(should say "What are your tips FOR eating less")


I am sure we all have them.

Eating healthfully is good - but, eating too much of a good thing is not so good.

Do you have any tips or things you do that help you along the way:

A few I can think of:

-eating on a smaller plate (psychologically - it fills up my plate more )
- being willing to weigh and measure food
- portioning out things I cook for another meal (ie - brown rice in 1/3 cup portions are in the freezer)
- eat protein for breakfast
- sometimes chew gum while cutting up fruit, veggies and preparing meals
- check online or call restaurants for their menus before I go
- drink lots of water
- planning my food for the day - I don't always stay with that exact plan. But, having a plan keeps food choices from 'spinning around in my head'.

How about you? Have any tips to share? (You might even help a friend, too.)

Duct Tape on my mouth!!! No, really, I have a hard time with this one. The only thing that helps me is to keep a water bottle with me at ALL times. If I get hungry, or even think of having a snack, I take a drink of water. I've almost completely cut out the unhealthy snacking and cut back my portion sizes this way, too.

Gum is my best friend lol When I feel the urge to munch and I know I'm not hungry I pop in a stick of gum and chew.

I guess the main thing that keeps me on plan is knowing I don't have to be hungry. I could never stay on a plan that required me to go around feeling hungry. If I make sure I eat regularly, including snacks, plenty of protein ad fiber-rich foods, then I never have to find mysef so starving that I feel like eating everything in sight. For me, it's psychologically very comforting to know that If I am hungry, I can eat something. Of course, the trick is distinguishing between real hunger, and just wanting to snack out of boredom or whatever. That's something I continue to work on.

I don't weigh, measure, or count calories, but learning portions has been important. And I agree with BeverlyJoy, having a plan is so important. If I take just a few minutes in the morning to think about what I'm going to eat, I can go on autopilot the rest of the day.

I second the idea of protein-rich and fiber-rich foods. When I eat a solid protein at every meal, filled out with whole grains and veggies, I'm much less tempted by snacks, desserts, and such. Unless I eat a cheese-rich meal, or lots of beef (both of which are fairly high in fat and calories), I sometimes find myself falling a couple hundred under my 2000 calorie "ceiling" for the day without thinking about it.

- Including vegetables and/or fruit with every meal. They help fill me up with fewer calories.

- Being mindful of when I'm eating. (This one can always use some work... but when I do it certainly helps me feel satisfied.)

I second the vegetable thing. My appetite is perverse though, like perversely big.

I don't necessarily eat less, but make sure to fill up on plain veggies to my heart's content. I easily eat 4-6 servings of steamed vegetables with dinner. Never any butter or oils, just soy sauce if I'm feeling saucy.

I also include lean protein with every meal. Protein seems to keep me full longer. For snacks I turn to more veggies or protein shakes.

Good thread. Here's what I do that keeps me from eating more every day:

- Eat lots of protein, especially for breakfast. I've found that if I keep protein levels up, then I don't eat as much other stuff.

- Use a salad plate for my meals, and not a dinner plate. You put much less food on a salad plate and it looks like more, so there's a bit of a psychological boost there.

- Weighing and measuring everything that goes in my mouth as best I can. I was really surprised how different portion sizes are for real until I got my digital scale and started weighing everything. Now I'm much better about being able to judge a real portion size.

- Drinking water. I fill a 1/2 gallon jug from the cooler and put it on my desk every morning. I use it to fill my glass throughout the day and my goal is to have finished the whole jug before I leave the office at night. On days I don't fill the jug first thing, I wind up eating more and drinking less.

- Take a multi vitamin in the morning with my breakfast. For some reason I'm less hungry if I've taken my vitamin. It might be psychological, or there might be something really there, but whatever it is, it works for me.

- Exercise. I eat less in the evenings on days I've gone to the gym. Part of it is on the days I go to the gym, I come home and have a protein shake which really fills me up before dinner. I have to do it, though, or I'm ravenous after a good workout. The other part is that on days I work out I feel *motivated* to eat healthily (and eat less) because I don't want to "waste" all the time and effort I've just put in. So there's a psychological kick to getting up and moving.

- PLANNING. Honest to goodness this is the thing that works the very best for me. I plan my meals and snacks every Sunday evening. I do whatever cooking I need to do on Sunday. I pack as much of a full week's worth of lunch and breakfast on Sunday, and then just add the perishable stuff the night before. Doesn't mean I always stick to it - for example, today I'm going to lunch with someone from the office across the hall - but if I have a plan, it helps me from impulse eating.

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Ohhhh, good stuff Photo. I do that all as well. I was just thinking of the actual food I eat. We're diet twins or something.

Weighing and logging every single bite is a must. I too use fun little plates I borrow from my son. The vitamins always kill my appetite, as a matter of fact they make me downright nauseous! Exercise in the evening as well, I NEVER have the urge to evening overeat after a kicka** workout. Planning, yes, I usually eat the same stuff so that's becoming less of a hassle.

Eating breakfast with several different items. (Greek yogurt, fruit, some nuts or leftover meat or something.) Keeps me full and makes lunch less dangerous.

Eating slowly and "mindfully". It really does seem to take 20-30 minutes for my stomach to catch up to my mouth!

Making some decisions before I eat out. (Whether I will have bread, how much is allowed, if this is a "dessert occasion" or not.

One trip to any buffet table, anything I want on that trip, but no seconds.

Not missing meals so that my body doesn't get into a ravenous out of control mode.

Minimizing sugar.

Hot sweetened tea after meals...feels like dessert, gives me something to "nibble" on while others are eating their ice cream.

Making sure my calories/daily intake doesn't go too low!