5 Tricks To Keep Portions Under Control

Trick or Treat time is right around the corner.
Michelle Obama wanted me to tell you not to
let your kids get crazy with the candy this year.
And she's right.

I remember my Mom gave us a day and a half to eat
the candy we wanted. Then it went to the trash. At
the time I screamed child abuse. But, obvioulsy, I
thank her now.

These tricks are not portion guidelines. But moreso
tricks to sticking to the right portions. So, here
are 5 tricks, that you're not doing now,
to keep your portions under control.


1. Eat With Smaller Plates
Yes, it's really that simple. Eat your main meal
with a salad plate. Think about it... a lot of
restaurants, other than Golden Corral (it's always
humored me that they can get away with a name like
that) will have small portions on a normal plate.
They don't overload the plate and you can actually
see the white space.

Same goes with glasses. A serving size of juice is
4oz. That's very little than what most people are
use to. It's 4 or 5 sips. That beer mug you drink
OJ out of in the morning is enough for your entire
family.

2. Eat At The Table
Eating in front of the TV, while you're doing the
dishes, or any other activity can easily lead to
overeating. Eat at a table, sitting in a chair.

Case in point: A recent study in the American
Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that playing
solitaire while eating dampened participants'
memories of their lunch (and made them feel less
full), which, in turn, may have caused them to eat
125 calories more when they snacked later on.


3. Chew Your Food
We all eat on the go at some point during the day.
No one, and I mean no one, has ever told me they
sit down for every meal. Sadly the 50's are gone.
It doesn't exist in our society anymore. Since
we're in hurry, that also means we inhale our food
versus chewing it. Try to chew each bite 20 times.
Seriously, try it. It's a challenge.

Digestion starts in the mouth with the salivary
glands. They start digesting carbohydrates
immediately. Have you ever chewed on full sugar
bubble gum? It loses it's flavor and texture after
a few minutes doesn't it? That's because your
salivary glands are digesting the sugar.

Chewing also slows down your meal. It takes about
20 minutes for your brain to realize you're full.
If you inhale food fast enough you can continue
eat and eat and eat. If you slow down and chew
your chicken you'll give your hormones time to
alert the brain that you're full.

4. Turn Up The Lights
When you go out for a romantic dinner the lights
are low and the mood is intimate. Restaurants do
this for a reason. The same reason casinos don't
have clocks and easy exits. They want you to stay
longer and eat more. Studies have shown the
lighting in a room can affect one's appetite. Make
sure the lights are turned up and you keep dinner
to one hour.

5. Eat At UN-Healthy Restaurants
Yes, you read that right. According to research
done by Brian Wasinak, author of Mindless Eating,
"We found that when people go to restaurants
claiming to be healthy, such as Subway, they
choose additional side items containing up to 131%
more calories than when they go to restaurants
like McDonald’s that don't make this claim."

Wansink calls this the "halo effect". When you eat
at a healthy restaurant you don't feel as
indulgent were you to eat at say, McDonald's. This
caused customers to underestimate calories by 21%.
So don't feel so proud by eating at Subway.
Regardless of where you eat be mindful of what and
how much you're eating.


Implement these 5 tips today and you will lose
weight. I say that with confidence because these
aren't just 'drink diet soda' kind of tips. I bet
you're not doing the majority of these. And as I'm
sure you know, big doors swing on little hinges.

Best,

Tim

P.S. Last nights game was by far the best sporting
event I've ever been to! And I have a feeling the
Cards will steamroll the Rangers tonight. Let's go Cards!!!