Easy Ways to Reduce Your Portions: Cut Calorie Intake and Lose Weight

Many industrialized counties have experienced an increase in obesity; however the rates in America are the highest worldwide.

Economic costs attributed to the obesity epidemic in the United States have been estimated at $100 billion since 1995, with approximately $52 billion directly due to medical costs.  Researchers from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and RTI International estimated in 2003, obesity related medical expenditures topped $75 billion.

The nation is in real trouble and more recent estimates have concluded that one in three people in the country are overweight, while one in six people are morbidly obese.  Poor diet, a sedentary lifestyle and other bad choices can be directly attributed to the rise in obesity and obesity-related deaths. 
 

Why Reduce Portions?

How much we eat, is just as important as what we eat when on a quest to reduce food portions and lose weight.  There are some very easy ways a person can reduce portion size and experience weight loss, which include the following:

Stick closely to the recommended serving sizes of favorite foods.

An example would be a serving of meat should be equal in size to a deck of playing cards, a serving of pasta should be no bigger than a tennis ball and a potato should be no bigger than a computer mouse. 

Keep food out of sight.

People who have struggles with food oftentimes cannot resist the urge to snack.  Keeping food out of sight and not purchasing unhealthy foods is the key to avoiding the high calorie snack binges that can sabotage someone on a diet. 

Downsizing dishes.

People with eating problems tend to use larger or super-sized dishes and have no clue what normal eating portions are like.  To encourage someone to stick within normal portions, use a smaller plate, bowl and spoon.  It is easier to resist the temptation to fill the plate if the plate is not large enough to accommodate a heaping mound of food.  Buy items in smaller packages, purchase single serve items and if possible eat pre-portioned meals whenever possible.

Control food portions when not dining at home.

Practice portion control and moderation when dining out or eating away from home.  At a restaurant, ask for the entrée size in lieu of a full sized main meal, or have the server wrap up half the meal in a take-home bag prior to bringing it to the table.  Eat only until full and leave the rest of the food.  If leaving food behind is a problem, try dousing it with hot sauce, salt or pepper to render it inedible.

Limit alcohol consumption.

The average glass of wine or bottle of beer contains more than 100 calories, try substituting white wine or light beer and keeping consumption at a minimum, a person can save countless calories.

Avoid eating in a rush and do not feel obligated to “clean your plate,” when struggling to reduce portion sizes in an effort to lose weight.  Because our country is used to “super-sizing,” everything we purchase at a grocery store or restaurant is in larger quantities, as a result, we as a society are unknowingly driven to eat more. 

Why Is America Obese?

Currently, obesity results in approximately 400,000 deaths each year in the United States.  Childhood obesity is growing at an alarming rate with more than 15% of the county’s youth under the age of 18 being classified as overweight.  Obesity is not only all-encompassing; it impacts lifestyle, self-esteem, social situations, health and quality of life.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, the term overweight refers to a person who is at least 10% over the recommended weight for their height.  Weight standards are generated according to a sample of the U.S. population’s body mass index (BMI), which assesses weight in relation to height.  Anyone with a BMI of 25 or higher is classified as overweight, while the term “obese” refers to someone who has a BMI of 30 or greater.

Obesity is caused when a person consumes more calories than the body can burn or use.  It is most common in people who eat a high-calorie diet filled with fatty, processed foods and refined sugars and those who do not get sufficient exercise.  Obesity can also be linked to genetics and hereditary factors, environmental causes, psychological factors, physical causes and medications.

Servings per Day to Maintain a Healthy Weight and Servings per Day to Lose Weight

According to the Food and Drug Administration, a woman of average weight and height should have a daily calorie intake between 1,200-1,500 calories any less than 1,500 calories will result in the metabolism slowing down.  The normal daily caloric requirement for a man of normal weight and height should be approximately 2,000-2,700 calories.

The daily calorie count a person should adhere to differs from person to person according to gender, frame size, metabolic rate, height and current body weight.  If a person is trying to lose weight, the goal should be to consume 500 fewer calories per day than the average daily caloric requirement.  A person should never drop below 1,200 calories per day unless on a medically supervised diet plan or under the advice of a medical professional.

If daily intake falls below 1,000 calories, the human body goes into starvation mode which will result in loss of muscle tissue, sluggish metabolism, nutritional deficiencies, fatigue and irritability.  A human body in starvation mode will also make a person experience what is known as the “yo-yo effect,” the body experiences rapid weight gain and loss and health can be adversely affected.

