The doctor says you need to reduce your food intake, but you can't bear to leave food on your plate?
Does that sound like you?
If so, try these four simple tricks to cut your calorie intake every time you eat.
* If you always eat everything placed before you, try using a smaller plate, the chances are you won't even feel hungry afterward. If you're helping someone else lose weight, start serving their meals on a smaller plate. Chances are they won't even notice the difference and in time you'll both feel completely at ease with your new eating regime.
* Use a plate with a patterned border. Completely white plates leave more border exposed when the dieter is served smaller portions and this can be psychologically challenging and make you end up still feeling hungry after every meal. Use a plate with a bright patterned border, featuring fruit or flowers, for example, it will blend in with the food and make your plate look fuller, and this way the white border syndrome won't affect you at all.
* Avoid plates with bowl shaped centres which hold a great deal more food than flat plates. This is an especially good trick to play if you're one of those people who never leaves their plate empty.
* Put all your food on the plate before placing it on the dinner table and do not have extra food close by during your meal.
* In future avoid buying big plates, avoid bowl shaped plates, and begin buying and using smaller dessert bowls, wine glasses, even tea and coffee cups. In time you'll stop overeating forever and keep off all the you lost from those earlier tips.