How to Control Portions for Six Pack Abs

If you’re going for a ripped body, you’re working out — a lot.

And that means you’re using a ton of energy, and at the same time your body is asking for a ton more energy to fuel those workouts.

So you want to eat, eat, eat. Makes sense. I know the feeling. But when you’re really pushing hard, one of the most difficult things can be figuring out how to control your portion size. There are times when our appetites just get the better of us — especially when we’re new to a workout routine and just coming to grips with the amount of energy that working out can take from us, and the amount of positive-feeling hunger we get after a solid session at home or at the gym.

With that in mind, I put together these 5 tips on how to control your portions. Some are classics, some are strange, but they all have one thing in common — they actually work.

#5) Pick Nutritionally Dense Foods.

Foods that have a lot of water in them, or empty calories, can throw you off. This means that a “giant salad” with a lot of delicious-but-not-so-dense vegetables can seem like a ton of food, but because it’s not so nutritionally dense, you’re more likely to use more olive oil to dress the salad than you would normally (you are avoiding processed salad dressings, right? If not — start now!)

When you pick a leafy green like spinach, for example, which is loaded with great nutrients, not only does it mean you get a lot of what you’d normally have to find in multiple foods right in one single vegetable, but you won’t feel like you have to eat 40 pounds of the stuff to get full and get the nutrients you need.

#4) Drink Lots of Water.

Water controls your appetite. Drink lots of it, especially with meals. It avoids the tricks your brain plays on you otherwise. When you’re done an intensive workout, there’s no doubt your body will be crying out for some carbs, and you should fuel it — but make sure your water intake is nice and high, too, so that you don’t over-eat just because you’ve worked out.

#3) Use Your Mind As Much As Possible.

Think about what you’re eating as you eat it. Don’t mindlessly shovel food into your mouth, no matter how hungry you are. This is probably the hardest one to follow for a hungry person — but it can be the most important rule of them all. When you’re at all conscious about what you’re currently eating, it slows you down and makes you less likely to overeat. Just pay a little more attention if you’ve found yourself doing the mindless-food-consumption thing.

#2) Decrease Your Plate Size.

This really works. If you have huge plates, reserve them for special occasions. The smaller the plate, the more likely you are to exercise some solid portion control instead of going crazy. When there’s less room, there’s less room for excess.

This is especially crucial when it comes to the last rule:

#1) Eat 5-6 Small Meals a Day.

I’ve talked about eating many small meals in one day before, and I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of repeating it — it’s the only way to keep your energy up between workouts in a way that helps fat loss, controls hunger, and lets you make the most of what you’re eating.

And if you’re eating 5-6 meals a day, that means making an adjustment on the size of those meals. A small meal should be served on a small plate. When you get to have 6 of them a day, you won’t ever be going hungry and you’ll never be “crashing” when your glucose levels get too low.