Now, I’m not going to list the variety of reasons for this atrocity, but will focus on one aspect all of us can control.

For some reason, Americans are obsessed with large food portions. We search for restaurants known to dish out oversized platters. Look around and you’ll see the explosion of buffet restaurants. Typically, for less than $10, you can stuff your face and feel like you ate your money’s worth. But, what really happened? You overloaded your body with probably low-quality food cooked in large amounts of sodium, unhealthy grease, and saturated in butter.

When tourists from other countries visit America, they are shocked on the size of our food portions.

What’s happened is we are all programed from childhood to finish off the food put on our plates. Our parents taught us not to leave or waste food. This thought process has been passed down since the Great Depression of the 1930s. And now, through current era, we are all accustomed to overloading our plates with the learned pattern of finishing it.

I’m not one who measures food portions and more than likely, neither are you. If you question yourself about food portions, then lift up your shirt. There’s your answer.

Here are a few tips:

1. Use smaller plates, bowls and cups

2. Eat salads, soups and veggies first, meats and proteins second, and carbs last.

3. When eating out, ask for an extra plate and share meals. It’s cheaper, plus you can have dessert.

4. Eat when you’re hungry and stop when satisfied. I eat six to seven times a day.

How many of you have heard the words “wow, have you lost weight?” If not, it starts with smaller food portions.