Tips to Reduce Portions

• Eat foods with a low glycemic index:  foods with a high glycemic index rating cause a sudden rise in blood sugar levels and trigger the need to eat more food.  By eating foods with a lower glycemic index rating, a person causes blood sugar levels to slowly increase and keeps the every level stable and stops the trigger that makes a person feel ravenous hunger.
• Eat slowly:  research has shown a person who takes time eating will eat less because the brain has time to catch up to the hunger signal and realize the stomach is full.  Watching a movie, counting the number of times food is chewed, engaging in conversation or reading a book are all good ways of slowing down the likelihood of overeating.
• Eat a number of smaller meals, instead of three bigger ones:  a larger meal raises blood sugar more quickly, once energy has bottomed out, the brain signals the body by hunger to eat more food to replenish energy supplies. Eating smaller meals during the day decreases the chances of binge eating or overeating during meals.
• Increase dietary fiber: fiber makes a body feel full and suppresses the appetite, which allows a person to eat smaller amounts and feel satisfied with less food.
• Choose foods with lower calories by volume: studies have shown people are drawn to food based upon how large the portion appears.  If we eat large volumes of food, we tend to eat less during the next meal.  Eating foods with low energy density directly reduces appetite and makes the person consume less food.
• Reduce the variety of flavors in a meal:  some research has found that certain appetite inducing hormones are activated when we consume foods with too many different flavors.  Cut back on side dishes and cook larger portions of just one dish in lieu of smaller portions of wide variety.
• Do not skip meals or starve yourself:  starving is one of the fastest ways to sabotage any diet.  Starvation creates a feeling of deprivation and people will try to eat more to make up for the food they are not getting.  Eating a small number of meals per day is one way to avoid starving and keeps energy levels consistent throughout the day, which directly results in a person consuming less food.
• Exercise regularly and eat immediately after a workout session:  exercising stimulates the release of a certain appetite-suppressing hormone and reduces feelings of being hungry. 
• Choose a smaller serving dish:  a person can only fit so much food onto a smaller serving plate.  A larger dish holds more food and a person is more likely to overeat out of a need to “clean their plate.” Smaller dishes mean smaller portions and a person may realize they are fuller sooner.
• Drink a glass of water before each meal:  water has no calories and acts a means of filling the stomach, a fuller stomach means a person will eat less at a meal.  Drinking a glass of water before a meal is a good idea for people who are trying to control their appetite in order to promote weight loss.
• Drink a large amount of soup or broth before a meal:  vegetable or chicken broths are tasty and easy to make.  For a person seeking to eat less, drinking enough broth to almost begin filling up is a great way to reduce the amount of food eaten.
• Remove tempting foods from sight:  many times a person can more easily resist food if they do not have to look at it.  If a person finds certain foods tempting, it is best to put it out of sight or avoid purchasing the items altogether.
• Serve meals from the kitchen:  do not bring the entire meal to the table when serving.  Every time a person wants an additional serving, he or she must walk back into the kitchen and for some people if the food is out of sight it is less tempting.
• Maintain a good mood:  research has shown a direct link between people overeating out of emotion, depression or boredom.  Exercising and other enjoyable activities stimulate the release of serotonin and other “feel-good” endorphins which can result in appetite suppression.
• Get sufficient sleep:  people who do not get enough sleep experience reduced leptin levels and an elevation of ghrelin.  Leptin is a hormone which suppresses appetite and ghrelin when elevated, stimulates the appetite.  Not getting enough sleep can cause a stimulated appetite and increase body weight.

How to Eat Smaller Portions

Eating slowly is one of the best pieces of advice any dieter can adopt when trying to lose weight.  Eating until feeling comfortable and allowing 20 minutes to pass can save a person an average of 40% of calorie intake at each meal, which for some people can result in substantial weight loss over time.

Another way to train oneself to eat smaller portions is through keeping a food diary and counting calories.  When keeping track of what one eats on paper, a person can realize unhealthy eating habits and tally up caloric intake on a daily or weekly basis.  It takes burning approximately 3,500 calories to lose one pound, having calorie totals to refer to can make a person more conscientious of not only how they are eating, but also what they are eating.

Overview

With the rise of obesity-related hypertension, diabetes, certain cancers and other health conditions it is very important for people to monitor their weight, exercise and eat right.  The benefits of losing and maintaining a healthy weight include reduced risk of heart disease, stroke, angina, diabetes and sudden death.  Reducing weight by as little as 10-15% can significantly reduce some of the most common obesity-related health conditions; improve circulation, heart function, breathing ability; reduce blood cholesterol and improve triglyceride levels.

Weight loss and a healthy diet improve overall health and well-being, both of which are important for having a better quality of life.  With the information provided in this article, a person can learn healthier eating habits that will last a lifetime and empower themselves about the dangers and risks of obesity.