Tip #3 pretty much describes itself. Basically, while you’re using this tip, you can eat practically anything. By practically, I mean that it’s not an endorsement to have a bag of chicharon, a kilo of suman, or a bilao of pancit. I mean instead of a hotdog sandwich with tons of caramelized onions and a spoonful of mayo, you have half a hotdog sandwich with half the onions and half a spoonful of mayo. Used to having your sandwich with a glass of juice? Have half a glass of juice.

Now this tip has to be handled with care because it can have many loopholes that people will use to get what they want and end up with high fat and very little nutrients. Use it if you’re the kind of person who has a difficult time putting down the fork during – or after! – a meal. If you’re the type who sits down for dinner and expects to have two platefuls of rice and three porkchops, this could be the perfect tip for you. It’s also just the thing if you can’t imagine depriving yourself of all the great food around you. This way, you get to taste everything but less than usual, which isn’t a bad deal at all.

You could decide to use this tip in a variety of ways – at every meal if you just want to curb amounts and fat content, only at certain meals where you have a tendency to pig out, or only on special occasions like when you’re visiting your grandma and she’d be hurt if you didn’t eat every type of dish or sweet she prepared just for you. But the best time to use it is at a party. Instead of feeling deprived because you can’t touch your favorite Creamy Fettuccine that your cousin makes so well, or can’t imagine not having your usual huge chunk of lechon at the next fiesta, this is the way to go. But here is where you have to pay attention. A client asked me once why I didn’t just say to "eat everything in moderation" instead of calling it Half Portions. My answer is simple – because this tip isn’t about moderation, it’s about eating exactly, precisely – a measured half. Not approximately half, not just a "bite" – to be done properly, you should have 50 percent of what you normally eat. This means half the calories, half the fat, half the cholesterol, half the salt and half the sugar. What to do with the other half? If you’re in a restaurant, have it put into a doggie bag before it’s served to you at the table. Out of sight out of mind is very true in this case. If you’re in a fast food place, ask them to half it before they put what you ordered in the box or ask for a knife to be put in the bag if you’re taking it to go. Give it to your kid sister when you get home. Or put it away and have it for your meal later on, or the next day. And don’t try and pussyfoot! Use your biceps and break that corn on the cob in half. Ask for a small coffee when you’re used to ordering the humongoloid cup. And make sure you tell them to put half the whip instead of the usual amount. Usually put in two sugars? You know what to do.

If you’re worried you’ll be eating too little with only half-portions, then you’re likely not the sort of person who needs this tip. The perfect one to benefit from it would be someone who, if they eat only half of their normal intake, will probably still consume 2000+ calories. One male client of mine had a great time on this tip. He loved it so much that he even added his own twist! To feel fuller since he had to get used to consuming less amounts, he would add a glass of nonfat milk at every Half Portions meal, which he was doing five times a day, at breakfast, lunch, merienda, dinner and midnight snack. This way he was also adding nutrients and protein. And he lost about seven pounds in only a month. He chose this tip over the others for the first few months of his program because he felt it was the easiest to follow. His schedule was so hectic that he almost never had time to sit and enjoy a good home-cooked meal. He was always in fast food places and made sure that he got his quota from the four food groups – dairy, grains, meats and french fries. You just couldn’t take him away from his mayo, so I didn’t try. Later on, once he was down about 25 pounds, we slowly worked in the other tips and I’m happy to say he’s satisfied at 40 pounds less than before. Still enjoying his french fries every once in a while, I’m happy to report.

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