4 Sneaky Portion-Control Tricks

The secret to cutting calories is all in your eyes. By using visual markers to designate serving sizes, you can slash your eating in half, finds a new study from Cornell University.

Researchers served participants tubes of potato chips, some of which contained red chips interspersed at intervals to represent serving sizes. Even though participants didn't realize what the red chips were for, those who got the colored chips in their tubes ate almost half as many as the other participants, reducing their caloric intake by about 250 calories.

What's more, the red-chip participants were able to estimate how much they had eaten to within one chip, while the others thought they had eaten about 13 fewer chips than they actually had.

Many people use such markers (like the bottom of a bowl or an empty chip tube) to tell them to stop eating, says study author Brian Wansink, Ph.D., director of the Food and Brand Lab at Cornell. Inserting regular markers like the red chips allows people to better gauge how much they eat.

Not sure how much food you're really packing in? Here are 3 more visual marking tricks that will help you pare down your serving sizes—and your potbelly.

1. Pretend You're a Giant
Ah yes, the old small plate move. Mario Lopez preaches this portion-control trick, and for good reason: Besides fitting less food, smaller dishes actually make you think you're eating more. People who eat off of 6-inch plates actually think they're eating about 18 percent more food than they really are, according to one of Wansink's past studies. People who eat off of 12-inch plates, however, harbor no such delusions. Wansink says even a 2-inch difference in plate diameter would result in 22 percent fewer calories served and weight loss of around 18 pounds per year. (Learn 4 more devious techniques for eating less.)

2. Be a Litter Bug
On your lap or coffee table, that is. Piling up your opened snack rappers or nut shells can decrease the amount of calories you consume by more than 40 percent, according to a recent study in Appetite. That's because the pile serves as a reminder of how much you've already eaten. Use the trick with any treat: If you’re craving something sweet, choose Hershey’s Kisses over M&Ms or, if you’re not the chocolate type, Starburst over Skittles. If you’re in the mood for something salty, opt for mini-bags of pretzels instead of purchasing the big bags at the store. (Read the easiest way to eat fewer snacks.)

3. Downsize Your Spoon
We know it can be hard to go easy on the ice cream, but try this easy swap to cut back on your Ben and Jerry's fix: The more times you have to scoop, the less you put on your plate. One study from Eastern Illinois University found that people who use two-ounce serving spoons give themselves 15 percent less food than those using two-ounce spoons.

More from MensHealth.com:

• Restaurant Survival Strategies
• Avoid Mindless Munching
• The WORST Chips and Dips

Additional reporting by Erin Hicks and Madeline Haller

1. Prev:Bring Your Meals in to the Light
2. Next:Your Kitchen’s Secret Fat-Fighter