It's no surprise North Americans are getting more overweight and obese. Some will point to sugar as the culprit. Others cite inactivity as the problem. While both of these could play roles in our expanding waist lines there's no denying we're eating larger portions than in previous years. So why does this happen? Why are we eating larger portions? A review of the research identifies two reasons (1). The first is that we seek value for food. We look get more in return for our financial investment. Think of many times people opt to super-size a combo meal at a fast food restaurant. It's not that the portion of fries and drink that normally accompanies a meal is insufficient. It's more of a case that for a nominal increase in price you get substantially more food. You'd be stupid not to, right? There's no denying portion sizes have increased over the years. The other reason that we are eating larger portions is due to portion distortion. We have been exposed to such large portions of food that we have been conditioned to recognize these as normal. In the marketplace we are offered portions that are 3-4 times what a standard portion should be. But the public perception is that is these amplified portions are the standard. No one bats an eye when we are over served. If we were to go the other way and were served a standard portion, one at 1/3 to 1/4 normal market offerings, we'd cry foul and the restaurateur would hear about it. Another study looked at how the size and freshness affected how much popcorn we eat (2). What they found when given a small versus a large tub of stale popcorn, subjects ate 34% more when they had a large tub. Even though the...

This morning I gave a presentation to  group of business leaders. And at the end I fielded questions from the attendees. And as is usually the case many of the questions had to do with nutrition.One individual in particular asked for some help with portion control.He said 'I eat fairly healthy, I just eat too much'. What should I do?This is not an uncommon problem many people face. They eat more than they know they should but find it hard to break the habit. And the answer to this guy's problem is not to start weighing and measuring all his meals. Because although there are some people that will take the time and effort to do this, most will not.And I want to provide solutions that will help the most people. I want to provide solutions that are easiest for most people to incorporate into their lives. And I want to provide solutions that don't require an additional investment in time and money.I know that's asking a lot but if we can find a solution that satisfies all of these conditions than we probably have something that will be easy to get started on and continue with.Curious what the tip was?It was to use smaller serving plates.[caption id="attachment_4862" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Portion control can be as simple as a smaller plate. And the reason is most people don't weigh and measure their food. Most people don't count their calories. And many people grew up in an era to finish everything on their plate.So does this work?Yes, it does. And it reminds me of a research study (I'll dig up the citation for anyone that wants it) where a group of people were divided in half. The entire group was going to watch a movie and eat popcorn. Half of the group were given a small cup...

This is Part II of 9 Easy Tips for Portion Control. Click here to read Part I. Other keep reading for the remaining tips. Tip #6 - No TV or Computer[caption id="attachment_3997" align="alignleft" width="300"] Don't eat at the TV or computer Eating alone usually goes hand in hand with watching TV or surfing the internet. As we associate the two activities we can continue eating, or grazing, to match the duration of TV program or as long as we have an internet signal. Plus as we are distracted with the entertainment on the screen we are less likely to perceive the message from our brain telling us we are full. Tip #7 - Share When Eating OutNowadays everyone is all about getting optimal value. 'Check out the features on my new vehicle' 'Look what is included with my all-inclusive vacation' 'I got upgraded to first on my flight' ***can you tell I love travelling?*** If we are so conditioned to want and almost expect the highest of value with any commercial transaction it stands to reason that when we eat out we expect to leave with a full and satisfied belly. Unfortunately even if the food wasn't that  good we are ok with it as long as there was lots of it. When you eat out combine a few of the tips above by drinking water with your meal. You'll probably have a glass or two before your food arrives. Eat the healthiest stuff first by ordering a salad or some other veggie appetizer. And because you won't eat alone you can share a main with your dining partner. This allows you to adhere to many of the rules above and not wreck your portion control when you eat out. Tip #8 - Slow DownRecently when I was in Hawaii I...

Most people that go to a fitness facility go for the purpose of losing weight. It's a means to an end in that they perform their workouts with the hope or expectation of losing weight. If there were some other activity that was shown to be as effective for losing weight as fitness training many would switch activities. However even though many people recognize the benefits of resistance training and energy system workouts towards achieving their goal many fall short. And while there may be extenuating circumstances for a small number of people the truth is that the problem has to do with what happens outside of the gym. In particular the problem lies with their nutrition. More specifically the problem has to do with portion control. I think we can all agree that the problem is one of portion control of non-healthy foods. For most people the problem of obesity doesn't have anything to do with eating too much lean protein, vegetables or water. No instead the problem has to do with portion control of all foods. With that in mind here are 9 Easy Tips for Portion Control. Tip #1 - Smaller Serving PlatesHave you ever noticed that the amount we eat is based on the size of our serving plate? A big bowl means means more cereal, or popcorn or ice cream. A large plate means more rice or pasta. A larger saucer means a bigger sandwich or more room for sides. I don't have the citation at hand but I remember a study which allowed 2 groups of people to eat as much popcorn during a movie as they wanted. The one group had a huge bowl that could never be finished during a 90 minute movie. The other group had a small bowl that could be refilled...