Lose Weight the Healthy Way

Cut Back on Oversized Portions

The first two things to do when you want to lose weight are to eat fewer energy-dense, high calorie foods and to increase your physical activity. But if you have taken these steps and still have weight to lose, it is time to focus on portion size.

Large portions are a fact of life in the United States today. In restaurants, fast-food outlets and at home, many Americans consume far more calories than they really need. Enormous bagels, 32-ounce sodas, heaping dinner platters and “value meals” are contributing to our nation’s obesity problem.

There can be up to three or four standard servings, as defined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, in the portions we regularly eat. Use the Serving Size Finder to determine just how many standard servings are in the portions on your plate.

Are there three standard servings of potatoes in the portion you eat? If you are worried about your weight, you might be satisfied with just two.  

Slowly reduce the amount of food on your plate.  Do it gradually to avoid hunger.  You should find it easy to get used to smaller portions.