and potlucks, take small portions to try things first. If you don’t like it, throw it away—it’s only a little bit. If you do like it, you can get more.