Who has lost a significant amount of weight using...

Options
jnvdh06
jnvdh06 Posts: 4
in Health and Weight Loss
...Smaller plates

And to add to the question

Has anybody gotten ripped by just eating out of smaller plates, or did you have to add something special as well (ie fasting, more veggies etc)

The reason for asking this question is I tend to overeat in the evening when I eat dinner, and eating out of a small plate seems like a simple, yet effective way to limit my calorie intake.
«1

Replies

  • farway
    farway Posts: 1,264 Member
    Options
    for me it is same size plate but weigh [not eyeball] everything, and yes lots more veg
  • ingeh
    ingeh Posts: 513 Member
    Options
    Iv gone from 180-152lbs in the 8months since my second child was born and on and off using smaller plates. Im going to try it today as when I do it I always eat less as the plate looks like your eating so much but really its just because of the small plate. For example, I just had a bagel on a tiny side plate and im stuffed
  • paulperryman
    paulperryman Posts: 839 Member
    Options
    I've just cut out the junk food and cut back on the amount of meat,so not really smaller plates just smaller portions more often, fruit and veggies every day and less of the obviously bad stuff, should be 20Kg's lost in just over 4 months as of sometime next week

    good idea on the smaller plate tho i can see how mindwise that would trick your body into thinking you're eating more.
  • carolemack
    carolemack Posts: 1,276 Member
    Options
    My brother lost about 100 pounds and he swears it was because he used smaller plates.
  • jnvdh06
    jnvdh06 Posts: 4
    Options
    I struggle with portion control so I would say using a small plate would be an effective way to slim down my portions.

    Luckily, during the day, I control my portions easily, but then I tend to overeat at dinner and crave sweets
  • _Zardoz_
    _Zardoz_ Posts: 3,987 Member
    Options
    Why not just weigh everything? You have to weigh it all to log it anyway so you know the calories it will be more accurate than guessing which is what you will be doing with plate size
  • Delicate
    Delicate Posts: 625 Member
    Options
    Big plates make portions look tiny
    small plates make portions look larger

    it fools your brain, I've naturally progressed to smaller plates since all my portions are small (I do 5-6 meals, as i cant eat large portions now)

    platesize001.jpg
  • jakkisr
    jakkisr Posts: 175 Member
    Options
    Mine has been all about portion control! I eat the same food as I did before just in smaller quantities, I weigh everything, definitely use less oil than before ... Smaller plates do fool the brain but its not the deciding factor! Weigh weigh weigh, every crumb! As i cook most of my own food ive found that the recipe calculator is my best friend :)
  • owieprone
    owieprone Posts: 217 Member
    Options
    yep i started using smaller plates ages ago, my husband eats like a horse and i have the ability to not feel full for a LONG time so used to keep up with him no problems (aside from the weight gain). So started using our smaller side and starter plates for my meals after being on the Cambridge diet for 3 weeks before my wedding to lose the last 3/4 stone that i couldn't shift.. It showed me just how much i was overeating and how much i didn't need to eat.

    I now eat 'child' sized portions and don't feel hungry. I exercise at high intensity 6 days a week, often more than one session (due to running/biking to karate and being a member of a tri club). It's definately worth trying if you have problems with portion control like me imo.
  • HollisGrant
    HollisGrant Posts: 2,022 Member
    Options
    Big plates make portions look tiny
    small plates make portions look larger

    it fools your brain, I've naturally progressed to smaller plates since all my portions are small (I do 5-6 meals, as i cant eat large portions now)

    platesize001.jpg

    Great photo!
  • sunlover89
    sunlover89 Posts: 436 Member
    Options
    I eat a lot of veggies with dinner so it wouldn't really fit on a small plate, also asparagus tends to hang off the edge..
    But yes, if it will fit onto a small plate, it'll go on a small plate.
  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
    Options
    ...Smaller plates

    I'm making some serious body composition changes using bigger plates.... i.e. 10kg ones. I'd like to get 20kg or 45lb ones though. There's only so much space on a barbell to put plates and too many small plates will result in a barbell that's full of plates but isn't all that heavy.

