Portions

With Thanksgiving just around the corner along with other holiday festivities we are probably going to find ourselves faced with situations dealing with food more so than usual. This can either be a bust or success for individual's weight. Many of us go into this season with all of the year's hard efforts around weight loss on hold to celebrate. What many of us don't often associate is that we can still celebrate and maintain our hard efforts both at the same instance. Don't think that in order to protect that waist line during this season you have to lock yourself up behind doors and not go out at all, all it takes is a little awareness of choice and portion control. Here are some strategies that can be used to be successful in this venture:

Smaller sizes: With today's portions growing off the chart at restaurants, instead of ordering an entree order an appetizer instead. Yes, there are many appetizer selections out there that are just as much if not more damaging to one's waist line than an entree, but when sensibly ordering an appetizer, many times they are the correct size for a proper meal. One can go even further and use the child's menu. These are often nutritious in choice as well as the appropriate size for a proper meal.

Retro your china: In addition to portion becoming larger in size, many china patterns are following in the same direction. It has been reported that some patterns have become so large that people are finding it difficult shut their cupboard doors. So, instead of pulling out those large dinner plates that easily enables one to over do it on the portion sizes, use a smaller plate instead, such as a salad plate. By using a smaller plate not only will it help prevent over doing it when platting your food but it will also look fuller. Many times by using a larger plate size with an adequate food portion, visually and mentally it looks un-fulfilling and thus leaves us wanting more. Another tip is reducing the sizes of service ware, use a salad fork and or teaspoon as opposed to the dinner fork and spoon. This trick requires us to slow down when eating, enabling our stomach to properly register when it is full as opposed to the shoveling technique many of us do these days.

Multiply: When out at a restaurant or preparing your own meal, immediately divide the meal into smaller meals. Many of us do not cook or order meals that are realistically meant to be just one serving, but when placed in front of us in its whole that is exactly what it becomes, one meal. By separating into smaller portions you are provided not only with future meals but a sensible portion size.

Sharing: Sharing a meal is another great strategy for properly limiting portion sizes when out. If you are with a group, strategize on everyone ordering something different and creating your own little tasting menu. This is a great way to try something you want to try without ordering too much food.

The tips mentioned are not tips that require a lot of preparation and time but can be a great tool to assist you when trying to maintain your weight during this festive season. Hey, these tips just don't have to be used just for the holiday season but can be something adhered to all year long. Just be sensible when celebrating during the holiday season and taking a little time to be aware of your portion sizes and choices will go a long way in the end.