Most people struggle with weight. You may eat healthy and exercise regularly but there may be another problem. For too long, people have lived under a ‘clean your plate’ mentality. From a young age, people are trained to eat everything before them, whether they fill up or not. Overeating is a serious problem, but you can put an end to it with ease. Along with avoiding uttering the phrase ‘super-size’, there are measures you can take to stop yourself from eating too much. It may seem difficult, but with a few simple tips you can trick your brain into stopping yourself. You may think this will prevent you from feeling full, but it is quite the opposite. The mind is a powerful tool, and your grumbling stomach doesn’t stand a chance.

Small sips

When drinking anything other than water, sip slowly, and sip small. When drinking large amounts of liquid at once, people don’t realise how much they are drinking. Sure it’s a liquid, but they have calories too. Some of the biggest offenders are orange juice, beer, soda, and those ‘healthy’ drinks like vitamin water.

Savour the ‘odours’

Now, don’t rummage through the garbage for food. Find something with a powerful fragrance. The olfactory glands play a big part in your appetite as well as how your brain reacts to things. In a study, people sat in rooms with varying intensities of vanilla smell. Then they were offered vanilla custard to eat. The ones who smelled it the most already, stopped sooner. The point is when your nose gets a mouthful before you do, you will feel fuller, sooner. Try this with odorous cheeses, vegetables, and seasonings.

Contrast your colours

Mashed potatoes are delicious and you will want seconds. But that may be because you ate off a white plate, and couldn’t tell how much you ate. If you eat food off a plate that is very different in colour, you notice yourself clearing space. Your brain takes this as a sign of how much you really ate. It will alert the stomach sooner that you are full, before you gorge.

Use a smaller plate

A large plate will appear to fox you of how much food you got. A small plate with the same portion will naturally seem like much more; in some cases, too much more. It’s simple as that.

Dim the lights, turn down the tunes

Studies have shown that restaurant atmospheres actually stop people from eating too much. This is to produce a turnover of customers. If it works there, why not try it at home?