Smaller Plate... happier brain

MireyGal76

I posted this on my wall, and thought I'd share:

One thing that I have been doing over the past year and a half, is simple really, but effective...
I use a smaller plate. I don't use a dinner plate, but rather a salad one. It helps with psychological portion control..

I still have a full plate, but not as big a portion. And I don't feel nearly as guilty if i want to have "seconds".

Try it... you might find it works.

For the heck of it, I then googled weight loss and plate size and found these (among quite a few others):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Small_Plate_Movement
http://breakingmuscle.com/nutrition/lose-weight-smaller-plates-science-weighs-dishsize-and-calories


Will it SOLVE ALL DA PROBLEMZ??? No, but it's an easy and fairly cheap change you can make.

LoraF83

I do this sometimes. I also use a smaller bowl for ice cream. I save calories at night for a treat - 1/2 cup to 1 cup of ice cream (weighed and measured!). And if I put it in a smaller bowl, it looks like a ton. It's still the same amount, but my brain looks at it like it's a pint of B&Js instead of a small portion of Edy's Slow Churned (which is great, but not B&Js).

lacurandera1

This also works for me. And has the added bonus of losing even more calories as I drop food on the floor bc I still try to fill the plate all the way.

:sad:

Ninkyou

If only I had salad plates... lol!

I've actually started using my daughter's toddler plates... cause they're easy to wash and come in a myriad of colors and pictures on them. Makes me feel young again.

Hahahaha.

wheird

I do not do this, but I can understand how it might give someone who is struggling a psychological edge.

qtgonewild

i couldnt get all my veggies and yummy meat on a small salad plate.

fruttibiscotti

I don't get it. You say you use a small plate and then go for seconds? How does that work?

abatonfan

I wish there were more stylish and small plates. I'm diabetic (type 1) and need to measure and carb count everything I eat in order to prevent having really high or really low blood glucose levels. Most of the time, it equates to 1 cup or less of most carbs I eat (excluding vegetables, cheese, and salads), but most of the bowls/plates my family uses are 3+ cups. Every morning, I now have to dine with the Disney Princesses or Tony the Tiger and use a child's 1-cup bowl, because my cereal looks pitiful in anything larger.

MireyGal76

I don't get it. You say you use a small plate and then go for seconds? How does that work?

I used to go for 'seconds' with the larger plate from time to time. Even with going for the occasional round of 'seconds', on the smaller plate size, my overall portion size is decreasing by 15 - 20%, if not more.

MireyGal76

I wish there were more stylish and small plates. I'm diabetic (type 1) and need to measure and carb count everything I eat in order to prevent having really high or really low blood glucose levels. Most of the time, it equates to 1 cup or less of most carbs I eat (excluding vegetables, cheese, and salads), but most of the bowls/plates my family uses are 3+ cups. Every morning, I now have to dine with the Disney Princesses or Tony the Tiger and use a child's 1-cup bowl, because my cereal looks pitiful in anything larger.

In Canada, Wal-Mart sells open stock Corelle... Those are the plates I bought - individually - to match the same pattern I have for the set.

EmilyJackCO

I do this as well - to the point where I'm considering donating all of my larger dishes. I go to Cost Plus and get the little one offs in the clearance section for next to nothing. I even have baby silverware. I definitely eat more when I use the bigger plates, or I want more. I find I'm too lazy get up for seconds, and I'd rather pack away the leftovers for another meal.

The other thing that I do is use tea cups for various little things rather than bowls. It works really well. It also helps with weighing and getting a better sight. AND, I don't have to run the dishwasher as often, though I run out of dishes first. :P

SapiensPisces

I do this also, especially for lunch and pasta dishes. It does help a bit with the psychological "must clean plate" problem.

kgeyser

I remember this from when I was growing up, it was a recommended "diet trick" then. It is true about the size, and it also works in reverse. Think about a pint of Ben and Jerry's ice cream, people don't realize how many calories are in it because it seems so small compared to the gallon sizes right next to it in the freezer.

likitisplit

I wish there were more stylish and small plates. I'm diabetic (type 1) and need to measure and carb count everything I eat in order to prevent having really high or really low blood glucose levels. Most of the time, it equates to 1 cup or less of most carbs I eat (excluding vegetables, cheese, and salads), but most of the bowls/plates my family uses are 3+ cups. Every morning, I now have to dine with the Disney Princesses or Tony the Tiger and use a child's 1-cup bowl, because my cereal looks pitiful in anything larger.

http://www.slimware.com/

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/90133487/

judyde

I've actually started using my daughter's toddler plates... cause they're easy to wash and come in a myriad of colors and pictures on them. Makes me feel young again.

And this way your mashed potatoes won't touch your peas!!!

MireyGal76

I've actually started using my daughter's toddler plates... cause they're easy to wash and come in a myriad of colors and pictures on them. Makes me feel young again.

And this way your mashed potatoes won't touch your peas!!!

:laugh:

I have a bad piggies / angry birds plate for the girls that we use to have bacon and eggs on... I love the irony of it all!

elyelyse

Yup! I tend to make a lot of foods that get all mixed together, so I eat from a bowl. I used to use this HUGE bowl, and fill it to the brim. I started to use a bowl about half that size, and found that I was completely satisfied with the amount, and still have that feeling of eating a heaping bowl of food.
Omg I used to eat cereal outta that thing. It must have been 5 or more "servings" . That bowl is retired now, and high up on a shelf that's hard to reach.

Cortelli

This kind of post is easy to dismiss because it sounds a bit goofy at first. But the human mind is so powerful it can often trick itself in all sorts of ways :huh:

I don't really do this with food, but I sometimes do something similar with cardio. Not a huge cardio fan but do it pretty regularly. On those days when I am not so into it, doing two rounds of 20 min (or four rounds of 10 min) is so much more palatable than plugging 40 mins into a machine -- even when I *know* with certainty that I am going to do 40 minutes total. Logic goes out the window; just as clear-sighted knowledge of how much food is on the plate, regardless of plate size, goes out the window when presented with the visual. And for some the brain is indeed happier.

Nice post, OP :flowerforyou: