Reaching your ideal weight may be as simple as decreasing your portion size. Florida, like the rest of America, is in the midst of a health crisis that shows a strong correlation with overeating. To O`Reilly, the current obesity epidemic looks bleak. "We need to take control of our individual health," said Monica O`Reilly, owner and manager of Gainesville`s Fit for Life, a fitness center. "We can all do something to make us healthier." In 2005, 60.7 percent of Floridian adults were overweight or obese according to the Florida Department of Health Web site. "It`s going to get a lot worse," she said. Many health-related studies indicate limiting portion size may be a key element in combating this crisis. Research headed by Dr. Barbara Rolls, Ph.D., professor of nutritional sciences at Penn State University, experimented with large portion sizes and their part in the epidemic. "Living in the age of super-size meals and "huge foods," our study shows that there is a great need for people to become aware of what and how much food they are served," Rolls said in a news release on The Obesity Society Web site. Rolls concluded that people should avoid feeling compelled to finish every item on their plates. "Thin people have a relaxed relationship with food. Those who are overweight, however, tend to be preoccupied by it. They focus on how much or how often they eat, or attach labels like good and bad to certain foods. As a result, mealtime is always on the brain," said David L. Katz, MD, an associate professor adjunct in public health at Yale University, according to the article "How Thin People Stay Thin". Ending this preoccupation can start with realizing that hunger is not always an emergency. "If you fear hunger, you might routinely overeat to avoid it," said Judith S. Beck, Ph.D., author of the Beck Diet Solution, according to the same article posted on BlackDoctor.org. In the article, Beck recommends creating a diet of routine foods to help reduce the desire to overindulge. She calls this routine a "food groove" of well-planned food staples. "There are a few surprises thrown in, but for the most part, their [thin people] diets are fairly predictable," Beck said. Eating sensibly can be even harder when away at college. Many college students find themselves frequently eating and eating at late hours. "In college it`s hard to eat healthy because I`m always snacking and I`m on a weird eating schedule. I find myself staying up late and eating," said Jilian Frey, a UF finance junior. Joe Siara, graduate assistant of strength and conditioning at UF`s Rec Sports, says most college students are educated enough to consume reasonable portion sizes, it`s just a matter of them making the right the choices. Siara suggests drinking lots of water. "Don`t drink your calories. A can of soda has 200 calories," Siara said. "If you cut out a soda a day, that`s a pound of fat in two weeks." | 
