Why are US meal portions so big??

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  • xDawnsgrace
    xDawnsgrace Posts: 436
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    American size 10 for a lady is.. slim, here in UK you are 14-16 and overweight. It's a different world.

    not true. at 145 pounds(13~ pounds overweight) and 5'1" i was a size 10. however, if you look at one of my taller friends, they're size 10, 140 pounds, and 6'1".

    height contributes to size, because shorter people generally have smaller frames. just because someone is a certain size, it doesn't mean they're slim.
  • Otterluv
    Otterluv Posts: 9,083 Member
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    It's a conspiracy by Big Pharm. They are in cahoots with the restaurant industry (and in effect, bit ag) to make us ever fatter, ensuring a continuous market for their products. Do we really believe that with all of the advancement in pharmaceuticals that there is no cure for obesity? It's not in their best interests to have a healthy public.

    Here is a really good article:
    http://bigthink.com/in-their-own-words/the-obesity-conspiracy
  • kirkor
    kirkor Posts: 2,530 Member
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    The thing I hate about all you can eat buffets is that I have a small appetite, and although I eat a healthy amount throughout the day, I cannot eat much in a single sitting. So I feel like I am not getting my money's worth. lol. I just try to taste a tiny bit of everything and make it into one small plate.

    With a smaller appetite, think of paying for a buffet as paying for _variety_ vs. paying for _quantity_.
    So you're still getting your money's worth, because for one price you are able to sample a little of this, a little of that ... whereas if it was tapas style or dim sum style you'd be paying individually for all those small samples.
  • gaylelynnbell
    gaylelynnbell Posts: 248 Member
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    Haha I know what you mean, the portion sizes are ridiculous here. I guess its because people demand it and the restaurants want to bring in more people with the all you can eat buffets and giant portion sizes. What's good is that most restaurants nowadays, even fast food places, now offer healthy options as well (i.e. salads instead of fries, etc) so if you're conscious about things like that you generally will have some options. But I agree the portion sizes here are pretty ridiculous haha!

    The thing I hate about all you can eat buffets is that I have a small appetite, and although I eat a healthy amount throughout the day, I cannot eat much in a single sitting. So I feel like I am not getting my money's worth. lol. I just try to taste a tiny bit of everything and make it into one small plate.

    If you're full and happy, you just got your money's worth no matter how little you eat!

    And why such venom with the Brit?? If she was an American, you'd all be agreeing with her.
  • BrainyBurro
    BrainyBurro Posts: 6,129 Member
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    The meals are larger because the market responds to what the consumers want,

    dear whierd, I don't think i agree with you here, and i've heard enough of 'blame the fatties for their problems' i see the restaurants that are 'pushing' large portions as just like drug dealers, tempting their customers to buy more and more. Of course nobody else puts the food in our mouth, but it's not that simple and I think there is an addictive element to processed food. I speak as one who used to eat pizza, burgers etc. daily, now that I cook all my food at home I no longer crave my old diet. I still eat a lot - but it'smore nutritious. There is a british journalist called Jacques Peretti who's made some documentaries, you can find on you tube, about 'The Men Who Made us Thin' . The obesity epidemic cannot have started because people suddenly got greedier, it has to be the environment we're living in. What do you think?

    1) don't believe so-called "documentaries" on youtube
    2) the explanation is simple. food is more readily available now than ever in history. most people work at desks now instead of toiling in the fields all day. the human body is still designed for the "feast or famine" cycles that were common throughout history. now, we not only don't have famine (in the developed world), but we have leisure time and we are no longer nearly as active procuring that food nor surviving. snacking is now an option. i don't think people a 1000 years ago had the time during the day to snack. so it has nothing to do with food companies or corporations or any of that tinfoil hat nonsense... it's because life is easier and we burn less calories and food is more available and we eat more of it as a result. it's that simple.

