Research shows that the more often a person eats out, the more body fat he or she has. Try to prepare more meals at home. Eat out and get take out foods less often. When you do eat away from home, try these 7 tips to help with portion control:

(1) Share your meal. Order a half-portion, or an appetizer as a main meal, or share a meal with a friend. Examples of healthier appetizers include tuna or chicken salad, minestrone soup, and tomato or corn salsas.

(2) Take at least half of your meal home. Ask for a portion of your meal to be boxed up so you will not be tempted to eat more than you need.

(3) Stop eating when you begin to feel full. Focus on enjoying the setting and your friends or family for the rest of the meal.

(4) Avoid large beverages such as “super-size” sugar-sweetened soft drinks. They have a large number of calories. Instead, try drinking water with a slice of lemon. If you want to drink soda, choose a calorie-free beverage or a small sugar-sweetened soft drink.

(5) Order a side salad with your meal. Eating a salad before lunch or dinner is a sure-fire way to keep from overeating as it will help curb your appetite. To reap full portion control benefits from salad, load it up with veggies or lean meat like turkey cubes. The fiber in the veggies will help you feel fuller and the protein from the lean meat will give you an instant energy boost.

(6) Learn what counts as a serving size. For example, the recommended size of a single serving of meat is about 3 ounces, or about the size of a bar of soap. A single serving of cooked pasta is one cup or about the size of a tennis ball.

(7) Avoid buffet-style restaurants. It’s too difficult to control portion sizes when staring at the never-ending food assembled in a buffet.

If you stop at a restaurant, try to choose one that serves a variety of foods such as salads, grilled or steamed entrees, or a plain baked potato. Consider drinking water or low-fat or fat-free milk instead of sugar-sweetened soft drinks with your meal. If you choose a higher fat option like french fries or pizza, order the small size or ask for a single slice of pizza with vegetable toppings such as mushrooms and peppers. Be cognizant of what a serving size consists of for portion control.