Super simple diet trick THAT ISN'T SPAM!

runfatmanrun

I used to try and do this. Then I realized that some of my meals didn't fit on smaller plates even if they were in my caloric range. I think it's a good way to get a rough idea but if you are already tracking the ingredients of your meal or weighing your ice cream, then the size of the serving dish is irrelevant. I do use a smaller dish for my ice cream but I still know how many grams of ice cream I am eating...and it's usually not enough.

Gloria67648

I like using smaller plates & bowls. And if someone else is dishing up the servings I suggest that they give me a toddler size portion.

Birder155

I've been using smaller plates for several years now and while I agree that it looks like I have a heartier portion of food than I do, I still weigh in the 250s.

SnuggleSmacks

I take my ice cream seriously, and I'm thinking maybe it's time to invest in some of these:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008GOZWDM/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=2V9GMSH9837FA&coliid=I1GKWIUFQY5TI5

bukowski_shine

Lot of posts here saying 'I fill my large plates/bowls with food/ice-cream etc and if I buy smaller plates I will eat less of it.' Now the question is don't you guys measure what you eat? Then how do you count calories?

And if you measure it and it fits your calories then what's the need for smaller utensils?

Janice2Shakira

Lot of posts here saying 'I fill my large plates/bowls with food/ice-cream etc and if I buy smaller plates I will eat less of it.' Now the question is don't you guys measure what you eat? Then how do you count calories?

And if you measure it and it fits your calories then what's the need for smaller utensils?

I measure, for sure. I just like the smaller bowl bc my serving of ice cream doesn't seem so small. It's a mental thing

SnuggleSmacks

From what I've read, the point of smaller dishes isn't just to control portions, it's to make those portions more satisfying. Ice cream is a great example. If you measure a correct serving of ice cream into a cereal bowl, it will be this small little lump melting in a sea of empty space. If you put the exact same amount of ice cream into a fancy tea cup, it will be this big mound of creamy goodness piled up to the rim. It looks different, it feels different, and it's way more satisfying.

emblu

Another study also found that using larger cutlery does a similar mental trick as the small plate.............. but this could cause some problems if the spoon is too big to use with a dinky bowl lol

crepes_

I do this all the time! It definitely helps. I use the smaller salad plates for all meals, and use the larger dinner plates, oddly enough... only when I'm eating salad! When the plate looks full, I start off the meal with the mindset that this is a big meal and will be filling. That kind of conditioning works very well for me.

pearlmullet

The flip side of this phenomenon totally happened to me - an old roommate bought ginormous plates that must have been on sale somewhere, and we all stuffed ourselves for a few weeks before we realized what was happening.

WatchJenShrink

I use divided toddler plates. My doctor had me start using them for portion control and now I have a collection of them.

BigT555

Lot of posts here saying 'I fill my large plates/bowls with food/ice-cream etc and if I buy smaller plates I will eat less of it.' Now the question is don't you guys measure what you eat? Then how do you count calories?

And if you measure it and it fits your calories then what's the need for smaller utensils?

mentality. you feel like you've eaten more since the food looks relatively larger compared to the plate, and we all know that hunger is mostly a mental sensation

shawnakatiebohn

This trick does work, and I'm amazed at how large our plates have grown over the generations. A friend of mine bought an old farmhouse and was flummoxed to find that his 'modern' plates wouldn't even fit in the kitchen cabinets!

I take it one step further and use tiny 'baby' spoons to eat ice cream and other rich treats.

msf74

Which black dot is smaller?



They are actually the same size...

jkal1979

I don't use smaller plates, but they do have a pattern around the outside of the plate which makes them seem smaller.

paperpudding

Another study also found that using larger cutlery does a similar mental trick as the small plate.............. but this could cause some problems if the spoon is too big to use with a dinky bowl lol

That's interesting - I find the opposite works for me - ie eating ice cream with a teaspoon instead of a normal size spoon - takes longer to eat and seems more filling that way.

dpwellman

Eating ice cream with a chopstick. . .

Iron_Feline

this was on the local news about a month ago actually, they took 2 random groups of people and let them eat at a buffet. one group used smaller plates, and the items on the buffet were put in order of healthiest to least healthy, and the line started at the healthy end. the second group had larger plates and the line started at the unhealthy end. the first group ate like 600 less calories on average for the meal than the second group

Terrible skewed experiment - both should have started at the same end - two changed variables means you cannot draw any meaningful conclusion to this experiment.

Either plate size should have changed and the all started at the same end

OR

plate size remain the same and they start at different ends.

