5 Diet Tips to Keep Your Food Portions Under Control

Do you remember as a child your mother would tell you to eat all of the food on your plate because there were starving children in (insert county name here)?  Well, as a kid I would listen to my mother and lick my plate clean.

As adults those words still affect us today and how we eat.

Here are five tips to help you keep your food portions under control and your diet in check so you can lose weight with the 17 Day Diet.

1. Use the size of your fist as a guide to portion sizes.

For instance, a grilled chicken breast the size of your fist is roughly 5-7 oz. This is a perfect portion. A small baked yam the size of your fist is the perfect portion. See, now isn’t that easy?

2. Eat Unlimited Cleanings Vegetables

Low-carb and low-starch vegetables are exempt from the “fist” rule, so eat as much raw vegetables and salad greens as you possibly can.

These types of foods contain so much nutrients, including filling fiber, that you must not limit your portions. Besides, filling up on the good “stuff” will keep you so full you won’t have the desire or the room for unhealthy food.

3. Use Small Salad Plates at Dinner Time

Eat your meals using small salad plates.  Because we’ve been programmed as children to eat everything on our plate, use a small plate and you’ll have perfect portion control!

4. Eat More Smaller Meals Per Day

Break your portions into 5 to 6 small meals a day. This will help keep your metabolism running at full speed, and you’ll eat smaller portions overall because you’ll be less hungry because you’ve been feeding the machine!

5. Be Mindful

The most important tip of all: be mindful of what you’re eating.  Be a conscious eater.

Don’t stuff your face while watching TV.  Sit down to a quiet, non-interrupted meal and really taste your food.

Be fully aware of the types of food you are feeding your body.  Remember, you are eating for energy not for comfort.