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Cutting Calories Without Cutting Portion Sizes – It Can Be Done!

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Weight gain is a simple mathematical formula: the more excess calories you consume, the more weight you will pile on.  Obviously the types of food you eat will also play a part in this process, but the only sure-fire way to lose weight is to consume fewer calories, which is why celebrity fad diets prove so successful in the short term; after all, if you eat nothing but lettuce soup for a week, of course, you are going to shed a bucket load of fat!.

Do Portion Sizes Make A Difference?

Levels of obesity in the western world are higher than they have ever been and millions of adults (and children) are at risk of all kinds of major health problems as a result of their weight.  And if you don’t believe me, take a good look around any busy high street on a Saturday morning and you are guaranteed to see some seriously obese people within a few feet (probably hovering on the threshold of McDonald’s with a Big Mac in one hand and cola in the other).  Many things – junk food and sedentary lifestyles to name just two – are causing the obesity epidemic, but excessive portion sizes are also an issue.  More often than not we are conditioned into accepting bigger portions than we really need and instead of leaving the extra, we eat it anyway.

How to Cut Calories Without Reducing Portion Size

Reducing portion sizes will help you to lose weight.  However, if you find it difficult to stick to a weight loss program when your food portions are restricted, you may still be able to lose weight by cutting calories whilst still eating similar sized portions of food.  The main way of retaining reasonable portion sizes while reducing your calorific intake is to radically alter the kinds of food you eat.  Yes, eating a large portion of fries is never going to help you lose weight, but eating a similar amount of celery is!

Foods to Avoid in Large Quantities

If you want to continue eating reasonable size portions, you need to monitor what you eat very carefully.  Anything that falls into the category of junk food is a big no-no, but you also need to avoid pre-packaged foods and ready meals as these often contain high levels of salt and sugar (and calories).

Foods You Can Eat To Excess

The key to feeling nice and full irrespective of what size portion you have on your plate is to fill up on healthy foods.  These include most fruits and vegetables, so if you are trying to lose weight but you want to eat more than a stick insect, stock up on healthy fruits and vegetables and have fun finding inventive ways to cook them.  Filling your plate with a variety of fruits, vegetables, and salad stuff will provide all of the nutrients you need to stay healthy, plus you won’t feel hungry between meals.  Although if you do feel a bit peckish between meals, snack on apples and other low GI fruits.

Eat A Large Breakfast

We all know breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so why do so many people skip it when on a diet?  Missing breakfast is never healthy, but it’s even worse if you are dieting because you need a good breakfast to kick-start your metabolism in the morning and keep blood sugar at the optimum levels.  Hunger pangs are normally caused by low blood sugar, which is why sugary donuts and the like are so attractive when we’re hungry!

When it comes to breakfast, there are some foods you can afford to load upon.  Sadly these don’t include crispy bacon and Belgian waffles covered in golden syrup, but fear not, you can satisfy your cravings for sweet food by adding some fresh berries (blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries are ideal) to a bowl of porridge oats made with skimmed milk.

Porridge is ideal because it slowly releases energy over the course of several hours, so instead of feeling hungry by 10.30 and then making a dash to the coffee shop for a cappuccino and a bun, you will continue to feel full up until lunchtime, which is when you can tuck into a large plate of healthy salad and some portions of fruit.