Willpower

I've just spent the last few days with a friend who only eats a few bites... nothing more, nothing less, no matter how irresistible the food is.

I've heard of people doing this "willpower" thing- a practice in which a person can have a plate in front of them, teeming with delicious food, and not take more than a few tasting bites before putting the fork down for the duration. Quite frankly, I'm appalled by this kind of behavior.

Yes, you guessed it: I grew up in a "clean your plate club" kind of family. We didn't necessarily overeat but we ate all that was put before us or we felt guilty about it. I didn't know any different until I began studying nutrition in college and became much more aware of what it means to actually over eat. It was at that point that I started using smaller plates, which made for smaller portions, so I could still be an official member of the "club."

Going to restaurants, however, presents a challenge when faced with maintaining my membership status. Portions are generally huge - though I've found that price and portion size are inversely related - and it's more difficult to maintain self-control if the food is especially good (as the chicken curry at a local Indian restaurant was on Saturday night). As a foodie, I live to eat... but as a nutrition professional, I'm also conscious of not eating too much.

So I'm posing this question to the other health-conscious foodies out there: how do you manage not to overeat?