    sorry, couldn't resist :tongue:

    to avoid overeating, I think the size of your plate is largely irrelevent, you can make a conscious effort to put less food on a larger plate. I think that eating more slowly and savouring your food may help a lot of people to learn to listen to their body's signals and stop eating when satisfied. Also, giving yourself permission to stop eating when satisfied rather than feeling compelled to clear your plate (you can put leftovers in the fridge for later if you don't want to waste food). Personally, I'm careful to listen to my body's signals regarding hunger and satiety, but in my experience it only helps for maintaining my weight. It doesn't work when I'm cutting. For that, I need to count calories to be sure I'm actually eating at a deficit. Left to my own devices I eat at maintenance or a slight surplus (which I'm doing on purpose right now as I'm bulking, i.e. lifting heavy, eating when I'm hungry and gaining weight very slowly, which is happening without tracking, but I'm prepared to start tracking again if I'm not seeing the results I want).

    To get ripped (i.e. visible abs, lots of muscle definition) would require cutting for the vast majority of people. And for people that tend to undereat and not feel hungry, they typically have a lot of trouble gaining muscle mass as they struggle to eat enough to do so, so they might find cutting phases easy, but bulking phases really difficult. To sum up I don't think anyone is going to get ripped just through natural appetite control, it's going to take more than that in either bulking or cutting phases (or both for some people). HOWEVER for someone who just wants to get to and then maintain a healthy body fat percentage and not be ripped/shredded, it may work for some, it would probably work for maintenance for many people, while others will need to track their nutrition to be sure they're eating at a deficit for losing fat. A few people may need to continue tracking long term in order to maintain, if their appetite regulatory systems are not functioning as they should (damage to the hypothalamus can cause problems like this, and there's probably also genetic variation in how well people's appetite systems work)
  • KYAliceG
    KYAliceG Posts: 9 Member
    Options
    Besides using a smaller plate, I also make a conscience effort to slow down when I'm eating. To me a smaller plate looks fuller therefore tricking the brain to think it ate more and eating slower gives the stomach time to feel full. If it will help me get this weight off, I'm going to try it if it is common sense .
  • katy_trail
    katy_trail Posts: 1,992 Member
    Options
    i thought this was referring to weight plates.....
    they are as small or big as is challenging for you.

    my plates are the same size. i use volumetrics.
    i want to eat as much food as possible.
    i don't eat shakes, bars,often. i get my nutritents from real food.
    lots of protein, fiber, gallon or more of water.

    if slowing down helps you enjoy your food more, sure do that too.
  • katy_trail
    katy_trail Posts: 1,992 Member
    Options
    ha ha neander we're always on the same page.
  • Amy911Gray
    Amy911Gray Posts: 685 Member
    Options
    Smaller portions--serving sizes and lots of reading. I'm a member of the clean plate club generation so if I leave food I think of the starving children all over the world -- just what I was taught as a child.

    Saying that, I've found that increasing lower calorie foods and eating more of those, eating half portions of starches so that I don't feel deprived of yummy happy foods, and moving more was the secret of my success.

    For some reason, if I don't have three different foods on my plate or at a meal, I feel there is something missing. And of course if there is no "dessert" I just feel like I'm missing something. So there's my plan for the day. I pack my lunchbox for 2 meals and three snacks, making sure to cover the chocolate and peanut butter areas and on Fridays making sure I have room for a Hershey's Nugget or a mini candy bar.

    I did this for 15 months straight and lost 113 pounds. I'm on maintenance now, struggling with the chocolate cream oreo cookies (again--one serving size).
  • MsEndomorph
    MsEndomorph Posts: 604 Member
    Options
    Ok, so I don't attribute my weight loss to smaller plates, but I did switch and I don't feel jilted now that my smaller portions don't make my huge plate look empty. I weight and measure most things, so my calories aren't affected - but still, most of losing weight is emotional and psychological, so every little bit helps :)
  • El_Cunado
    El_Cunado Posts: 359 Member
    Options
    For me same size plates, smaller portions.
  • llkilgore
    llkilgore Posts: 1,169 Member
    Options
    Smaller plates, no, I lost the weight and maintain on the same ones I've used for decades. But I do eat my desserts out of stemmed sherbet dishes, not cereal bowls. They're sized to barely contain a standard serving of something like ice cream and make it look generous.

Categories