I've written before about the benefits of mindful eating , but that is only the first step in getting your portions right. When you've trained for years to either leave the table hungry or stuff yourself silly, you probably haven't developed an intuitive sense for the amount of food your body needs to feel nourished without overdoing it. Eating mindfully is certainly the first step.

Mindful eating is particularly effective for those who never dieted much, and who aren't accustomed to leaving the table wishing they could eat more. For former dieters getting portions right is trickier, because the middle ground is such unfamiliar territory. Mindful eating is necessary to help you slow down enough to stop and question your behavior. But if you don't know what you are supposed to feel, it can be hard to identify what is "right."

There are a few strategies you can use to develop this skill.

1. Focus on Real Food, especially vegetables. Use the foodist plate as your guide, but don't worry about portions yet.
2. Slowing down and chewing more thoroughly can sometime be enough to show you that you're eating far more than you need.
3. Eat until you're satisfied . It's important to know what this feels like, and be able to differentiate between satisfied and stuffed. It is okay to use the strategies to eat less without noticing if you think it will help you feel more satisfied, but if you notice what you're missing you've gone too far. Pay special attention to how you feel 30-60 minutes after you finish eating. Do you feel stuffed? Do you feel good? Do you feel tired? You will use this feedback from your body to determine how to move forward.The goal here is to understand what your body needs to feel satisfied without feeling sluggish. If you find that you can reach satisfaction, but at the cost of overeating (feeling icky afterward), only then should you develop strategies to reduce portions .
4. If you've determined that you can feel satisfied at the table, but often feel overly full or sluggish after the meal, then you can work on strategies to eat less. Gradually cut back on portions, reducing your "normal," satisfying portions by only 10-20%. You shouldn't be able to notice this when you're sitting at the table . If you do notice, you've likely cut back more than you should. Shifts to smaller portions work best when implemented gradually.
5. Another strategy you can use is to shift proportions on your plate. For instance, try to reduce least healthy foods first, like bread and pasta, and replace with more vegetables or beans.

Through trial and error you will eventually learn what "the right amount" of food feels like for you. It's taken me years, but I now know the feeling for myself.