I'm eating fairly well, food choice wise, but I'm trying to eat LESS of it and I need help.

I know I'm fat because I eat too much. Doesn't matter what it is, I can't seem to stop myself once I start. This afternoon I did an experiment of sorts. Hubby was going to a local taco place and wanted to know what I wanted. Instead of saying nothing and then eating a ton of food in the fridge to compensate ( I love mexican food!), I told him I wanted just one taco. No "2 taco, rice and beans plate" like I usually get. I'm wondering if one taco was all I really needed to not be hungry. I ate the taco and you know what? It's almost dinner time and I'm just now starting to feel hungry! It's true after all, I don't need all that food!

Now that it's getting close to dinner time, I have leftover lasagna (yum!) in the fridge. How do I get myself to not over eat it? It's not like the taco. With the taco, it was just one. I couldn't over eat. But with the lasagna, it's so easy to eat the whole batch! In my head I know I don't NEED all that food, but how can I tell the other side of my brain (the side that LOVES food!) that it really is true?

And of course how do I do this long term? How do I tell myself that I don't need all that food, for every meal? Part of me knows I have so little control once I start, so I need to have a plan.

Is it possible to re-learn portion control? Am I ever going to eat only what my body needs or will I always have this uncontrollable urge to stuff myself silly, just because it tastes good, not because I am hungry?

The good news is that portion control can be learned and practiced consistently. One thing that I have learned over time is that I can fill my plate with huge portions of fruit and veg and then leave a small space for that single taco. If you start by filling up up most of the space with healthy items then your plate doesn't look so empty and your stomach feels much more full for a longer time.

I am like you. Once I start it is almost impossible to stop. I limit myself to one plate and no second helpings. If that first plate is packed full of things that are good for me I am not so tempted to over eat. So for something like pasta 3/4 of the plate should be salad and only 1/3 pasta. If I leave space on my plate it will all somehow get filled with what I should only be eating a small portion of.

I hear ya! I find that either Weight Watchers or plain old calorie counting helps me.... you can eat whatever foods you choose, but in order for your calories/points to be accurate, you need to follow the guidelines re: portion size. I was "winging it" last spring, lost a few (7) pounds, then stalled out for a prolonged time. I lost 5 more this fall when I started formally counting calories. And truthfully, it's not that I was eating foods that were so different, it was simply that my portion sizes were smaller. Plus, I could only make so many high-cal choices during the course of the day without getting to my limit, so I chose those foods with a lower frequency.

someone who did Intuitive Eating once told me to just stop eating after what most people would consider to be a reasonable portion (ya know a few handfuls of whatever) and that it will seem arbitrary at first but eventually you get the hang of it....

hope this helps! and thx for posting i needed some support today..i am not alone!!!

I find that alot of my problem is in my head just as you noted. It is good and I want to eat more and more as if I can never eat it again in my life. I trick my silly brain by taking something calorie dense, researching what a true portion size is, and then portioning it out into individual servings and freezing for future delight. Knowing I can have it again really helps me. Even though I do not like frozen diet meals like Lean Cuisine I use them to give me a visual of what a portion should be. Good luck.

Thanks for the kind words. I've been doing very well the last few days. I'm working on just not going overboard and not overeating by telling myself "I just don't need it".

I'm thinking ahead and making plans for those times I KNOW I have no self control so maybe this time I will. So far I've decided....

..I will not be around large quantities of food. This means I will not make huge dinners (which my family won't eat anyways. They hate my cooking) and only plan to eat things either already pre portioned out or plan meals that I can't possibly over eat (like a hot dog wrapped in a tortilla, instead of a big batch of spaghetti). If I'm in a position to overeat, I know I will overeat.

..If I'm forced to go out to eat (hubby loves to go out), I will not choose one of the large meals. I will choose from the a la carte side. I know this is all I need to eat and the places we go make their portions WAY too big. It's enough for 2 people! It's time I "just said NO!" and eat for 1!

Now the motiviation to just do it. I'm only concentrating on walking every night and the above 2 things. Eat less, move more. I'm going to just give this a try, for now.

