Serve yourself 20 percent less

Shape, Sept, 2005 by Kathleen Doheny

Relying on visual clues--such as how much food is left on your plate--to gauge fullness is a sure path to weight gain, according to a study of 54 adults published in Obesity Research. When people were asked to eat as much soup as they liked, those who ate from bowls that were automatically refilled consumed 73 percent more soup than their counterparts who ate from regular bowls (nearly 15 ounces compared to 8.5).

To avoid overeating, serve yourself 20 percent less than normal, then ask yourself whether you're still hungry before going for seconds, suggests Brian Wansink, Ph.D., lead researcher and director of the Cornell University Food and Brand Lab in Ithaca, N.Y.--K.D.