It's all about portion control!

I used to think losing weight was all about exercise. Yes, exercise is important (in SO many ways), but diet is the key to losing weight. My best success has come with a combination of balanced exercise and a healthy diet.

Let me just say, I HATE FAD DIETS! I think it's all about moderation. Eat more good things, eat less bad things. Right? So this brings us to portion control.

Lol at this dog!!! I can easily be this dog when I let my bad habits take over. Here are some tips I have come across that help me:

• Measure, measure, measure! Check the serving size and measure it! To help with food that can only be measured by weight, I bought this really cool digital food scale from amazon. Measuring makes a HUGE difference. (You'd be surprised how small portions actually should be.)
• Breakdown leftovers into individual servings. I buy those disposable ziplock containers. Taylor likes it because he can just grab one for lunch, and then I'm not tempted to eat more than a serving.
• Keep seconds out of sight. Once dinner is served, put any leftovers away before you eat. I don't neccessarily do this when I have people over, but when it's just us, this totally works. Sometimes it takes a while for your brain to realize that you are actually full. If the food is put away I am much less liking to go for that second helping when I've already had enough.
• Keep trigger foods out of the house! You know the ones. You could easily eat the whole box (and then some) in one sitting. I often get my cravings at night and if my trigger foods aren't in the house, it makes it a WHOLE lot easier to stick to my plan. When you do want to treat yourself (and you SHOULD!) buy a single serving.
• Have healthy snacks accessible and easy to grab. A little bit of prep will make meal planning and healthy snacking so much easier. Also, put the healthy food where you can see it (at eye level in the pantry & in the fridge).

What tips do work for you? I'd love to hear them!