If you're trying to lose weight or manage your eating, one of the biggest problems that you may face is the desire to eat second helpings. If you haven't received adequate nutrition in the first portion of food that you eat, it's a good idea to continue to eat healthy foods until you have fulfilled that need. However, most people who continue to eat second portions are doing so not out of a direct need to ingest more calories. If you fall into the second category, you may benefit from reading the following set of guidelines.

Not all foods are equal when it comes to providing calories and filling you up. When you're considering what to eat, keep in mind that you'll be filled up by volume of food immediately as you're eating, but that the richness and density of the calories in the food will provide longer lasting energy. Therefore, calorie rich foods are the best choices for you if you're hoping to eat a single portion of food and not become hungry again shortly afterward.

If you find that you're still hungry after eating a single portion of a meal or a snack, consider that you may be mistaking dehydration or lack of water for hunger. Be sure to drink plenty of water as you eat, because this will aid in digestion and help to ensure that you're not hungrier than you should be. Avoid drinking calorie rich drinks whenever possible, because these will not help you in your weight management goals.

Regardless of how many portions of a food that you eat at a meal, the size of the portions is what will determine your caloric intake. If you prefer to have second helpings of food for psychological reasons or because you're used to it, adjust the size of each of your portions so that they are sufficiently small. This will ensure that you have the same number of calories in total as you would in a single portion.

The sensation of hunger tends to last longer than it takes most people to eat. This means that you may have completely filled up your stomach with food before your brain has signaled to the rest of your body that you're full. Eating slowly will help to ensure that you are able to gauge your eating as well as possible and not eat too much.

A final measure to take to help ensure that you don't eat second helpings of food is to be careful how you prepare the food that you make for yourself. If possible, don't make food in more than a single serving. If this isn't possible, save your leftovers in single serving portions so that you're better able to control the amount that you eat.