Portion size?

I want to emphasize the importance of portion control because this is what caused me to gain so much weight. I have always eaten healthy foods, I watched what I ate, but I ate LARGE portions. As I ate healthy, I didn't feel guilty eating. I therefore had portions that could perhaps be enough for 2 or even 3 people. No matter how healthy you eat, if you eat large portions, then its hard for you to lose any weight.

A good idea is to change the size of the serving dish in which you eat. A documentary on TV revealed a research they did on the effect of the serving dish size on our appetite. They had children eat a certain amount of cereal in a very large bowl that made the amount of food look very little. The children would almost certainly have a second bowl of cereal. The same set of children were later given the same amount of cereal in a much smaller bowl. The cereal was filled to the top. Children in this case didn't ask for seconds and were reportedly "full."

What does this tell us? There may be some psychological effect on our perception of "full" depending upon the size of the serving dish we eat from. Therefore, eating from a small bowl or plate will give you the perception that you are "full" faster. Also, I read somewhere that we don't associate the color "blue" with food as it is unnatural, so if you ate from a small "blue" plate, you might end up eating very little! (I've never tried the "blue," but I now use smaller plates and bowls and it helps.) Eat healthy and make sure your portion sizes aren't too big :D