Think Portion Control

By Julie D. Andrews, Prevention
Super-sized fries. 16-oz Starbucks lattes. 64-oz Double Gulps. It's no coincidence that just as Americans are growing larger so is the size of their meals and snacks.

When nutritionist and NYU faculty member Lisa Young noticed this trend several years back, she took to the streets of Manhattan with scale, notebook and camera in hand. Her goal: record the size of food people were handed at delis, hot dog stands, bakeries, and all-you-can-eat buffets.

"What I found was appalling," says Young in her book Portion Teller: Smartsize Your Way to Permanent Weight Loss. "The foods we buy today are often two or three times, even five times, larger than when they were first introduced into the marketplace."

And, meals and packaged foods weren't the only things that had ballooned. American waistlines had expanded and everything from seats to Queen-sized mattresses—even the size of medical needles—were being adjusted to fit America's widening girth.

Then Young came up with a strategy: portion control. Just because restaurants serve up more food, doesn't mean customers have to finish every last bite. Using five basic food guidelines, Young devised ways for people to get—and stay—slim without deprivation.