Are Your Eyes Bigger Than Your Stomach?

Mum was right. Most of us put far more on our plate (and then into our mouths) than we need. Eating out at restaurants with oversized bowls and supersized portions can make you lose track of what's a reasonable serving. Most importantly, it can sabotage your abs training efforts.

If you are lucky enough to have a guy or girl who cooks, insist that you serve yourself the cafeteria style (by scooping your own servings). Well-meaning men with spatulas may pile the plate the same for each for you. And after eating more, you will likely start heaping portions too high yourself.

You can start by measuring your helping with a food scale or measuring cup. Most people overestimate how much food they are eating by about one third. Once you get used to eye-balling the proper amount, you won't have to rely on the scale.

If you happen to take too much and the “starving children of Africa imagery induces guilt in you to finish a large plate of food, you are adding a lot of extra, unnecessary calories into your diet. Try reducing your portion, or set a mental limit on how much you will consume.

I always put my pasta in a cereal bowl as pasta bowls are notoriously huge. Put your dinner serving in a cereal bowl and you will actually get the proper amount of noodles and it will fill your dish faster than a large one. Want to add something else to your repast? Transfer the noodles back to the pasta bowl and add some protein as well as vegetables for the healthiest meal of all.

Lastly, you should let your fist be your guide. It's a good rule of thumb that your meal (if you are adhering to the six meal a day plan) should be roughly the size of two fists and a snack should be the size of one fist. Smart dieting is crucial towards achieving lean ripped abs successfully. Therefore, you should pay more attention to your dieting strategies.