It doesn’t matter what diet you follow. To lose weight, you’ve got to know when to ease back on your portions.

Easier said than done when you're faced with a giant bowl of your Mum’s home cooked bolognese however.

But there is no denying that our portion sizes have increased dramatically over the past ten years and many people have no clue about what represents a normal sized portion in the first place.

The net result is that the majority of people are overeating.

Those excess calories derail our weight loss efforts and in fact result in weight gain, because we are in a calorie surplus.

The ultimate answer is to weigh and measure your food, but that is time consuming and tedious.

In an effort to keep on track with your eating, use these simple cues to keep your portion sizes under control:-

(1) SAY NO TO DIET FOODS - Fat-free and low-cal means hyper palatable foods that are easy to overeat. Many packaged foods are so low in one nutrient like fat, sugar, or calories, that they're ridiculously high in another.

(2) LOAD UP ON VEGETABLES - Fill half of your plate with vegetables, one-quarter with protein, and one-quarter with carbs. Increasing vegetables, automatically decreases portion sizes of more calorically dense foods, like pasta and bread.

(3) MOVE AWAY FROM LEFTOVERS - I'd never endorse wasting food, but it doesn’t mean you need to finish off everyone else’s plate. Avoid the temptation to polish off children’s meals or to nibble leftovers on the side.

(4) 20 MIN RULE - Think you haven’t had enough? Wait for about 20 minutes before reaching for a second helping. It can take a little while for your stomach to signal to the brain that it's full. Avoid the temptation to keep eating.

(5) CUT YOUR FOOD BEFORE SITTING - When you cut up your food, it automatically takes up way more space on your plate, which psychologically can help you feel like your meal will be more fulfilling.