How much should I really be eating?

Dinner plates today are nearly 50% bigger than they were in the 1960s. Restaurant meals, snacks, sharing bags and even drinks have grown in size too. Over time, our eyes adjust, and a larger portion simply starts to look normal.

This means many of us are eating more than we need without ever feeling as though we're overeating. It's not about greed or a lack of control; it's about an environment that has quietly shifted the goalposts.

There's been a lot of debate about whether skipping breakfast or eating late in the evening makes weight loss harder. In truth, the evidence doesn't show a big difference either way. What does seem to help is having some structure around your main meals, so that you're eating the right amount of the right kinds of food, rather than grazing or arriving at dinner ravenous.

The right structure will look different for everyone, depending on work, family and how your body feels, and the programme helps you work out what suits you.

Calorie counting can work for some people, and there's nothing wrong with it if it suits you. But many people find it time-consuming, stressful and difficult to keep up for more than a few weeks. It can also turn food into a numbers game, taking the enjoyment out of eating and making social occasions feel complicated.

More importantly, counting calories doesn't teach you what a balanced meal looks like, or why some meals keep you satisfied for hours while others leave you hungry an hour later. Those are the skills that last a lifetime.

Not all calories are equal when it comes to how full you feel. Some nutrients are particularly good at keeping hunger at bay, and including them in your meals can make it much easier to eat a little less without feeling deprived. Many people are surprised by how much difference small changes to the make-up of their plate can make to their energy and hunger levels through the day.

You'll learn which foods help most, and simple ways to include them in the meals you already enjoy.

Imagine a fairly ordinary day. A large latte and a muffin on the way to work. A meal deal at lunch. A couple of biscuits in the afternoon meeting. Dinner served on a large plate, with seconds because it was so good. Nothing about that day feels excessive, and yet, added together, it may contain far more energy than the body needs.

This is portion creep. It doesn't happen in one big meal, but in lots of small, everyday choices that our environment has made feel normal. Once you start to notice it, though, it's surprisingly easy to adjust, often without feeling that you're eating less at all.

Many people have tried calorie counting and found it exhausting to keep up. The Raiys programme takes a more flexible approach, built around simple, visual ways of building a balanced plate, which work at home, at work or in a restaurant.

You'll also learn why certain foods help you feel fuller for longer, and how it's possible to eat a satisfying volume of food while still reducing the overall energy in your meals.

A few of the beliefs we often hear include:

• "Healthy food means small portions." Many filling, nutritious foods can be enjoyed in generous amounts.
• "I need to weigh everything." There are simple ways to judge portions using things you always have with you.
• "Skipping meals will help me lose weight." For many people, it simply leads to overeating later.
• "Clearing my plate is the polite thing to do." Habits from childhood can stay with us long after they've stopped being helpful.

The aim of Week 3 is to give you flexible tools that you can use in any setting: at home, in the work canteen, at a friend's house or in a restaurant. There's no special equipment, no complicated maths, and no foods that are off limits. Just a clearer picture of what a balanced, satisfying meal looks like for you.

It sounds too good to be true, but it's possible to eat a larger volume of food while taking in less energy overall. Some foods contain a lot of water and fibre, which makes them filling without being energy-dense. Others pack a lot of energy into a small amount. Understanding the difference means you can build meals that feel generous and satisfying, while still supporting your weight goals.

This is one of the most empowering ideas in the whole programme, because it moves the focus away from eating less and towards eating differently. It's covered in the final session of Week 3.

When people try to eat less, they often end up hungry, tired and irritable, and that's when the biscuit tin starts calling. A big part of the reason is that many meals simply aren't built to keep us satisfied.

Protein and fibre both play an important role in how full we feel and how long that feeling lasts. Fibre also supports healthy digestion and steadier energy levels through the day, yet most adults in the UK eat considerably less than the recommended amount. Small, simple changes to include more of both can make it much easier to manage portions without constantly fighting hunger.

In Week 3, you'll learn practical ways to build protein and fibre into everyday meals, including quick breakfasts, packed lunches and family dinners, without needing special ingredients or complicated recipes.

Next time you serve a meal, take a moment to look at your plate before you start eating. How much of it is vegetables? How much is protein? How much is starchy food? There's no right or wrong answer at this stage; simply noticing is the first step. In the course, you'll learn exactly how to use this awareness to build balanced meals with confidence.

Portions and Meal Structure is one of 12 weekly courses in the Raiys Weight Management Programme. Each course is broken down into short sessions of around five minutes, one for each day of the week, so you can fit them around work, family and everything else. Each session ends with a short reflection, something to think about, and a simple action, something to try that day.

You can work through the programme in order, building each week on the last, or, if portions and meal structure is the area you most want to work on, you can go straight to it. Either way, the sessions are designed to be used alongside the BeChange app, which helps you put what you learn into practice in everyday life.

In Week 3 of the programme, you'll learn:

• How meal structure can help you eat the right amount
• Why portion distortion happens, and how to reset your sense of "normal"
• The plate method for building balanced meals
• How protein and fibre help keep you full
• How to measure portions without scales
• Why the volume of food matters as much as the calories

Will I have to give up foods I love?

No. The programme is about balance and portion size, not banning foods. Your favourite foods can still be part of your week.

Is there a set meal plan?

No. You'll learn principles you can apply to the foods you and your family already enjoy.

Does this work for family meals?

Yes. The approaches in Week 3 work well for the whole family, and you won't need to cook separate meals for yourself.

Is this suitable if I'm vegetarian or have dietary requirements?

Yes. The principles in Week 3 apply to all styles of eating, including vegetarian and vegan diets. If you have a medical condition that affects your diet, speak to your GP or dietitian as well.

The Raiys Weight Management Programme is a 12-week, clinician-led digital programme designed to be used alongside the BeChange app. Each week focuses on one course, broken into short five-minute daily sessions, each with a reflection and a simple action to take into your day. It's built on current NICE and SIGN guidance and on proven behaviour-change approaches, and it's written to support you, never to judge you.

This article is for general information only and is not a substitute for personal medical advice. If you have a health condition, take regular medication, are pregnant, or have concerns about your weight or eating, please speak to your GP or healthcare professional before making significant changes. If you have had, or are preparing for, weight loss surgery, please follow the advice of your specialist team.

Dr Laura Coia is a GP Partner in NHS Scotland with over 25 years of clinical experience, and Co-founder and Medical Director of Raiys Digital Health.

Dr Izzy Howat is a Consultant Endocrinologist and NHS Weight Management Specialist, and Weight Management Lead at Raiys Digital Health. She is the author of the Raiys Weight Management Programme.

• National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) (2025). Overweight and obesity management (NG246). London: NICE. (Replaces CG189.)
• Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) (2010). Management of obesity (SIGN 115). Edinburgh: SIGN. (Some recommendations may since have been superseded; read alongside NICE NG246.)
• Jensen MD, Ryan DH, et al. (2013). 2013 AHA/ACC/TOS Guideline for the Management of Overweight and Obesity in Adults. Circulation, 129(25 Suppl 2), S102–S138. Co-sponsored by The Obesity Society.
• NHS. The Eatwell Guide; and How to lose weight safely. nhs.uk
• Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) (2015). Carbohydrates and Health. London: TSO.
• British Obesity & Metabolic Surgery Society (BOMSS). Clinical guidance for patients undergoing bariatric surgery. Relevant only to readers who have had, or are preparing for, weight loss surgery; this programme is a non-surgical behavioural programme.