13 Portion-Control Hacks Guaranteed to Prevent Overeating

If you love baking but have a hard time not sampling the finished product again and again, then instead of baking up the whole batch at once, freeze cookie dough in ice cube trays. When a cookie craving strikes, you can bake up two in the toaster oven, eat them, and there won't be any other cookies to tempt you.

Sometimes all you need is a little taste, and if a huge portion is in front of you, you'll just eat it out of habit. So make tinier versions of your favorite foods. This works great with desserts like these mini vegan strawberry cheesecakes, but you can also make savory foods like these quinoa pizza bites.

Whether you're baking cookies, muffins, brownies, or bars, double the amount you make by making the portions half the size. So if the recipe yields 12 cookies, make 24 smaller cookies.

Sometimes you just want to sit down to an enormous bowl or plate of whatever you crave, so find ways to enjoy lower-calorie versions. That way you can eat a regular or even larger amount but consume way fewer calories. One serving of these spinach chips is just 75 calories but will satisfy your need for something salty.

If ice cream is what you crave and you can't help yourself from eating an entire pint, making bite-size ice cream bites will satisfy your need for something cold and sweet. One of these chocolate chip banana ice cream bites is just 39 calories!

Whether you're making a big batch of steel-cut oats, rice, or quinoa, it's easy to keep going back to the pot for extra spoonfuls. Right away, divide it into individual portions — you can freeze oatmeal in a muffin tin or measure out half-cup portions of rice or quinoa and put them in plastic freezer bags.

Since you measure out everything ahead of time, overnight oats is one of the best breakfasts for portion control. Everything fits perfectly in that little eight-ounce mason jar, so you won't be tempted to add in extras. You can even make ahead five at a time — just grab one in the morning so you won't need to stop at the local coffee shop for a scone.

If you're the kind of person who needs a very regimented daily diet, pack everything the night before and label it with calorie amounts. That way your portions are set for the entire day, for every meal and snack, so you're less likely to mindlessly nosh.

If you happily just throw healthy ingredients into your blender for your breakfast smoothie, it's easy to go way overboard and blend up 800 calories or more! To save time and keep smoothies under 400 calories, prep these smoothie freezer packs ahead of time so you can grab one in the morning and know you'll soon be sipping on a portion-controlled smoothie.

Hitting up the salad bar at noon gets two thumbs up, but you can easily end up with a bowl that's twice the calories you need with all those delicious toppings. Make your salads ahead of time so you know exactly what you're eating. These protein-packed salads made with tofu, black beans, and quinoa are 431 calories.

Whether you've prepped a big brunch or a lovely dinner, assemble your plate in the kitchen and put the rest away in the fridge so you're not tempted to go back for second and third helpings.

Packing lunch doesn't instantly mean you're cutting calories — you need to pack a meal that's between 400 and 500 calories. A fun way to make that happen is by using divided containers like ones from Yumbox or Bentology.

Downsize your plates and bowls, because the less you can fit on and in them, the smaller your portions. You can even use kid-size utensils to encourage you to eat smaller bites.