How To Eat 63 Percent Fewer Calories

Don’t be fooled by the label: People eat more of a meal if they think it's a small serving, regardless of its actual size, finds a new study from Cornell University.

Researchers served everyone in the study the same amount of spaghetti, but told some eaters their serving was "regular," and others that it was "double size." People who thought they were given a larger portion left 10 times as much food on their plates as those who thought they got a smaller serving. In fact, the larger portion group ate 63 percent fewer calories.

Turns out you use label sizes to help determine whether you should eat the whole meal or just part of it, says study coauthor David R. Just, Ph.D.

So how can you avoid getting swindled by deceptively "small" portions? To help you monitor how much food you really put in your mouth, a team of nutritionists helped us compile these 12 easy ways to estimate serving sizes.

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