A typical daily food plan tells you how much of each food you can eat. However, many people are not very clear on portion sizes.

You will need to measure and weigh your foods until you can recognize a typical portion by sight. For a couple of weeks, use measuring cups, spoons and a food scale to measure out exact quantities of all the food you eat. In time, you'll recognize what a half-cup of rice or 3 ounces of meat looks like and you can stop measuring.

Where and how you eat is important, too. If you eat while watching TV or talking on the phone, you may be consuming more than you realize. Or, maybe you eat certain foods just because they're there, like those from vending machines. A lot of overeating has more to do with habit than hunger. If you're an overeater, it's important to figure out what triggers your eating. Then you can take steps to eliminate them.

Following are steps for improving your eating behavior:

• Keep a food diary that includes when you eat, what you eat and where you eat.
• Plan your meals.
• Eat slowly. Put your fork down between mouthfuls, or at least swallow what's in your mouth before loading up the fork again.
• Have celery and carrots on hand to eat.
• Don't buy temptation foods such as potato chips and cookies.
• At home, eat only in the kitchen or dining room to help keep you from overeating while watching TV or doing other activities.
• Say no to second helpings and to problem foods.
• Avoid boredom eating. Post reminders on the refrigerator and cupboards of other activities you can do instead of eating.