Hi Pressed for Portion Control,

Yup, keeping portions in check can be difficult, especially since the serving sizes listed on packages often seem unrealistically small. Here are some of the foods that can trip people up when it comes to portion control, plus some helpful hints and tips...

Ice Cream
Serving size: 1/2 cup
Serving secrets: Take a second to envision half a cup of anything. It's probably way smaller than the amount of ice cream you typically scoop into your dessert bowl. Always measure out your ice cream -- never eat it straight from the tub. And dole out a lightly packed and level 1/2-cup scoop, not a heaping and densely packed ball of the frozen stuff. Can't resist going back for seconds? Stick with single-serve finds (with impressive stats, of course).

Cereal
Serving size: generally 3/4 cup - 1 1/4 cups (varies)
Serving secrets: If you're eating your Cheerios out of a fairly large bowl, then you're probably eating several servings, whether you realize it or not. Use a mid-sized bowl, and don't pour the cereal straight from the box -- measure it out. Check the nutritional panel, too, so you know exactly how much of that particular cereal is equal to the stats listed. Some people eat granola like it's regular cereal, but that stuff can have a serving size as small as 1/4 cup! And don't forget to add the calories and fat coming from the milk -- it's a good idea to measure that too!

Chips
Serving size: 1 oz. (approximate number of chips varies)
Serving secrets: Usually, there's an "about" chip count listed in parentheses... but that's just an estimate. Sometimes those counts are WAY off. When in doubt, weigh them out! Also, if chips are a trigger food for you (meaning it's nearly impossible to stop eating them once you start), look for single-serving bags. Or just portion out a multi-serve bag into individual baggies or containers as soon as you get home from the supermarket.

Dip/Hummus
Serving size: 2 tbsp.
Serving secrets: Who eats just two tablespoons of dip?! That's like 4 chips' worth. When you're shopping for dip or hummus, be prepared to double the stats to get a more realistic idea of what you're likely to consume in one sitting. And measure out those portions before you dig in... Don't just go dipping chips into the container like a crazed chip dipper. (This is good advice!)

One more tip... When it comes to foods you eat regularly, familiarize yourself with how their serving sizes look. This way, when you're out and about and can't exactly break out a measuring cup or food scale, you'll have a pretty solid idea of what a serving looks like.

There you go. Hope that helps!