1. Measure accurately. For foods and beverages, use a measuring cup, tablespoon, teaspoon, or food scale.
2. Learn how to estimate serving sizes. For example, three ounces of cooked meat, fish, or poultry is about the size of the palm of your hand or a deck of cards. ½ cup is the size of an ice cream scoop, 1 cup is the size of a tennis ball, 1 ounce of cheese is the size of a domino
3. Use portion control dishware. Pick out smaller plates, bowls, cups, and glassware in your kitchen and measure what they hold. You might find that a bowl you thought held 8 ounces of soup actually holds 16, meaning you’ve been eating twice what you thought.
4. Dish out your servings separately. Serve food from the stove onto plates rather than family-style at the table, which encourages seconds.
5. Make your own single-serving packs. Portion out bulk quantities of favorite foods such as pasta, rice, and cereal into individual zipper bags.
6. Add the milk before the coffee. When possible, put your milk or creamer into the cup before adding the hot beverage to better gauge the amount used.
7. Measure oil carefully. This is especially important because oil (even the healthful kinds like olive and safflower) have many calories; don’t pour it directly into your cooking pan or over food.
8. Control portions when eating out. Eat half or share the meal with a friend. Ask for a take home container when you get your meal. Portion out 1/2 and bring the rest home. If eating a salad, ask for dressing on the side. Dip your fork into the dressing and then into the salad.
9. Add vegetables. Eat a cup of low-calorie vegetable soup prior to eating a meal, or add vegetables to casseroles and sandwiches to add volume without a lot of calories. Add salsa for added flavor & vegetables but not many calories.
10. Listen to your hunger cues. Eat when hungry and stop when satisfied . Try to gauge when you are 80 percent full and stop there.
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