In this post, I have included EVERY portion control tip I have collected over my 15 years as a dietitian. I also included links to some of my favorite portion control tools and products! So here they are, 55 of the best portion control tips to stop overeating.
*Don’t try to follow all of these tips. Just pick a few that will work for you. In fact, some tips will not work with each other.
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1. Drink More Water. Most of us need to drink more water. One way to drink more water is to fill up a large water bottle and drink from it throughout the day
I like water bottles that help you keep track of how much water you are drinking like the 30oz Inspirational Water Bottle With Time Marker + Measurements | Goal Marked Times Fitness Sports Bottles Best For Measuring Your H2O Intake, BPA Free Non-toxic Tritan (Think Positive Purple)
2. Fill your plate with fruits and vegetables first.
Sometimes we leave little room for the fruits and vegetables because we pile up the plate with other foods first.
3. Split your plate into sections: Half the plate fruits and vegetables, 1/4 the plate meat, and 1/4 the plate starch.
Most meals are either divided into food groups like meat, carbohydrate, and vegetables. Sometimes our food groups are combined into recipes like in spaghetti. If you have a combination food, which is usually a meat, a starch, and maybe a few vegetables mixed in, then fill half your plate with only vegetables and fruit and half your plate with the combination food. Combination foods include foods like spaghetti or casseroles. If you are eating any vegetables that are not plain vegetables like squash or broccoli casserole or fried okra place these foods on your combination side of your plate.
If you like this tip, but want to take the guess out of plating your food, you might want to try the Precise Portions 2-Go Healthy Portion Control Plates, Pack of 2, BPA-Free, 3-Section Plate with Leak-Proof Lids, Dishwasher & Microwave Safe, Helps Manage & Lose Weight, Metabolism & Blood Sugar
4. Limit the amount of sides you cook.
Don’t cook too many things. All you need is a starch, meat (or combination food) and 2 vegetables or a fruit and vegetable. In other words, if you have rice, corn casserole, dinner rolls, hamburger steak, and salad for dinner then good luck trying to fit it on your plate. Even if you put a little of each on your plate you are going to eat way too much. All of a sudden your plate is piled high. Bottom line, if you have too many options, you often tend to eat too much.
5. Buy a portion control plate.
These are plates that already have the portions divided for you on the plate. All you have to do is put the appropriate food on the appropriate spot of the plate.
6. Drink water as soon as you wake up in the morning. Seriously water is essential for our health!
7. Use your fist to measure out your snack size. Eat a fist-sized snack and then listen to your body to see if you are still hungry.
This is an easy on-the-go portion control tip.
8. If you are full, stop eating.
Mindful eating is a helpful technique when it come to listening to your hunger cues and filling satisfied at the end of a meal. If you are full after you finish eating, but you are still wanting more. Do something else you enjoy for a few minutes. Then see if you still want something else to eat. Have you ever noticed that children are often ready for eating to end so that they can play? Their life doesn’t revolve around food. We can be like children again and really enjoy our lives. So if you enjoy looking at social media or texting a friend or looking at home décor magazines. Give yourself at least a few minutes to do something you enjoy after you eat.
9. Get seconds of vegetables. Vegetables are nourishing powerhouses!
10. Drink water before a meal and with meals to feed your thirst along with your hunger.
11. After cooking, freeze or refrigerate the food that you aren’t going to eat right away.
12. Before going back for seconds, wait 10 or 15 minutes. Notice your hunger cues.
You might not want seconds after all.
13. Have an afternoon prep day. Make 5 meals and 5 snacks in a bags or containers.
If snacks and meals are already bagged and pre-portioned it helps with portion control throughout the week.
14. Eat slowly and put your fork down.
Put your fork down between each bite. Chew each bite and swallow before picking up your fork for another bite. Pay attention to the flavors in each bite. Enjoy and notice each bite before going for the next bite. Take a sip of your drink before picking your fork back up. It takes your brain 20 minutes to realize that your stomach is full so take your time. (see How to Mindfully Eating for Portion Control)
15. Every time you eat a meal, sit down.
Avoid stand while eating. Your body better processes that you have eaten if you sit down and slowly enjoy your food.
