It is an obvious principle that any successful weight loss requires less calories in than one is taking in now. However, portions have exploded since the 70's. Supersized servings of french fries and sodas are often two to five times larger than when they were introduced. In order to downsize your portions one must know the portion sizes of today and realize the difference in portion sizes when they were introduced.
The Burger King hamburger in 1954 went from 2.8 oz and 202 calories to 4.3 oz. and 310 calories today. Macdonald's french fries went from 2.4 oz and 210 calories