"I think I can, I think I can"

Heidi

heidi-
love this! and i love your handle. that is hilarious

yes we can do it. we are not powerless here. sick of giving food so much power. you would think all i did was sit around and count calories. it feels like that sometimes.

yes i am saying no to:
keeping lots of food in my apt - i live in a city. in AMERICA. there is food everywhere. i am not depriving myself but keeping a sparse fridge. the world will not end.
eating food just b/c it is there --at work i can go to the store and buy something. i am never too busy to take a 10 minute break to go get an apple instead of eating a cookie. i love healthy food just as much as "junk"
eating b/c i am bored - if i'm not really hungry i will try to do something else
eating to fill a void - yes i am single and lonely and it sucks sh*t but eating a lot won't take the pain away
being so freaking scared of food - its just food. move on!

hugs to all. rock it in '08

I need to learn portion control too - someone once told me using a smaller plate tricks the brain into thinking you have a full plate when infact the plate is jsut smaller so it looks full easier and there are smaller portions on it. Not sure if it works but might be worth a shot.

Chopsticks!
Hey, it works for me
Seriously - and I can't claim I always practice what I preach here - there are a few things to remember. Eat slowly. Don't read or watch T.V whilst you are eating - concentrate on the food. If you're going to have a treat, have one that comes in a pre-packaged form (e.g mini choc bar)
And above all...
at the end of the day, whatever people say about this or that diet, it is simply a matter of calories in vs. calories out. You can safely eat a LOT of low-cal food without gaining real weight (you may gain water temporarily, but it will go). Soo...fill up on fruit, veg, water, lo-cal drinks and you'll have less room for calorie-dense foods. Happy new year!

I'm new to this site but I saw this thread and had to come on. I go thru times when I will eat small portions but then I go hide and eat more so that my husband won't see me. I have just in the last 2 months felt like I could eat from morning to night and never feel full. I use to eat like this when I was depressed, during my first horrible marriage, that is not the case now. I get so down because I overeat that it makes me want to eat more. I was down to 146lbs back in the summer and doing really well and I have no idea what happened. I'm glad to see so many people on here with similar problems maybe with some support I can get over it this time for good.

Ok. When I lost weight about 5 years ago I had the hardest time with portion control, so for the first month I used the frozen lean cuisine meals. This helped shrink my appetite and retrain my eyes as to what a portion should be!It does take a bit of getting used to and you will need to have some healthy snacks in between meals. Drinking fluids with meals and snacks also helps fill you up and rehydrate you. I told myself I could eat unlimited amounts of fruits and veggies for snacking and this somehow helped because I didn't feel like I couldn't eat when hungry! Keep a tub of washed chopped veg/fruit in the fridge and you're more likely to grab a handful than if you wait until your hungry to prepare it. Variety is a good thing! Boring selection leads us in search of cookies!!!!

You can take the portion you want and put the rest away. Out of sight, you would be surprised, out of mind. Sometimes I would put the unused portion in the freezer to keep me away from it.

It is possible to re learn portion control, I have. Something that helped me is the idea of "Calorie Restriction" and the idea that most scientific studies have shown that moderate calorie restriction is good for you. So I would pretend I was starting that, rather than depriving myself, and that head game worked a lot better.

there is a really cool book called "The Portion Plan" By Linda Gassenheimer (sp?) it hows how to portion food properly by using your hand. Like, the size of your palm is a piece of meat, your first two fingers (your first finger and your middle finger) together is the width of a portion of cake, its a great visual tool and it teaches you how to make your portion control portable! It helps me....

Well, I managed to portion out my food correctly yesterday and this morning. But I always do well when I first get fired up its seeing if I can mantain that frame of mind for long. The Lean Cuisine thing might be good for me to do at lunch, its quick, easy, and requires little planning. I finished my YOU:On A Diet book last night about 12:30 and thats what is really sticking with me right now is doing at least one meal a day that is automatic. As well as keeping the cut up veggies and fruits on hand for nibbling. Thanks for the tip!