Doing it the way they did made it sure that the larger plates would eat more. :noway:



That being said I do think it can help with the mental aspect of just serving yourself less.

iasue

I have been doing this for quite a while. I have what you would call salad or 'lunch' plates and use them for just about everything. I also use smaller bowls for cereal and small ramekins when I have any kind of dessert.

BigT555

this was on the local news about a month ago actually, they took 2 random groups of people and let them eat at a buffet. one group used smaller plates, and the items on the buffet were put in order of healthiest to least healthy, and the line started at the healthy end. the second group had larger plates and the line started at the unhealthy end. the first group ate like 600 less calories on average for the meal than the second group

Terrible skewed experiment - both should have started at the same end - two changed variables means you cannot draw any meaningful conclusion to this experiment.

Either plate size should have changed and the all started at the same end

OR

plate size remain the same and they start at different ends.

Doing it the way they did made it sure that the larger plates would eat more. :noway:



That being said I do think it can help with the mental aspect of just serving yourself less.

the experiment was simply to show how little things can effect how many calories you end up eating in a meal, not necessarily specifically the effects of smaller plates, i should have clarified that

amethyst7986

this was on the local news about a month ago actually, they took 2 random groups of people and let them eat at a buffet. one group used smaller plates, and the items on the buffet were put in order of healthiest to least healthy, and the line started at the healthy end. the second group had larger plates and the line started at the unhealthy end. the first group ate like 600 less calories on average for the meal than the second group

Terrible skewed experiment - both should have started at the same end - two changed variables means you cannot draw any meaningful conclusion to this experiment.

Either plate size should have changed and the all started at the same end

OR

plate size remain the same and they start at different ends.

Doing it the way they did made it sure that the larger plates would eat more. :noway:



That being said I do think it can help with the mental aspect of just serving yourself less.

^^ This

And having a smaller plate doesn't matter if you don't know what portion control is. Remember you may not be able to expand out sideways but you can pile your food higher!

edited for spelling

George_Baileys_Ghost

Are you a black magic specialist? Your name should be Baba Ji!

:P

But seriously, this idea does help, especially if combined with weighing and measuring. You get the right amount and the psychological impact is a plus.

Iron_Feline

this was on the local news about a month ago actually, they took 2 random groups of people and let them eat at a buffet. one group used smaller plates, and the items on the buffet were put in order of healthiest to least healthy, and the line started at the healthy end. the second group had larger plates and the line started at the unhealthy end. the first group ate like 600 less calories on average for the meal than the second group

Terrible skewed experiment - both should have started at the same end - two changed variables means you cannot draw any meaningful conclusion to this experiment.

Either plate size should have changed and the all started at the same end

OR

plate size remain the same and they start at different ends.

Doing it the way they did made it sure that the larger plates would eat more. :noway:



That being said I do think it can help with the mental aspect of just serving yourself less.

the experiment was simply to show how little things can effect how many calories you end up eating in a meal, not necessarily specifically the effects of smaller plates, i should have clarified that

That makes more sense.

And to be fair - it's one of my pet hates when they do "experiments" like this on TV - forcing the outcome.

BrainyBurro

not to throw a damper on this whole theory... but how do you explain chubby blind people? :huh:

NinjaJinja

I deliberately did this trick on myself the other night. Was really craving a cookie in a mug, but those are like 500 calories, so I settled for just eating a portion of chocolate chips (70 calories). My little teacup was dirty (from having a cookie in a mug in it, lol) so I got out one of my huge soup mugs (because for some reason I love huge coffee mugs even though they are always like half full when I make a cup). 15 grams of chocolate chips looks so disappointingly small in the huge soup mug. So I put the mug back and I got out the 1/4 cup measuring cup and put them in there. Looked a lot more satisfying in that, lol.

Galatea_Stone

I agree in part. Smaller plates seem to work a little. The only time it works against me is when I put the food on a smaller plate and am hungry when I'm done and go back and fill another small plate. 2 small plates is more than one big plate. Therefore, I still weigh everything on the kitchen scale and put it on whichever plate it fits.

RaspberryKeytoneBoondoggle

It sounds like you're on to something Op. I think this works for many people to help with portion control. It doesn't work for me though. I have tried this but I just go back for seconds. I need to measure and log, it's the only way I can be accountable to myself.

paperpudding

not to throw a damper on this whole theory... but how do you explain chubby blind people? :huh:

Nobody is saying this trick works for everybody - just that it,is a. Handy trick that many find works for them.

JoelleAnn78

im 47 years of age and started menopause a little early and I find it very hard to lose weight.. any suggestions? I work out 5-6 days a week. im very frustrated as I never had this problem before.

JoelleAnn78

I also find this is helpful - smaller plates make the portion seem larger. And, I have also been known to use a toddler spoon to make the ice cream last longer.