Portion Control - Do You Really Have to Eat that Whole Plate of Food?

As a culture the portion sizes in restaurants especially have tripled in the last twenty years. While waiting tables one day the author brought a nacho plate to a couple that were visiting from Germany. They saw the heaping plate of tortilla chips, chili, and enough cheese to feed a small village and one of them stated "You Americans always feed people like they are giants". That statement was a shock because the plate looked like a normal size a person would expect at a restaurant, but in that lays the problem. Society has gotten used to seeing and eating large quantities of food, eating way past the comfort zone. How many readers remember a time at thanksgiving where breathing became an issue, and a button loosened up on the pants was the only relief? If that was the only time of year people partake in excessive eating there would be no obesity epidemic. The problem is people are used to finishing their plates. Where did this habit come from might surprise you.

In childhood you were constantly bombarded with statements such as: "There are starving people in Africa who would love that food", and "What a good child, he finished his food". Cleaning off your plate was rewarded, and leaving food was punished in some homes. This habit formed in your brain early on and even though you are a grown adult now, that unconscious habit is still pulsating every time you eat. Your unconscious is a goal seeking mechanism that will convince your mind and body to do the activities necessary to keep the goals in line.

So if you're unconscious is thinking it needs to clean the plate, then all the pain that comes with eating too much will be ignored while the goal is being achieved. Think back to all the times you ate too much food, do you remember having any thoughts about it at the time? The bet will be that you have overeaten many times and when you are done, your thoughts will then turn to why and how you did such a thing. Your eating habits are on auto-pilot which could be a great thing, but is very detrimental when the auto-pilot is set on destroy. An example of this is torpedoes. People think that you push a button and a torpedo fires off and hits its target, simple right? Wrong. The process is actually much more difficult, a computer is constantly shifting the torpedo in different directions to correct the errors that occur due to water pressure, debris and other factors. Your brain works the same way. Your unconscious is constantly shifting focus and changing directions in order to reach its end goal. Your job is to change the autopilot to work for you. Not against you.

First off, try these steps when eating next time. They will change your habits and start to reprogram your mind to stop making you eat more then you need.

1) When your food comes out, immediately ask your waiter/waitress for a to-go container. Put half the meal in the container, and look forward to a delicious dinner later with the leftovers. You just turned one meal into two, which is good for your stomach and your wallet.

2) At home, use smaller plates. There is no law that says you have to use the biggest plate every time. Fill up the salad plates instead and you will cut down dramatically on food.

3) Eat slower!! This society is very fast paced and it can be hard to sit down and eat sometimes, however it is important that you do just that. Always sit at a table and eat your meals. Make it a game to see how long you can stretch out the time it takes to eat. The signal that you are full takes about twenty minutes to reach your brain, so take at least that long to eat. You will soon realize that you did not need that extra helping you usually grab. A tip that might help you slow down is to always put your fork down in between bites.

4) Measure out food you are bringing to the T.V. People seem to zone out watching their shows and the shoveling of corn chips and pretzels goes pretty much unnoticed until they look down at their crumb covered gut and realize they finished the bag. Get a bowl, measure out a serving and do not fill the bowl up again.

5) Drink lots of water. Yes you hear this all the time, but are you doing it? Drinking water is by far the easiest thing you can do to get and remain healthy. In addition, another benefit is when you drink lots of water, at least 8-10 glasses a day, you remain hydrated and there are no dehydration pains that are sometimes confused for hunger pains. You will be surprised how water makes a difference in helping you control portions.

6) Fill up on the veggies. Vegetables should be your best friend when it comes to portion control, because it is that one thing that you could let loose on. Let's say you have an eight ounce steak and a large baked potato for dinner. That is more protein, and fat, and carbohydrates then one human should eat unless you are a bodybuilder looking to add on pounds of muscle. If you are looking to lean out, have a big salad first with lots of greens, cucumbers, peppers, etc. Make a dressing with olive oil, cider vinegar, and a splash of your favorite hot sauce. You might find yourself pushing the steak and potato aside until next time.

Eating is one of the joys in life and no one should be denied their favorite foods all the time, but we could enjoy them more in moderation. Eating does not have to be such a fast paced marathon of taste. Take your time, enjoy the meal, and allow your body the time to nourish itself. Over stuffing is making overstuffed humans who are having trouble living normal lives because they cleaned their plates every time. In fact remember the German couples who spoke of Americans as eating like Giants? They finished those nachos, so someone at home when they were children was conditioning them to finish their plates too. This proves how quick people can change, which is good, because that means we can change again, this time for the better. Stay Happy and Healthy!