Portion Control: Simple Way to Weight Loss

After spending two years in Japan and observing the eating habits of the Japanese, it made sense to me why obesity doesn’t exist in that country.  The Japanese have been practicing portion control for ages. I was surprised at first by the foods they ate—fatty, salty, fried, carb-loaded, sweets, you name it! But then I noticed the small serving size of each. Whether they were dining at home or eating out, they knew when to say when.

I’ve always believed in this method too, so whenever people ask me for advice on how to lose a few pounds, I tell them to begin simply by eating a little less of everything they normally consume. This is no secret by the way; this is the basic principle of many of the popular diet plans out there today. They give you points or some other system to use, and of course charge you quite a bit for their “system,” yet all it really comes down to is reducing your caloric intake through portion control. 

The changes you make to your diet should be small and simple. Let’s say you normally eat two chicken cutlets, a half-cup of rice and one serving of vegetables for dinner. By changing this to one and a half cutlets, a quarter cup of rice and two servings of vegetables, you can reduce your caloric intake by approximately 25 percent. And, if you take similar steps for each of your daily meals, you’ll start noticing the changes in your waistline. 

Hence, the first easy step is to start with portion control and then you can begin to reassess whether or not you should be eating certain foods at all (stay tuned for another blog on this topic). 

So if you are trying to lose a few, begin by eating a little less of your usual fare and see what happens after about a month. Let me know if you’ve been successful! 

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Keep up with Tania's tips and other New Canaan news.  Sign up for the free New Canaan Patch daily newsletter, "like" us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

_____________________________________________________________________________________