Drop A Few Sizes With These 12 Simple Portion-Control Tricks

With the start of the New Year, losing a few pounds is often high on many people's "to do" list. You may even be thinking of trying the latest fad diet, a version of the Paleo diet, or a juice cleanse. Having spent the past 20 plus years counseling people trying to shed unwanted pounds, I know that losing weight is the easy part.

Keeping if off and developing long-term healthy habits you can stick with is a far greater challenge. If you have previously read my advice to dieters, you know that practicing portion-control is, in my opinion, by far one of the simplest and most effective ways to shed unwanted pounds for good. Ultimately, regardless of which method you try, in order to succeed at weight loss, you have to eat fewer calories. Many fads work initially because you end up eating less, often because you omit entire food groups from your diet.

By practicing portion control, however, you get to eat the foods you love (just not huge amounts every day) without cutting out certain food groups entirely. In my opinion, this is a much healthier and balanced approach. And, with a bit of planning, if you choose your foods wisely, you can often even eat more.

I've rounded up some portion-control tricks which can help you get 2016 off to a great start and help you shed unwanted pounds. If we can return to eating smaller portions like we did several decades ago, we'd probably be a lot thinner. Back in the 1950s, portions were smaller and so were we. I've spent a good part of my career tracking how our food portions have grown -- and how our waistlines have too. Rates of obesity increased as portions rose.

This CDC graph, based on my research, illustrates this point. Large portions have more calories than small portions, so if we can trim our portions, we can cut out lots of calories which can help us to lose weight. 2. Eat a small breakfast. I recommend that dieters eat within two hours of getting up.

It doesn't have to be a huge feast though. In fact, a smaller breakfast may actually be best. A study found that dieters who ate a small breakfast, as opposed to a large one, ended up eating less over the course of the day. Often, we think if we eat a big breakfast, we'll eat less for lunch or dinner. Unfortunately, it doesn't always work out that way.

My takeaway message is: eat a light meal in the morning. If you are not much of a breakfast eater, no worries. Make it a brunch and ok to eat something small. I suggest you include protein and fiber, which help you feel full. Some of my favorites are a Greek yogurt and berries, a slice whole grain toast with a thin schmear of peanut butter, or a bowl of oatmeal with chopped walnuts or a little milk. 3. Cut your pizza pie into smaller pieces. We tend to eat in units.

Most of us don't share a slice of pizza, a bagel, or a soda (or other foods which come in units) with a friend. Instead, we tend to eat the whole thing. An interesting study offers up this trick: cut your pizza pie into fewer pieces and you may end up eating fewer calories.

In this particular study, when a pizza pie was cut into 16 slices -- instead of the typical 8 slices -- people ate less. I invite you try it. 4. Beware the health halos. So often we get caught up with labels such as "low-fat," "gluten free," and "organic." Many of us also think that if a food is good for us, we can eat as much as we want. This study found that people who thought alcohol was heart-healthy drank nearly 50% more alcohol than those who did not.

My suggestion for 2016: keep an eye on your portion size even if you think a food may be good for you. Low-fat cookies are still cookies and gluten-free crackers are still crackers. And both products do indeed contain calories which add up pretty quickly. 5. At times, you can eat more to weigh less.

Good news if you are a volume lover. As I referred to them in my book, The Portion Teller Plan, volume eaters like a large portion of food. A solution: fill up on fruits and veggies which tend to be low in calories (while also being nutritious.) Good options include berries, melons, citrus fruit, leafy greens and, cruciferous vegetables such as cauliflower and broccoli. Enjoy a large colorful salad. Just ask for the dressing on the side. I am a huge fan of eating soup and "souping" seems to be a popular trend these days.

What I like most about including soups in your diet is that they are filling and often times, you can eat a large portion without too many calories. In fact, people who eat a large vegetable-based soup as an appetizer often end up eating fewer calories at the rest of the meal. My favorites -- minestrone, tomato kale, lentil soup, and white bean.