Those 100-calorie prepackaged snack bags are a handy treat… unless you eat more than one packet. It may not seem so bad to eat three (“It’s only 300 calories!”), but for 300 calories, you could have a more fulfilling, nutritious meal.
Portion control is a problem at restaurants, as well. Over the years, plate size in U.S. restaurants has grown from about nine inches to 12 inches or more. So if we’re still cleaning our plates like we were told to do as kids, we’re consuming far more food than we used to… and it shows.
Avoid it: Don’t be fooled by plate size. Pay attention to when your stomach says you’re full. Also, have a snack before you leave your home or office. Consider sharing menu items with a dining partner or taking home the leftovers. (See related article: Three Steps to Identifying Portion Distortion)
5. Slow Down
When we’re hungry, we tend to shovel in food quickly and not pay attention to quantity or even flavor. The problem is that it usually takes 20 minutes for our stomach to register how much we’ve eaten. In that time span, you could continue to gorge yourself on food your body doesn’t need.
