How big are your dishes?

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k2d4p
k2d4p Posts: 441 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Weird question I know. I just wanted to know if others do this. I saw on Dr. Oz that one small change you can make to eat less is to get smaller dishes. He said your dinner plate should be no bigger that 9 inches across. Cereal bowls should only hold something like 2 or 3 measuring cups of food at capacity.

I took this to heart about a year ago and for me, it really works. The dishes that I eat on on pretty small. It really helps to eat less.

Anyone else do this??

Replies

  • fateschild
    fateschild Posts: 114 Member
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    I totally use this one. I use the little 1/2 cup serving bowls that we have for the toddler. Great way of keeping my portion sizes down.
  • Enchantica
    Enchantica Posts: 117
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    I've used a regular side plate as my main dinner plate for quite some time now. In my head I have a full plate therefore I have plenty of food! Before swapping to a side plate I'd pile my dinner plate up with food. As a child I wasn't allowed to leave the dinner table until my plate was empty. Now I find it pretty much impossible to stop eating even if I'm full. It just seems so very wasteful (and no - I can't get it into my head to put less food on a regular plate - if there's room on the plate I've not got enough food!) If there's food on my plate I have to finish it! :( Parents eh? We have a lot to answer for!
  • sculptcha
    sculptcha Posts: 163 Member
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    This is a good idea in theory, but I like HUGE salads, so I need large plates. Also, I measure/weigh everything anyway, so dish size isn't as much of an issue. I'll keep it mind for when I get to goal weight and become less obsessive about portions though, it makes a lot of sense.
  • julala1979
    julala1979 Posts: 3 Member
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    I actually went out and bought smaller plates - still dinner plate size, but standard rather than the over-sized ones we used to use. The new set came with some pasta bowls (slightly smaller again than the plates) - I tend to use these for my meal most nights and it has really helped!
  • annacataldo
    annacataldo Posts: 872 Member
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    The idea is good, but if u measure food its not an issue. I also couldn't imagine fitting a salad, a steamed veggie and a chicken breastand a side like rice or baked potatoe (standard dinner for me) all on a small plate without knocking stuff off my plate...I don't like seeing my bowls only half full of cereal but I measue cereal out so I don't pour too much. Now smaller cups I def need! Its a hassle to dirty a meausuring cup just to get a cup of milk or juice.
  • stevemcknight
    stevemcknight Posts: 647 Member
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    Most of my meals are between 1,000 and 2,000 calories. Often I need 2 plates to hold it. :(
  • Sara7Taylor
    Sara7Taylor Posts: 112 Member
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    I have roommates so we share all the dishes, so we have all sizes of dishes. But I use the side plates, about 7 inches across for all my meals. It really has helped! :)
  • redfroggie
    redfroggie Posts: 591 Member
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    I have measuring cups and a scale for EVERYTHING! I could pile up an entire buffet on a saucer, plate size doesn't matter to me LOL.
  • Barneystinson
    Barneystinson Posts: 1,357 Member
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    I have square plates from IKEA. I think they're 9-10" across. I need large plates to hold large cuts of meat :D

    Same for salad bowls. I like some leftover room in the bowl to mix the salad around.

    However...bowls for sides or treats? I keep small portioned bowls that hold about 1/2-1 cup. Works well for fruit or dairy servings.
  • dls06
    dls06 Posts: 6,774 Member
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    Portion control is what matters. You can still pile it on a small plate or go for seconds. You have to make the decision to stick within the portion size no matter how big or small your plate is.
  • Mkleder
    Mkleder Posts: 289
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    I do this. My dishes are Fiestaware and they offer a nice selection of smaller dishes, berry bowls, cereal bowls, luncheon plates, etc. While I still measure, the smaller dishes provide a mental satisfaction that large and nearly empty plates don't; as well as a safety net for those few times I'm in a huge rush and have to eyeball my serving instead of measure (I eat a lot of the same foods regularly, so my guesses are pretty accurate).


    There is just something motivating about a cute, small bowl ....maybe I relate it to cute, small me?
  • Zeromilediet
    Zeromilediet Posts: 787 Member
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    We use 7" salad plates for dinners; the set came with soup bowls that we use for salads--I love big salads as well. I make one big one in a salad bowl and then can dish up second helpings.

    We've been using the smaller plate concept for about a year after reading about a report of several studies that show visual cues affect how much you eat. One interesting item was that it you're having something ribs or wings and clear away the pile of bones as you eat, you'll be more likely to consume more because you have no evidence of how much has been eaten thus far; better to let it pile up.

    You can read more about this by googling eating visual cues.

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