THE SECRET TO EFFECTIVE DIETING: PORTION CONTROL

Ask anyone who has successfully lost weight and kept it off, and they'll tell you it's all in portion control. Here are some ways to cut down on portions and to know what correct portions are.

A "portion" is how much food you choose to eat, whether in a restaurant, from a package, or in your own kitchen. A "serving" is a standard amount set by the U.S. Government, or sometimes by others for recipes, cookbooks, or diet plans.
The portion size that you are used to eating may be equal to two or more standard servings. To see how many servings a package contains, check "servings per container" listed on the Nutrition Facts label. Small containers often have more than one serving.

1. Break leftovers down. Don't store all the casserole or pasta in one big bowl. Break it down into individually-sized containers. These make handy items to pack for lunches too.

2. Cut the calories in half by just eating half of your normal portion. If you have a deli sandwich for lunch, for example, eat half of it and replace the chips with carrot sticks. If you're still hungry, have a piece of fruit. Produce takes longer to eat and digest, giving you more time to notice that your hunger has subsided. And the fiber will fill you up more than the chips would have.

3. When dining out ask the waitperson for a take-out container to arrive with your order. Put half of your meal in the box. Eat slowly. It takes about 20 minutes to start to feel full. Enjoy the ambiance and the conversation. You can take some of the food out of the box if you're really hungry, but there's a good chance you won't be. A lot of portion size is just habit.

And don't be afraid to ask the waitperson if it's possible to order a lunch item at dinner. They are usually much smaller and so there's less temptation. If lunch menu items aren't available, consider ordering from the children's menu.

4. Use a food diary to keep track of your portions. Writing down when, what, how much, where and why you eat can help you be aware of the amount of food you are eating as well as the conditions when you tend to eat too much. You can make a difference in the future by recognizing the times and reasons you eat too much.

5. Please don't super-size it. Sure it only costs a few more cents and it does seem like a real bargain, but you end up with more food and calories than you want or need. If you are with someone else, how about sharing the supersized meal.

6. Learn to "eyeball" standard portion sizes and stick to them when dining out or dishing up meals. Keep these tips in mind: 3 oz. of meat is the size of a deck of cards or an audio tape; 1 oz. of meat is the size of a matchbook; 1 cup of potatoes, rice or pasta looks like a tennis ball.

7. Avoid all-you-can-eat situations which means you should forget about buffet dining for a while.

8. Researchers have proven that smaller plates and silverware result in smaller portions. Use a saucer if you don't have smaller dinner plates. Restaurants can't start using smaller dishes though because people would complain if they were still hungry. Try the above-mentioned food in the box trick when dining out.

9. Purchase single-serving snacks and never eat out of the entire food package.

10. Split desserts with a friend.