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I am a BIG eater. I am female. I am over 200 pounds. There is nothing in the world that I would rather do than sit at the table, stuff myself to the point of near explosion, and retreat from the table to the living room for a jumbo sized cup of coffee (with full fat cream) and a piece of cheese cake.

I know this is VERY wrong. And yes, I have lost weight in the past. I am what you would call the classic Yo-Yo dieter. I gain it, I lose it, I gain it back again. When I do get a grip on myself and decide to trim down a bit, there are several strategies that I find very effective.

Portion control is, in my opinion, the most important strategy to develop. "It's easy," you might say. "Just don't eat so much." But when that pizza pie is calling out your name, one piece just doesn't cut it. I can easily ingest 3 or 4 pieces, even though I know that it means at least a pound gained by lunch time tomorrow. When in shrinking mode, however, it's all in the planning. Don't sit down with a full pizza in the middle of the table. Leave it in the kitchen, where it can't be seen.

When you know you are going to sit down to a meal full of fat and calories, there are just a few simple things you can do to make cutting your portion size a little easier.

1. An hour and a half before eating, drink some water. I try to drink at least a
16 ounce bottle every day before my main meal. It takes up space in your belly so there won't be so much room in there for the good stuff. It also takes away that gnawing feeling in your gut when you are very hungry.

2. Buy some smaller plates. A full plate is a full plate, regardless of whether it is a 6, 8, or 10 inch plate. Your eyes see a full plate, and when you are done, your brain will sense a full belly.

3. Organize your meal into at least 2 courses. While you are waiting for your lasagna to brown to perfection, eat a bowl of soup or salad. When your stomach is empty, you can eat a massive amount of food before your stomach tells your brain that it has had enough. By prolonging the time it takes to eat your meal, you will get a head start on that message.

4. SLOW DOWN. If you are anything like me, you love to wolf the grub down in a hurry, so you can go back for more. Chew your food. Your stomach doesn't have teeth. You will enjoy it more, and you will feel full a lot sooner if you take your time.

As a person who struggles to control my weight, It is a little disheartening to watch those skinny little people eat all they want, and whatever they want. But if you look very closely at their portion size, it is about a third of what the rest of us eat. And it shows!

Learn more about this author, Lori Macdonald.
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