Five Ways to Eat Fewer Calories

Trying to diet? Want to eat less, but don’t know how to break your habits? Try these painless tricks for eating less without even noticing.

Serve meals on small plates. If you buy large plates, look for plates with a wide, colorful brim so the eating surface in the center looks smaller. Your portions will look bigger, making you serve yourself less food. You can do the same thing with bowls. Serve treats in fun, tiny dessert bowls that will make desserts look more indulgent and bigger than they are.

Use tall, slim glasses for drinks. The tall glass acts as an optical illusion, making you think you’ve poured more than you have. Make your low calorie beverage feel like a treat by adding a fun garnish such as a cherry, pineapple wedge, or slice of cucumber.

Eat only at the table. If you only eat when sitting at the table, you’ll stop snacking in between meals so much. A lot of overeating happens while watching TV, working on the computer, or standing in the kitchen, just “having a little snack”.

Find ways to add extra vegetables into recipes. Because vegetables are usually high fiber and low calorie, you can lower the caloric impact of a calorie-dense meal simply by slipping in a few veggies. Try adding spinach and artichokes to lasagna and broccoli or green beans into casseroles. Every time you can replace a high-calorie ingredient with a fresh vegetable, you’re reducing the caloric intake of that dish while increasing your fiber and nutrition.

Read up on the disgusting facts behind some of the worst junk foods. Gross yourself out by watching “Supersize Me” and think about some of the less appealing parts of the movie every time you crave fast food. Have a soft spot for hot dogs? Once you learn what those are made from, you may be able to resist them. Do your best to reinforce positive feelings about healthy foods, and encourage negative feelings about junk food.

Use these tips to help you eat fewer calories and lose that unwanted weight.