How to pare portions for weight loss

One reason for the many calories in food is that these days, potions are huge. Studies find that hamburgers and fries (two notorious examples) are generally offered in serving sizes two to five times larger than the appropriate meal size.

• Researchers find we usually clean our plates no matter how high they're piled, even if we already feel satisfied.
• These portions are one likely reason North Americans continue getting fatter even as the percentage of our total calories from fat has gone down in recent years. But portions are simple to control because it's easier to count cookies than calories.
• To begin with, eat out less: Restaurant portions are larger than most people serve at home, and you're more likely to eat fatty food when eating out.
• Also check food labels when shopping for home: Packages list the calories in specific portion sizes — which may be smaller than you think. Here's a few more tips.

• Use familiar objects to picture how much you should eat of a food before you pick up your fork or spoon.
• For example, a 125 millilitre (half-cup) of low-fat granola is about the size of your fist.
• The same amount of low-fat vanilla ice cream equals half an orange, size-wise. And a serving of meat, chicken or fish should be the size of a deck of cards.

The perfect plate has a starch in one quarter, a protein in another and vegetables in the remaining half.

Sounds ridiculous, but it works. Obviously, you can't put as much food on a salad plate. But you're also just not inclined to eat as quickly if your plate will be empty in 45 seconds.

• If you put the extra chicken or mashed potatoes on the table, all you have to do is reach over to get to them.
• If they are back in the kitchen, or already put away, you'll be less inclined to keep gobbling food.

• Raw cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers and celery have few calories and lots of nutrients.
• A plate in the middle of the table almost always gets eaten up, cutting down appetite for the more calorie-dense meat or starch courses.

• Studies show that a bowl of soup at the start of the meal reduces overall meal consumption.
• Consommés and brothy vegetable soups are best, since they are lowest in calories and highest in nutrients.

• After every bite, put your fork down. Don't pick it up until you have thoroughly chewed and swallowed. The goal is both to slow down your eating and to eat less.
• Remember: Your body digests for 20 minutes before sending signals to your brain that you are no longer hungry.

• Forget the idea that you'll eat less if you quit noshing between meals — the opposite is true.
• While you don't want to overeat, occasional snacking on low-calorie foods helps you feel satisfied and less prone to overdoing it when you finally sit down to a meal.
• Feeding small amounts of food into your system also keeps your energy up throughout the day and doesn't overload your digestive system at mealtime.
• Some ideal snacks: carrot or zucchini sticks with salsa, pretzels with low-sodium vegetable juice and air-popped popcorn without butter.
• Get in the habit of two-to-three 100-calorie snacks per day.
• Consult your doctor before adding or removing anything to your diet.