If you’ve managed to pack on a few extra pounds over the holidays, it might not entirely be your fault. In the holiday season, we visit family often and sometimes even eat out at restaurants. Whenever we’re eating away from home, we lose a little control over our portion sizes. Even if you’re serving yourself from a buffet, you don’t have the same control you have at home. This may sound odd, but after you hear why, it’ll make more sense: The size of your plate can really influence how much you serve yourself and how much you eat.

According to 2007 research, published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, people tend to eat about 30 to 50 percent more from larger-sized portions. We also tend to serve ourselves more from larger-sized packages. That same article explores a study of Chicago-area moviegoers who were given free popcorn after they just ate lunch. Moviegoers who were given large-sized buckets of popcorn ate 51 percent more than those who were eating out of medium-sized buckets. The popcorn was stale and the moviegoers were full from lunch, but those with a bigger bucket still ate more. The study was repeated in a Philadelphia suburb with similar results.

Another study, published in a 2006 edition of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, showed that it doesn’t matter whether you’re educated or advantaged; you’re still likely to eat more out of a larger container. In this study, graduate students and nutrition science professors (many who are internationally renowned) were given either a medium or large ice cream bowl with a medium or large ice cream scoop. Those who were given the combination of a large bowl and a large scoop ate 53 percent more ice cream than those who had small bowls and scoops.

Research overwhelmingly points to the fact that we use our eyes instead of our stomachs to determine how much we should eat. If you have large plates and bowls at home, consider replacing them with more moderately sized ones. If you’re visiting a friend or eating at a restaurant, you have to be a little more diligent to avoid overeating.

Here are a few tips for controlling your portion size while you’re away from home:

• Use a dessert plate for dinner when dining at someone else’s house. If your host doesn’t have them set out, feel free to ask for a smaller plate; just tell her you’re on a diet and trying not to eat too much.
• Before you start eating, compare the plate size with your own at home. If it’s double the size, you know that you should either fill it halfway or eat half of the meal.
• Eat slowly and pay attention to how your body feels. When you eat slowly, it’s easier to listen to the cues your body is giving. Simply stop eating when you feel satisfied, but not yet full.

Deborah Enos
The One-Minute Wellness Coach
www.deborahenos.com