Win The War On Fat: Conquer Your Cravings

Eat Smaller Portions

There is a conspiracy to trick you into eating more. Everything form efficient busboys that clear the table so you forget how much you've eaten to "family-sized" bags of chips that enable us to stuff our faces.

Use Small bowls and spoons - You will serve yourself less food and eat less. Cornell researchers found that graduate students scarfed down 59% more of a salty snack from large bowls than those who served themselves from smaller bowls.

Drink from a tall glass - Given drinking glasses with the same capacity, we tend to pour more into a short glass than a tall one.

Always skip the value size - People who are given large boxes of pasta cook and eat more of it than people given smaller boxes, says Brian Wansink, Ph.D., author of Mindless Eating.

Conquer Your Cravings And Stop Bingeing

Healthy eating isn't about deprivation -- It's about simple planning and smart decisions. So eat real food that satisfies your hunger and your body's nutritional needs. Here's your four-step game plan.

1. Outsmart Your Cravings - People tend to eat around their cravings, snacking and nibbling until they've taken in 500 calories and still aren't satisfied. Instead of fighting the urge, find a healthier way to satisfy it. You curb the craving, and you get solid nutrition.

2. Eat Well On the Road - Avoid the airport food court by packing mixed nuts, energy bars, and granola bars. Make your own trail mix by combining 1/2 cup each low-sugar cereal, dried cranberries, sunflower seeds, unsalted cashews, and raisins. Bag a few small servings and go.

3. Snack Smarter - It's not snacking when you're elbow deep in a chips bag. That, my friend, is gorging. Control the quantity. Buy prepackaged portions of snacks like chips, pretzels, and jerky. Or create your own by measuring out individual portions and stashing a few bags in your desk, car, or gym bag. Even ice cream comes in small cups. The carton can become a trough, ladies!

4. Control Late-Night Bingeing - Use the 'set snack' trick. People who ate the same snack 90 minutes after dinner for one month dropped 4 pounds in a Wayne State University study. They ate cereal. And beware hunger spurred by bored or TV ads. Take the dog for a walk, shop on ebay, anything to buy some time for your brain to tell you you're not really hungry. Or, brush your teeth and gargle. Nothing tastes good after that!

Source: Men's Health