    Dear Brainy,

    1. The documentary was on BBC but you can find it on you tube

    2. Clearly you are in the 'a calorie is a calorie' camp, 'calories in/calories out'. I disagree, I find the evidence for low nutrition, high fat, high sugar, highly processed food being poisonous and addictive totally convincing. You may disagree, so let us just carry on doing what we are doing. Good luck to you. :tongue:

    :facepalm:

    i'll stick with actual science.
  • harleygroomer
    harleygroomer Posts: 373 Member
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    and THAT is the answer to why we are so darn FAT!!!!!!!!!!
  • BrainyBurro
    BrainyBurro Posts: 6,129 Member
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    Haha I know what you mean, the portion sizes are ridiculous here. I guess its because people demand it and the restaurants want to bring in more people with the all you can eat buffets and giant portion sizes. What's good is that most restaurants nowadays, even fast food places, now offer healthy options as well (i.e. salads instead of fries, etc) so if you're conscious about things like that you generally will have some options. But I agree the portion sizes here are pretty ridiculous haha!

    The thing I hate about all you can eat buffets is that I have a small appetite, and although I eat a healthy amount throughout the day, I cannot eat much in a single sitting. So I feel like I am not getting my money's worth. lol. I just try to taste a tiny bit of everything and make it into one small plate.

    If you're full and happy, you just got your money's worth no matter how little you eat!

    And why such venom with the Brit?? If she was an American, you'd all be agreeing with her.

    not venom. just pointing out that this is yet another "OMG! Americans are so fat!" thread masquerading as a "OMG! American portion sizes are so big!" thread.

    we're all weary of it.

    if i started a thread titled, "OMG! British people have such awful teeth!", how do you think folks from Britain would respond?
  • sparks787
    sparks787 Posts: 16 Member
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    facepalm my buttocks
  • BrainyBurro
    BrainyBurro Posts: 6,129 Member
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    facepalm my buttocks

    tumblr_m8l60jLcij1ra5p9wo1_500.gif

    PS - i'll still stick with actual, real science. i'll leave the crackpot conspiracy stuff to the nutters. my only regret is not buying stock in the companies that make tinfoil. i would have made a mint. :frown:
  • BrainyBurro
    BrainyBurro Posts: 6,129 Member
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    It's a conspiracy by Big Pharm. They are in cahoots with the restaurant industry (and in effect, bit ag) to make us ever fatter, ensuring a continuous market for their products. Do we really believe that with all of the advancement in pharmaceuticals that there is no cure for obesity? It's not in their best interests to have a healthy public.

    Here is a really good article:
    http://bigthink.com/in-their-own-words/the-obesity-conspiracy

    otterluv, you are awesome. love your bingo wings, X X X

    :doublefacepalm:

    star-trek-joke-gif.gif

    http://weknowgifs.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/star-trek-joke-gif.gif
  • sparks787
    sparks787 Posts: 16 Member
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    You're very funny Brainy
  • Otterluv
    Otterluv Posts: 9,083 Member
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    It's a conspiracy by Big Pharm. They are in cahoots with the restaurant industry (and in effect, bit ag) to make us ever fatter, ensuring a continuous market for their products. Do we really believe that with all of the advancement in pharmaceuticals that there is no cure for obesity? It's not in their best interests to have a healthy public.

    Here is a really good article:
    http://bigthink.com/in-their-own-words/the-obesity-conspiracy

    otterluv, you are awesome. love your bingo wings, X X X

    Awww, thanks honey. Lose 75 lbs by maintaining a sensible deficit while simultaneously doing a progressively heavy lifting program to maintain, and hopefully increase, LBM is really all it takes.

    Best of luck reaching your goals :flowerforyou:
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
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    Being someone who is a dual national, with a transcontinental family, and who grew up in the UK but has lived in the US for the past 15 years, I feel that I should contribute to this thread...however, as I have not eaten in enough restaurants in the US or the UK to feel comfortable making blanket generalizations, I will limit it to *my* limited observations.

    My personal experience in the limited sample that is me...*some* restaurants here seem to have larger portions than *some* restaurants in the UK. However, the fast food places and the higher end places are pretty much comparable in my experience.