16. Hold a conversation while you are eating and eat slowly.
17. Eat your meals at home on a smaller plate like a breakfast plate or child’s plate or be sure to leave “white space” or open space on your plate. And make your plate look appealing. The eating experience involves all of your senses including site.
18. Use a breakfast plate as your personal serving plate.
If you have trouble appropriately plating your food try this tip. Fill a breakfast plate with food and then take half of the food off of the breakfast plate and place that food on another plate. After you eat from one plate, pause to see if you are hungry before getting more food from the other plate. If you are full, save the other plate for the next meal. This physical act of have to re-plate your food, forces you to pause to notice hunger cues before putting more food on your plate. For more portion control ideas like these read Migrate Fletcher also wrote a book entitled The Core Concepts of Mindful Eating: Professional Edition
19. Pause and Pray before you eat.
Pause and look at your plate. Think about your plate and how it looks before you eat. Would someone else think that your portion size looks appropriate? Then while pausing, pray and thank God before taking my first sip and bite. Remind yourself to be mindful of God’s presence. Eating can becomes an act of worship. Remind yourself that you are taking care of God’s creation (you). Remember the words from 1 Corinthians 10:31, which says, “so whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” Wow! What a great reminder! Also look to 1 Corinthians 6: 19-20 to remember that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit and that we should glorify God in our body. When we mindLESSly eat, we miss the opportunity to be in awareness of God’s presence. Finally, take your first sip of drink and only then begin eating. (See Mindful Eating)
Below is an example of what one of my mindful eating experiences:
20. Try eating at least two vegetables with every lunch and dinner.
21. Notice your hunger cues.
Think about how your stomach feels when it is empty. When you are hungry, your stomach will feel empty; you may get a headache or feel weak. If you don’t have any of these physical hunger cues, think about why you want to eat. Then when you do decide you are hungry and you decide to eat, be mindful of the food you eat (not mindless). Really taste and chew and think about what is in your mouth and going down your esophagus. (See How to Mindful Eating )
22. Use small bathroom cups for portion control of empty calorie foods.
23. Include high protein and fiber foods in your meals that help increase satiety.
Protein foods like a handful of nuts and fiber foods help you feel full longer. Foods with healthy fats such as olives, salmon and walnuts help you feel satisfied as well.
24. Always have vegetables on hand.
Sauté a big bag of frozen mixed vegetables in olive oil and garlic. Add some red pepper for additional flavor and separate into portion-sized containers for the refrigerator. Then fill up half your plate with these vegetables at dinner.
25. Keep track of how you are feeling and what your are thankful for with a journal or prayer journal
26. Avoid eating meals while doing other things like surfing the Internet or watching television.
You eat more when you aren’t thinking about the food, and you end up enjoying the food less and tasting the food less when you are doing other things while you are eating. Enjoy and pay attention to your food.
27. Take 30 second breaks sporadically during your meal to access how full you are.
This will also slow down your eating, which makes you feel full faster. Better yet, take 30 seconds throughout the meal to pause and remember that you are God’s creation. By eating, we are taking care of God’s creation and when we mindfully pause, we are taking the time to appreciate God’s gift of food as well. (See How to Mindful Eating to Lose Weight)
28. Pounding out your meat will make your healthier portions look visually more appealing. Your meat will also be tender!
29. Save a portion of your food for leftovers.
If you love eating and find yourself wanting to eat more even after you are uncomfortably full, tell yourself “this isn’t the end of a meal. It’s just a pause or a break. I can have more later. I still get to eat all of this food, I am just taking a break until the next meal.” Even if you only have a small amount left, SAVE it for leftovers. Too often we say, “Well, there is not enough to save so I might as well eat it.” Don’t fall into that trap. Add all your leftovers together and you will have a good meal. In other words, if you love eating and find yourself not wanting the meal to end, think of the end of the meal as just a break from eating. You will resume eating at the next meal.
30. Eat fruits and vegetables at every meal.
31. Have 1-2 sides at your meals. Too many side options can promote overeating. When you have too many side, your plate can easily become overly full even with a small amount of each side on your plate.
