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Managing your weight can be as simple as managing your portion sizes. You may be eating lots of healthy foods, but if your quinoa or chicken breast is twice what’s right for you, those extra calories can still lead to weight gain.  Also, the growing size of restaurant meals, take out or snack foods has made us think these giant portions are what we should be eating.  But, by slowly reducing your portions, you will lose pounds and find it easier to maintain that loss. Here are some tips to get your portions back on track:

• Look at the serving size on food labels and then compare it to the actual amount you eat.
• Check the size of your soup or cereal bowls, glasses and other serving dishes. Does your drinking glass or coffee mug hold one cup or more? How about your pasta or cereal bowl?
• Measure out one or two cups of cereal, rice or pasta so you will start to know what a serving looks like.  If your typical serving is 2 cups, try cutting your portion to 1-1/2 cups.
• Measure out a tablespoon of oil and compare it to how much you are putting on your salad or stir fry.
• The next time you are buying new dishes or glasses, buy some smaller sizes.  If you serve your dinner on a luncheon-sized plate, it will look full and you’ll end up eating less.
• Serve your treats on smaller dishes. A half-cup serving of ice cream in a small bowl may seem enough for a snack but that same amount in a big bowl may just look too small.
• If you are eating out and the portions are large, share an order with your eating partner, order an appetizer serving or ask for a doggy bag at the start of the meal and put away some to eat later.
• Order a la carte instead of fixed price meals. Skip the meal deals or the supersized drinks.
• If you buy in bulk, divide the large packages into smaller individual servings.
• Eat snacks on a plate not out of the bag.