Tip #2

When eating a meal or snack, make sure you do something unrelated for 20-30 minutes before you get a second helping.

Many people eat too quickly and over consume during every meal.

It takes your body a while before it realizes its full, if you could feel the exact moment that you had consumed enough to no longer be hungry, you wouldn't get to that point where you have managed to eat until feeling sick a few minutes later.  When I started controlling how much I ate, I realized I still feel quite hungry after a meal, and that is where I would previously have eaten a second or third helping that I really didn't need.

If you give your body some time, however, it will realize it is full, and that feeling of hunger will stop.  I have discovered that taking a drink of water between every mouthful lengthens the time it takes to finish a meal enough that you will be able to feel when you are getting full, and that doing so will stop you from eating more than you need, and that waiting 20 - 30 minutes after finishing a meal before going back for more can go a long way to changing the amount of food that you consume.

One other suggestion I have heard is to do the dishes right after every meal.  It not only helps you keep your home clean, but it keeps you busy during the time it takes for your body to realize that you are actually full.