How to stop overeating

We have a saying around my house -- "don't serve up Army-sized portions, just you-sized portions." It's a saying born of necessity. My healthy, athletic son has a tendency to skip lunches and then overeat at night. Overeat to the point that he's sick. During the day I have to remind him to eat and at night I have to make sure he stays reasonable. Luckily, he likes fruits and veggies so it's easy to have him stick to healthy foods, but I want to help him learn healthier eating patterns. He's energetic enough now that he easily burns off any extra calories, but as he grows up his metabolism likely couldn't handle his evening gorge-fests.

I think we all have overeaten from time to time. Goodness knows I have. We take a bit too much from the buffet line, go back for second helpings of a delicious dish, or cut an extra large slice of dessert because it looks so good. Eating past the point of hunger isn't nutritionally necessary. So how do you stop overeating?

• Take it slow. Don't rush through a meal. Take your time, chew slowly, and enjoy the taste of your food. Pause between bites.
  
• Pay attention to eating. Don't sit in front of the TV or flip through a magazine -- when your mind wanders, you're more likely to overeat.
• Reduce the size of your plate. Today's dinner plates are the size of chargers in years past -- we've become accustomed to loading up beyond what we really need. Use a salad plate instead of a dinner plate for automatic portion control.
  
• Choose filling foods. Whole grains and lean proteins are healthy foods that will keep you feeling full longer. Be sure to incorporate some in every meal.