to ask whether anyone has successfully limited their portion sizes and can actually feel full from it now ?

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Just curious really. I'm petite so not interested in losing weight but with having kids I seem to have developed an insatiable appetite and need to get my portion sizes under control !!

What do you class as a normal portion size ? (Give an example of a dinner then what you'd have from it ). And if you were ever one for big portion sizes ,how did you reduce it whilst still feeling satisfied ?!

I reduced portion sizes a few years ago. I did it from one day to the next, and coped with the hunger feelings. If very bad I'd have a glass of water or a miso soup.

A normal meal would now be about half of what I ate before. I lost 5 stone.
For example I eat a small salmon filet, 1 or 2 medium sized potatoes and two handfuls of veg. Two small pieces of chocolate instead of two rows or the whole bar

I reduced portion size and lost 5 stone. However I DID feel hungry, it was mind over matter. I've put over a stone back on now as I'm eating bigger portions again.

Rice for example, fist size or smaller, potatoes maybe 3 if new, one scoop if mash, jacket potato 7oz (that's quite small). I've learnt to eat slowly, more often that not if you eat quickly you have scoffed the lot then realise you are stuffed. Eat slowly and your brain gets a chance to catch up with your stomach.

If you're not putting on weight then I don't understand why you're looking to reduce portion size.

Watching with interest. I'm a size 6-8 and stop eating when I'm stuffed. I can't control my eating though I need to.

saucyjack well it's more to do with how I feel than weight. If I have too large a portion for dinner then the next mornings get that stretched stomach feeling and feel sick for a few hours. Also ,it can't be good for me in the long run so want to control it now before it gets out of control.

Yes but it took 3 months until I eventually adjusted. I definitely feel fuller quicker now and just generally less hungry.

I use a smaller plate, and I've got used to it now. I was overeating before, I would literally eat until I felt sick, now I just eat whats on my plate, and that's it. I don't feel hungry because that is the right amount of food for me.
With things like rice and spaghetti I weigh it out, I usually have less than the recommended portion size. 1 pitta bread or roll, or 2 small slices of bread is the correct amount for me.
If I want more food I would probably put some more veg or salad on the side.
I also don't eat seconds, if I have done something like chilli or soup then I will divide it into portions and have it for another meal. It's really just a case of getting used to it.

Standing that sounds more like intgolerance than over-eating, have you tried dropping wheat for a week or two to see if that feeling goes away? www.wheatbellyblog.com/

Or even intolerance...

Unfortunately I've done this more times than I'd like to admit. You do get used to it, but I have to be incredibly strict, as soon as I slip that's it, it's a gradual downward spiral to massive portions and crap.

I'm currently reducing portion sizes, again. I've lost the same stone and a half more times than I care to count. I have a very physical job which makes me very hungry, and left to my own devices I'd eat like a rugby player.

So yes, you do get used to it, you do get less hungry, but if you love eating and food it is slightly shit and you must stay on the wagon for it to work.

I'm very overweight, and just started WW, and am effectively reducing my portion sizes. I've lost 6lbs. in the first week, woot!

Anyway, I was reading an article by a doctor who said the key to keeping your portion sizes down and feeling fuller longer is to make sure you get 20G of protein in each meal. I've never been a big protein eater (I'm more of a carbs kind of girl!), but I'm going to try that.

First post! I do what fatlazymummy does and dish up meals into portions then pop the spare portions into the freezer when cooled. Stops me having 'seconds'.

I always check the recommended portion size on the packet of foods like pasta and rice, and aim for that amount. I use My Fitness Pal and use it to keep track of what I'm eating. As long as the foods I consume come within the total calories I'm 'allowed' for the day then I sometimes have a larger portion. It has helped me lose weight (combined with exercise).

I think my body had become used to over-eating, I wasn't hugely overweight but loved to eat naughty sweet treats in the evenings (when actually I was already rather full and should have listened to my body). Even though I have reduced the amount I eat, I feel full enough after dinner now and sweet things have become occasional treats.

I use smaller plates and it has worked. All the large dinner plates have been put away and we just use what we used to call breakfast plates. I automatically cook the right amount to fit the smaller plates now.
As steff13 said, upping your protein intake really helps.

Great advice guys !! With me it's more the portion sizes than watching what I eat. I was eating a big lunch and then a big dinner ,but because I was leaving such a gap I found my stomach wanted more once it was empty and then I'd pick. But that picking always equals more than maybe if I'd just say down and had a sandwich or something ,lol. Definitely going to try the smaller plate and more protein. I know eventually it does get easier. It's more bored eating with me as being at home with the kids I tend to raid the fridge and cupboards. I'm out quite a bit and I never eat then so is definitely when I'm moping about. I also found with the little and often my moods were definitely more stable as my sugar level wasn't taking drastic dips. I think eating in the kitchen as well when the leftover food is by the cooker doesn't help as I can just walk over and pick ,I have better success eating away from it. First day of reduced portions, we'll see how it goes :)

Oh an as regards to using water to fill you up ,I drink 2 litres a day and has never made a difference to my appetite ,lol.

Definitely true for pasta for me. I have a 50g or 60g portion now and it's more than enough. Never used to weigh but it would have been a lot more... Perhaps double when DP was cooking!

It was my second pregnancy that taught me! I'd always been taught to clean my plate even if it was huge but my DS was a huge baby and I literally didn't have the room.

I now am much more mindful of what I serve and it's really making a difference since DH went back to FT work (so I am therefore cooking and serving more often than him).

I always weigh pasta and rice, but agree that a good amount of protein is the main thing in portion control. You (I) just don't feel sated without it.

I now eat half s much meat and potato/rice/pasta etc., but try to add to the amount of veg. I cannot now eat more meat or potato/etc without feeling stuffed!
Drinking lots of water helped :)
However I now struggle with biscuits.....I dare not buy them!

lol ,oh yes the biscuits. If I avoid them all together I'm fine but it's if I dare have one ,that seems to lead to 2 ,then 3 ,then 4 etc...

Yep pregnancy, gallstones and ready meals taught me! I ate them for a while and got used to the sizes. I'd needa cereal a couple of hours later though and eat more meals but very small. I went from s 16 to a 12 in a few months.

I lost 60lbs by weighing and tracking what I eat on the my fitness pal app. I couldn't cut carbs completely as I wanted to eat the same food as my family however I do have a mountain of vegetables with a meal and plenty of lean meat and fewer carbs. If I do have rice or cous cous it will be one or two tablespoons and I feel full with a small portion of pasta.

I had a couple of months at the beginning where I was hungry, evenings were unbearable. It doesn't bother me now, I don't really get hungry and if I do I have a banana, apple of low cal hot chocolate if I have a chocolate/ sweet craving.

I know after a few weeks / months it becomes habit as I went from eating like a pig (I was a few stone overweight ) and then one day I just changed my whole attitude to food and only ate out of necessity. Think it was either starting work full time or meeting my now partner so had other things on my mind. This went on for years but it's a slippery slope and of course I've started the eating loads ,I just need to get back to my old eating habits. Well done for the weight loss !!

I did it cold turkey. Not going to lie, it was hell and I felt like I was starving at the time.

But I did it. And lost a ton of weight as a result.

It can be done, you just have to exercise a lot of will power!