WEIGH TO GO; SMALLER PORTIONS THE KEY TO HOLIDAY DINING, NOT GORGING.

Byline: Phil Davis Staff Writer

Go ahead and eat a little of everything in this food-rich holiday season - just be sure to put emphasis on little.

That slice of pumpkin pie should be only 1 to 1-1/2 inches at the crust, roughly the size of a travel-size tube of toothpaste. And that heaping helping of turkey and gravy should really only be about 3 ounces of meat, the size of a deck of playing cards. The gravy should only fill a ping-pong ball.

Blasphemy, you say? Thanksgiving is supposed to be a feast. But the feast, nutritionists say, should be a smorgasbord of delightful tastes, not a gut-busting contest to see who can pack away the most food.

The key is to think small. It's called portion control - a recipe for survival that's not likely to sit well with overindulgent Americans who live in a world where, at least when it comes to food and cars, bigger is better.

Trouble is, waistlines are getting bigger, too. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta estimate that half of all Americans are overweight and that roughly 22 percent of the nation is obese, defined as having fat comprise more than 20 percent of a person's total body weight. It's a national epidemic with a simple cause: America suffers from a calorie surplus and an exercise deficit.

``Really, portion control is the way to go,'' said Patty Carbone, a registered dietitian at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Woodland Hills. ``What you're doing is satisfying a need, getting a taste - because we all enjoy the taste of our foods - but you're not overdoing it.''

Nutritionists blame the popularity of fat-free foods for much of the problem. When a wave of fat-free products hit the shelves in the early 1990s, consumers figured if they avoided fatty foods, they wouldn't gain weight.

But the body doesn't see it that way. It takes in calories - the body's fuel - and burns what it needs. The rest is packed away in the form of fat.

``There are so many mixed messages,'' said Carrie Latt Wiatt, a registered nutritionist and Hollywood's ``diet diva'' to the stars. ``I say a calorie is a calorie is a calorie. Bring them all down.''

Wiatt's book, ``Portion Savvy'' (Pocket Books; $24), stands out among other diet books because it espouses portion control over the all-protein, all-grapefruit or all-cabbage soup diets that make nutritionists cringe.

``Statistics show that 90 to 95 percent of the weight people lose on any those kinds of diets will be regained, so what's the point?'' said Karen Collins, a registered dietitian who works with the Washington, D.C.-based American Institute for Cancer Research.

But studies also show people are lousy at sizing up what they eat. And since not everyone can afford to hire Wiatt to deliver properly portioned gourmet meals each day, learning how much is too much is going to take a little homework.

Here are some tips on learning to eyeball proper portions:

Use visual cues. A 3-ounce serving of meat or protein is roughly the size of a deck of cards, a woman's palm (fingers not included) or a cassette tape. A serving of starch - mashed potatoes, corn, etc. - should equal a tennis ball. A baked potato should be the size of a woman's fist. And a fruit cup should equal about six cotton balls.

Measure it out. It's tough to imagine what half a cup of corn looks like. Take time to measure out the proper portions (which are listed on the nutrition label) and size them up. After a while, it will become easy to eyeball the proper portion. Another suggestion: Dish out a meal as you would normally eat it, then measure out the proper portions. The excess food, or calories, was probably headed straight for your gut or thighs.

Remember: Bigger is not always better. When eating out, split an entree with a friend or ask for a doggie bag up front so you can portion out the proper amounts before you start eating. A typical 12-ounce steak is about four times the proper portion size.

Go green. Fill up on green vegetables such as broccoli, peas, green beans and lettuce. ``If there is not a sauce or gravy, you can have as much as you like,'' Carbone said. ``Light on the butter, please.''

Listen to your body. Stop eating when you feel satisfied, not full. ``Sometimes we're thinking we've had enough when we can't eat another bite or we don't want anymore,'' Collins said. ``But when you can't eat another bite, you've already overeaten.'' Instead of eating something just because it tastes good, save it for later when you're actually hungry - the body's signal it needs more fuel for energy.

Take a walk. Unfortunately, just cutting back on the calories won't do the trick because the body will consume muscle as well as fat. This means a feast - at Thanksgiving or any time of the year - should be followed by a walk. The standard prescription for normal exercise is at least 20 minutes of exercise that boosts your heart rate three to five days a week. In this case, more is better - especially for people packing extra pounds.

``People somehow have the idea that an important part of the holidays is getting stuffed,'' Collins said. ``To be honest, if people overeat on this one day, it's going to have very little impact on their weight. But we continue this mode of thinking from November at least through January, and for many people it continues 365 days a year and that's a problem.''

CAPTION(S):

2 Photos, box

Photo: (1 -- cover -- color) Neither feast nor famine

Control portions to keep holiday calories in check

On the cover: Table setting furnished by Pier 1 Imports.

(2) Your slice of pumpkin pie should be about 1 to 1-1/2 inches at the crust, or roughly the size of a travel-size tube of toothpaste.

Gus Ruelas/Daily News

Box: no caption (Cover table setting)