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How to Tell if You Are Eating the Right-Sized Small Portions

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You can tell if you are eating the right-sized small portions in a number of ways. First, the biggest indicator that you are eating the right-sized portions comes down to if and when you see measurable weight loss occurring. The whole point of eating small portions is to lose weight, so if you are not seeing that occur, you are doing something wrong.

Another way to tell is if you are able to appreciate the food that you eat. Smaller portions allow you to savor every bit of food that you take in, on account of the fact that you have less to eat. Eating the right-sized small portions is as much about discipline as it is about forming good habits.

Weight Loss vs. Weight Maintenance

If you are eating the right-sized small portions, you can tell by your body's ability to either lose weight or at least maintain its weight. Small portions permit you to elude the high fat content that you stand a greater chance of consuming if you eat large meals throughout the day. Such high-fat foods have the predilection of staying in your stomach for longer periods of time, which means you will also have a harder time digesting them. If you eat smaller portions, you can automatically cut a certain number of calories out of each meal. Doing this will have an automatic effect on weight loss because the less calories you eat, the less weight you gain.

Enjoyment of Food

When you eat the right-sized smaller portions, you also have the opportunity to really savor your food. This chance is something you likely don't think of when you eat bigger portions, as you are concentrating on getting in more food at a quicker pace. This mental attitude does not allow for the savoring of food. When you eat smaller portions, you should serve them in several courses, like a main course, a salad, an appetizer, a desert and so on. This way of eating will not only encourage you to savor your food--because you are actually appreciating the different stages in your meal--but it will also encourage you to eat slower. Eating slower in and of itself also contributes to weight loss because you are eating less in the same amount of time it takes for your intestines to signal your brain that you are full.

The Presence of Leftovers

The final way of telling if you are eating the right-sized small portions is if you have some leftovers after a meal. There is nothing wrong with leftovers, and you shouldn't pressure yourself to finish everything on your plate during a meal. Keep leftovers for the next day, or use them again as ingredients for future meals (thereby also saving you some money). Not eating everything on your plate is also a great way to donate to your local food bank. Instead of throwing away your leftovers, just save them and help out some hungry and wanting people instead.

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