In my opinion, the absolute toughest part of dieting for me is the portion control aspect. If I could just get that one down, I’d probably never have so many fluctuations between that 5-10 pound range that I do.

Actually, I dare say that portion control is the most challenging part of dieting for just about everybody.  I think that’s why diets that promise you can eat all you want are so popular, like the Atkins diet which doesn’t focus so much on portion control, but rather the amount of carbs you are taking in at each meal.

I still think though, that weight loss is best achieved by using portion control in conjunction with whatever type of diet you choose – low carb, high carb but low fat, or something like the Zone diet (which is portion controlled, but uses specific combinations of food to rev up your fat burning potential).

We have a lot at our disposal as far as tools to enforce portion control in our meals, but it’s not always easy to actually execute it because you’re often still hungry after consuming a “portion controlled” meal.

It’s really how we’ve become programmed to eat because we were brought up on the super size mentality many times. Some of us are lucky and have a built in “stop” button when we’re full, but most of us have that other button that tells us we’re still hungry when we’re really not needing the extra food.

Natural appetite suppressants can certainly help, but it also take discipline to do it at first, and shrink that stomach so you become accustomed to eating less.  There are even special plates and bowls you can buy that do the portioning for you that have helped a lot of people do it without just eyeballing it.

There are also a lot of portion controlled foods available, like 100 calorie snack packs and prepackaged meals that are a preset amount of calories that can help you start off on the right foot when trying to control portions for the first time, or re-learning it.

I’ve found that for me, the initial first week is the toughest, when I’m trying to reform my portion control and make sure I’m only eating what I have to in order to be “full” and at least satisfied til my next meal.  A lot of it is the idea that we eat as a way to pleasure, instead of eating to “live”.  If you can get over that idea and only eat what you need, then your body will follow and reduce it’s fat content and all that excess baggage it’s been carrying around in response!

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