32. Eat veggies galore.
Eat veggies for snacks. Eat a large quantity of veggies at meals and smaller amount of your favorite foods at meals.
33. When eating a sandwich, take one piece of bread off, and eat an open face sandwich.
You still get the flavor and texture of the bread, plus you will actually taste the yummy toppings even better.
34. Don’t serve the food at the dinner table.
Keep it in the kitchen or better yet; measure out your food to fix your plate and then put the food away in the refrigerator before you eat.
35. One day a week or even better one day a month, cook all your food for the week or month.
You can find out how to efficiently cook a month of healthy meals in Mindfulness in Faith and Freezer Meals
Then go ahead and pre-portion your food before freezing them. Now you are making your very own healthy homemade pre-portioned frozen dinners. If you want to thy this, you can purchase [10 Pack]3 Compartment Meal Prep Food Storage Containers with Lids/BPA Free Bento Lunch Boxes/Divided Portion Control Container Plates-Microwave, Dishwasher Safe, Free Cutlery
The Mindfulness in Faith and Freezer Meals ebook
If you are looking for a more detailed weight loss meal plan then check out the “Mindfulness in Faith and Freezer Meals” ebook. This ebook not only includes more mindful eating strategies and techniques, but also provides a detailed freezer meal plan and weight loss guide!
The “Mindfulness in Faith and Freezer Meals” eBook has 22 Chapters full of helpful information and tips including:
- The “What is Preventing You From Living a Healthier Life?” interactive quiz
- The Mindful eating Guide
- The Importance of Faith
- A Complete Healthy Freezer Meal Plan: You will learn how to cook all of your breakfasts, lunches, and dinners for a whole month in ONE day. Don’t worry, I don’t just give you a bunch of recipes and tell you to cook them in one day. The ebook includes strategies and “Pro Tips” on HOW to efficiently cook your meals in one day.
The goals of cooking all of your meals in ONE Day are:
- More daily free time,
- A decreased grocery bill,
- Healthier meals for the whole family,
- Less daily stress, and
- Weight Loss/Weight Maintenance
Learn more about the Mindfulness in Faith and Freezer Meals eBook here.
What Others are Saying about the “Mindfulness in Faith and Freezer Meal” ebook
“I have lost 17 pounds since I started eating these freezer meals. They are healthy AND taste great!!! We are now eating at home more, which has made a huge difference!”
“As I read this book, I kept thinking, ‘this is so much more than a freezer meal cookbook! Lacy needs to be a life coach! She has such a positive outlook on life!’ “The Mindfulness in Faith and Freezer Meals” ebook is so uplifting and encouraging!”
“I can actually see a decrease in my grocery bill since I started eating these freezer meals, and my kids love them! We are eating healthier now. Plus, we are eating more meals together as a family!”
Click here to learn more about the Mindfulness in Faith and Freezer Meals ebook
If you liked these portion control tips, you may also enjoy these other posts:
Hacks for Eating Healthy While Eating Out
How to Mindfully Eat to Lose Weight: A Step-by-Step Guide
Over 40 Clever Healthy Snacking Hacks
Want More?
- If you would like to evaluate your own diet and determine which tips work best for you, please take the free Christian Wellness Self Assessment and Evaluation developed by a registered dietitian.
- Join the Mindfulness in Faith and Food Family and get the free 7-Day Mindful Planner printable.
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Really sensible tips! I especially love using baby utensils to take smaller bites.
Thank you! I love that tip too!
These tips are great! Love how you prefaced – don’t follow ALL at Once – too overwhelming, right? lol! Love the charts – so helpful. Great post! 🙂
Oh yes! It would be overwhelming to do them all at once. Usually we only need to make a few small changes to have a huge impact on our health. Thank you for taking the time to comment.
Wow – so many simple, tangible ideas here – nice work!
Thank you so much!
This is so helpful and love the perspective! Really neat to see how you’re incorporating your faith into these practices; love it!
Thank you Shannon!
Thanks everyone for your comments! It means so much to hear from others.