Small Plate Theory

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  • grinch031
    grinch031 Posts: 1,679
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    I'm not a believer.

    My own experience is that the quality and quantity of the food I eat in a given meal has a direct effect on my eating habits over the next couple of hours. So in other words my body compensates to get what it wants. So by eating small portions, I'm only delaying the inevitable.
  • k8blujay2
    k8blujay2 Posts: 4,941 Member
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    This made a HUGE difference for cereal consumption when we were starting out. We got ice cream/cereal bowls which are much smaller than the 'soup' bowls that dinner sets come with.

    I laugh every time I see cereal commercials because what they show on TV is probably 2-3 servings worth of cereal and a ton of milk.

    We pretty much weigh portions nowadays though, so the plate size doesn't matter as much.

    Because we don't have cereal bowls, I always use coffee mugs (like the ones that come with the plate sets) that way I'm not tempted to pile it on as I would in a soup bowl.
  • Sl1ghtly
    Sl1ghtly Posts: 855 Member
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    I think it works. All those trips walking to the kitchen for more gravy burns a lot of calories.
  • JNick77
    JNick77 Posts: 3,783 Member
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    If it works for you, do it until it doesn't work anymore.
  • nerdyandilikeit
    nerdyandilikeit Posts: 2,185 Member
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    I'm not a believer.

    My own experience is that the quality and quantity of the food I eat in a given meal has a direct effect on my eating habits over the next couple of hours. So in other words my body compensates to get what it wants. So by eating small portions, I'm only delaying the inevitable.

    I don't eat smaller portions necessarily. I just shove the same amount of food on a smaller plate, and then it looks like more food. I'm not tempted as often to find something else because it looks like a nice sized plate of food.
  • AlayshaJ
    AlayshaJ Posts: 703 Member
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    Doesnt work for me. Nothing can fool my mind when it comes to how much I am eating. I know my stomach all too well!
  • taunto
    taunto Posts: 6,420 Member
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    It is true that psychologically you think you're having a big serving even with a small plate.

    Did you knew that the color red, yellow, orange and basically most bright colors make you feel more hungry too? Try more darker colors (like dark blue) as your plate and see if that helps you too. Notice that many fast food chains use the bright colors (McD's, KFC)
  • SalishSea
    SalishSea Posts: 373 Member
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    I love using a small plate. Especially for dinner. I am still eating a pre-set amount of calories for dinner the small plate just helps me to "see" a full plate. It helps me.

    I also love to use a very pretty fancy small plate. It makes my dinner feel special. Like I am doing a favor for myself.
  • grinch031
    grinch031 Posts: 1,679
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    I think it works. All those trips walking to the kitchen for more gravy burns a lot of calories.

    Yeah perhaps there is a slight metabolic advantage to having to refill your small plate multiple times.
  • MrsTattie
    MrsTattie Posts: 79 Member
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    Yes! Works for me. The first night you think you aren't full. Stand up....walk away! Have some water and allow yourself 15 minutes. If you still feel hungry after that, by all means eat more. The brain has a time-lag of knowing when your stomach is full of around 10 - 15 mins. Smaller plate does NOT mean pile it high! If in doubt, take a pic of your regular plate and then the following time, use the same proportions of each thing so the plate looks like a mini-version of the original (eg meat, veg, rice)

    My problem has been portion control and although I have been eating mainly healthy, it was portion size that had been adding the pounds. I now eat about two-thirds of what I would have eaten (of the same thing) and have increased exercise and have been steadily loosing just over a pound a week. I am not counting calories! (ooops bad Mfp-er here!!)

    Good luck!
  • Riverofbeauty
    Riverofbeauty Posts: 205 Member
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    I think it works. I've always been taught to eat everything on my plate, or it's rude.

    So I just have that habit now, and if I get a big plate with lots on it...well I'm going to eat it all. I have started not to eat everything at restaurants though, because their meals are often just too big.
  • sobriquet84
    sobriquet84 Posts: 607 Member
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    I wouldn't be able to fit my 8oz steak on a small plate.

    The only time I wake up starving is when I binge on carbs at night. It creates a blood sugar crash while I sleep and I wake up immediately wanting carbs.

    I'm usually not hungry until around 11am or later. And I prefer just a couple of nice large meals.

    I'm totally the same.

    My dinner is my big meal of the day. My 8 oz chicken or 8 oz steak or 8 oz salmon with a whole artichoke or bushel of asparagus or my huge leafy greens and spinach salad with half an avocado and 6 oz chicken tossed in won't fit on a 6 inch plate.

    Funny thing is, my dinners are usually around no more than 600 calories.

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