Adjust your plate size

Adjust your plate size. The tendency is to fill our plates full, so trick yourself and use a smaller plate. Use a salad plate for your dinner plate and you'll automatically eat less. Use a small bowl instead of a soup bowl and you'll cut calories. You can also reverse it. Use the dinner plate and fill it full of salad greens – just be careful with the salad dressing. To cut down on the amount of dressing consumed, place the dressing in a small bowl. Dip your fork in the dressing before you spear your salad. While your salad is on the dinner plate, use the salad plate for your entrée.

Know what a serving really is.

Know what a serving really is. Portions these days have become gigantic. You might think that a serving of cooked pasta is a big bowl full but look on the package. You'll be surprised to see that a serving is considered just an 8 ounce cupful of cooked pasta. And the serving of pasta sauce? Well that's just ¼ cup or 2 ounces. A serving of chicken, or meat, is 4 ounces, that's a chicken thigh or drumstick. In the case of meat, a serving is about the size of a deck of playing cards. A serving of vegetables is ½ cup, a serving of fruit is ½ cup, or one whole fruit such as an apple. Of course with fruits and vegetables

Sugar free and low fat doesn't necessarily mean low calorie

Sugar free and low fat doesn't necessarily mean low calorie. Many of the sugar free snacks contain as many, if not more, calories than their counterparts. Low fat might mean sugar and starches have been added to make up for the lost flavor and creaminess from the fat. Read the labels to make sure you're getting what you think you're getting. Sometimes it's better to use a lesser amount of the original food than the usual amount of the low fat or sugar free substitute.

Always put food on a plate

Always put food on a plate, a real plate, not a paper plate, and eat at the table. You'll be amazed at how much food you consume away from meal times or on the run. It's easy to down a bag of potato chips eating in front of the TV. Or you're hungry so you grab a leftover chicken leg and eat it over the sink. You're late for work so you reach for a donut to have with your latte as you drive.

Don't eat unless you're sitting down at the table with a plate in front of you. You'll feel silly putting chips and dip on a lunch plate, so silly you probably won't do it. Putting all the food on plates and eating at the table makes you aware of how much you're eating and when. Seeing all the dirty plates in the sink can motivate you not to eat.

What you drink counts in your calories for the day

It's easy to forget that fruit juice, sodas, sweetened ice tea, and café mocha, all add up. Water is always your best bet as a refreshing drink. Add a slice of lemon or lime for flavor. Or a crushed strawberry, a few raspberries or a peach slice. You can keep a pitcher of ice water on your desk, or kitchen counter and it will remind you to drink more. Keep single serving bottles in the freezer to grab on your way out. Put the bottled water in front of the juice, milk, and sodas and you'll be tempted to drink the water instead of the other liquids. Just cutting out two sodas a day can significantly drop your calorie count.

Plan for your snacks

Plan for your snacks so you won't be hitting the vending machines or the cookie jar. There are lots of prepackaged alternatives at the grocery store that offer low fat, low calorie, but tasty snacks. Prepackaged costs more than the big bags but you get portion control in return. You can also package up your own snacks. Keep the calorie count to about 100. Fresh fruit and veggies are a given, but you can also have popcorn without the butter, saltine crackers with low fat cheese, a cup of soup, a handful of nuts, or pretzel sticks. Put your selected snacks in a zip lock bag and place in the fridge, when you feel the urge, they'll be ready and waiting.

Sensible Eating Habits

Have breakfast. Skipping breakfast leads to low blood sugar mid morning which results in cravings for sugary foods to pump the blood sugar back up. A vicious cycle results and continues throughout the day. Your breakfast should consist of whole grains, a protein source and fruit. It doesn't have to be fancy. A slice of whole wheat toast spread with a tablespoon of low fat peanut butter and an apple will do just fine. Or you could mix ½ cup of nonfat cottage cheese with chopped fresh peaches and a couple of whole wheat crackers. Another possibility is a scrambled egg served on an English muffin with a glass of orange juice.

If you work outside the home, brown bag your lunch. It's tempting to run out to the nearest fast food joint for a high fat, high carb lunch. If you pack your lunch you have control of what you eat and won't be tempted by a burger and fries. If you have a fridge and microwave at your office, and who doesn't these days, you can serve up a delicious salad and soup lunch. As an added benefit you will save money. The average fast food lunch these days costs around $7.00. And you can use the time you save to run errands, relax or take a walk around the block