Obviously eating less will save you money. It will also have other benefits in the longer term such as beauty and fitness. A well-known actress was asked the secret of staying beautiful. She replied, ‘Put less food into your mouth’. Besides good looks, you will feel more energetic since you don’t have to lug around excess weight. Staying slim also helps with self-esteem. Also you avoid paying to have the fat removed – slimming salons and liposuction are expensive. You will eat less if you:

* Eat only between sunrise and sunset. Traditional health advice from India and China, proven good over 4 millennia, suggests that it is good to abstain from food several hours before sleep. Food at night is not used by the body and is turned into fat. You should studiously avoid eating if you wake up at night. If you are an early riser, defer breakfast as much as possible by taking fluids first. Shortening eating hours is effective in reducing overall food intake, and allows the digestive system to rest longer.
* Learn to cope with a little hunger in the evening and at night. Feeling slightly hungry is normal, especially after dark, whereas being full is not. Proven ways to handle hunger include drinking a little water, and eating fruits with high liquid content (but avoid sweet fruits). Caveat: one should avoid feeling seriously hungry during the day, as the effect is to over-eat at the next meal.
* Start a meal with a little water or soup. This will prevent you from overeating by reducing space in your stomach albeit temporarily. Avoid going to extremes and eating too little as you will get hungry quickly.
* Exercise before you eat. Exercise suppresses the desire for food. Exercising just after sunset, for example, can help you avoid feeling hungry in the evening.
* Eat foods that allow you to feel full for longer.
* Minimize eating out. Besides the expense, you have lesser control over quantity.
o Restaurants try to make you over-order, often aggressively. Learn how to defend against this onslaught. Avoid restaurants that don’t have prices on their menus and don’t display their menus outside unless you already have this information. Determine your budget and the number of dishes before you enter. Don’t be shy to ask the cost of each dish if it is recommended by the waiter. Learn to assert your thriftiness. Tell the waiter: “that’s enough”.
o Share dishes. Example: Don’t be shy to order two meals for 3 persons.