Now, dietitians at Rutgers University have added another wrinkle to America's growing waistline problem: portion distortion.

That is, you think the amount of food you're putting on your plate is appropriate when, in fact, it's not - and far above what the nutritional label says is a "serving size."

For the past few years, restaurants have increased their portion sizes substantially, but that extra amount also has filtered down to the family dining table.

Here are 10 tips you can follow to keep from getting trapped by portion distortion:

•  Start by reducing your regular portions a little at a time to avoid hunger pangs;

•  Know what standard servings are for your favorite foods and learn how to measure them;

•  Avoid all-you-can-eat buffets;

•  Ask for a to-go bag when you do dine out, and put half of your order in it immediately upon being served to take home for a future meal;

•  Let your friends know who are inviting you over for dinner that you're watching your weight and portions;

•  Carry fruit with you to work or while driving;

•  Ask yourself  "Do I really need that much" and "Do I really need that many?" when at home or in a restaurant;

•  Eat a salad before your main course, just be careful what kinds of calorie-laden stuff you put on the salad;

•  Never eat snacks right out of the bag, but buy snack foods in portion-controlled packages - and only eat one package at a time;

•  Keep seconds out of sight and banish food-filled bowls from the dinner table.

Recent research shows that, when larger portions are put in front of us, we automatically eat more than we ordinarily would. So, for Americans accustomed to oversized meals, cutting down the size of the portions we eat should cause little discomfort and should contribute to slow yet steady weight loss.

Source: American Institute for Cancer Research

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