When you are served or serve yourself to some food, do you eat EVERYTHING that is on your plate? Do you ever leave ANYTHING?

Including the things you aren’t very keen on? Including the things that you don’t even like very much? Including the last of the plateful that you didn’t really want because someone (or you yourself) served you too much?

Is just because your mother taught you that it was bad manners to leave food on your plate. What about packets with a little left in? How about left-overs in the fridge? Do you throw them away? Or do you finish them up? Just to be tidy! To throw the packet away, to clear the fridge - you can’t put that big packet back in the cupboard with just a tiny bit in the bottom. Do you use that last spoonful of jam in the bottom of the jar, so that you could throw the jar away - how about the cream cracker complete with butter that you spread it on! Did you eat it standing in the kitchen, or did you put it on a plate and carry it to a table? Did you feel you got any satisfaction from eating it

What we mean is, just think of eating a meal - go on, just think. Anticipation is a very great part of your enjoyment, with the smell, sight and thought of the food you are about to eat.

Then when you begin to eat, your taste buds send messages to your brain to say how much you are enjoying the food, those first few mouthfuls are extremely enjoyable, in fact that is where you are going to get your maximum satisfaction from. After that you’re often eating only to achieve a full feeling, if you eat absolutely everything very often an over-full feeling! Clearing your plate just out of HABIT!

Have normal, everyday foods but take LESS than you normally would even if it is only slightly less but make sure it is DEFINITELY less! It may help to use a smaller plate than you normally would, If someone is serving you, don’t say ’‘Oh, I can’t have that, I’m on a diet!’’ Say, ‘‘Yes please, but only a small portion’’. If you deny yourself altogether in front of everyone, later, when you are on your own you’ll eat far more than you would have done if you’d had just a small portion. This also helps when you’ve lost your excess weight because you’ll then be used to having foods in portion sizes that will ensure you don’t put any weight back on.

For example: Chips. Yes, we know how fattening chips are. The main reason for that are the large portion sizes that we have become accustomed to taking or being served from the shop. Quite often a 10oz serving totalling to a massive 700 calories approximately - on its own half a days allowance from a calorie counting diet! If you served yourself to 3oz - 20 or so chips depending on size - you won’t feel a martyr afterwards either because you didn’t have to watch the family eating something you couldn’t have plus you will be learning to take smaller portions for your future slim lives!

Cake: A large slice (or slab) or sponge cake can easily be 500 to 700 calories depending on ingredients and the addition of cream etc. If you take a small slice of sponge and don’t have cream, a two ounce slice would cost you 200 calories approximately, you won’t be damaging your diet with that!

Have you ever gone on holiday and been full-board. You know, where all meals are included in the price. If you’ve paid for a three course meal - you’re eating a three course meal! Full English breakfast and two three course meals!!!! Bloated? Uncomfortable? Yes, we know you paid for it but did you really need, want or even enjoy ALL of it? How much longer are you going to have to diet to get rid of it?

Did you notice that while you were there, generally speaking, the slim guests very often LEFT FOOD!!! The foods they didn’t like or if they were given too much of anything. It is often said that it isn’t fair, slim people eat what they like and don’t put weight on but if you examine their regular habits you will often find they eat what they need and enjoy without becoming bloated and LEAVE THE REST!