    However, this should be weighed with the fact that, again, in my limited experience, taking leftovers home is more common/acceptable/expected in the US, so when there are bigger portions, it does not necessarily mean that people are eating it all in one sitting.
  • Cadori
    Cadori Posts: 4,810 Member
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    It's a conspiracy by Big Pharm. They are in cahoots with the restaurant industry (and in effect, bit ag) to make us ever fatter, ensuring a continuous market for their products. Do we really believe that with all of the advancement in pharmaceuticals that there is no cure for obesity? It's not in their best interests to have a healthy public.

    Here is a really good article:
    http://bigthink.com/in-their-own-words/the-obesity-conspiracy

    otterluv, you are awesome. love your bingo wings, X X X

    Those are called muscles. She has worked amazingly hard for them. Stick around and work hard and you may get to see some firsthand.
  • TheRealParisLove
    TheRealParisLove Posts: 1,907 Member
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    1. The US government subsidizes food production, making food crazy cheap (but not of good quality).
    2. Americans have been conditioned to think that bigger is better. Bigger and cheaper is best.
    3. To get smaller portions we have to pay more. For instance, if you want your meal split with half in a box to go, or wish to share your meal with your dinner mate, there is a surcharge of $1 or more at most establishments.
    4. At fast food places the surcharge for smaller portions can double the price of the meal due to the increased labor cost in a custom order. Just try getting a half-sized banana split at Dairy Queen. It'll cost you nearly $9 to buy the individual ingredients.
    5. We kind of like it this way.
  • angelique_redhead
    angelique_redhead Posts: 782 Member
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    If it's a double size portion of something I put it in a to go box and eat it later. There's no reason to eat it all right then unless I just WANT to do so.
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    Options
    It's a conspiracy by Big Pharm. They are in cahoots with the restaurant industry (and in effect, bit ag) to make us ever fatter, ensuring a continuous market for their products. Do we really believe that with all of the advancement in pharmaceuticals that there is no cure for obesity? It's not in their best interests to have a healthy public.

    Here is a really good article:
    http://bigthink.com/in-their-own-words/the-obesity-conspiracy

    otterluv, you are awesome. love your bingo wings, X X X

    Yes she is. Far to awesome to make tacky, uncalled for and ignorant comments.
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    Options
    The meals are larger because the market responds to what the consumers want,

    dear whierd, I don't think i agree with you here, and i've heard enough of 'blame the fatties for their problems' i see the restaurants that are 'pushing' large portions as just like drug dealers, tempting their customers to buy more and more. Of course nobody else puts the food in our mouth, but it's not that simple and I think there is an addictive element to processed food. I speak as one who used to eat pizza, burgers etc. daily, now that I cook all my food at home I no longer crave my old diet. I still eat a lot - but it'smore nutritious. There is a british journalist called Jacques Peretti who's made some documentaries, you can find on you tube, about 'The Men Who Made us Thin' . The obesity epidemic cannot have started because people suddenly got greedier, it has to be the environment we're living in. What do you think?

    1) don't believe so-called "documentaries" on youtube
    2) the explanation is simple. food is more readily available now than ever in history. most people work at desks now instead of toiling in the fields all day. the human body is still designed for the "feast or famine" cycles that were common throughout history. now, we not only don't have famine (in the developed world), but we have leisure time and we are no longer nearly as active procuring that food nor surviving. snacking is now an option. i don't think people a 1000 years ago had the time during the day to snack. so it has nothing to do with food companies or corporations or any of that tinfoil hat nonsense... it's because life is easier and we burn less calories and food is more available and we eat more of it as a result. it's that simple.

    Dear Brainy,

    1. The documentary was on BBC but you can find it on you tube

    2. Clearly you are in the 'a calorie is a calorie' camp, 'calories in/calories out'. I disagree, I find the evidence for low nutrition, high fat, high sugar, highly processed food being poisonous and addictive totally convincing. You may disagree, so let us just carry on doing what we are doing. Good luck to you. :tongue:

    You can disagree all you want, but science disagrees with you
  • MB_Positif
    MB_Positif Posts: 8,897 Member
    Options
    It's a conspiracy by Big Pharm. They are in cahoots with the restaurant industry (and in effect, bit ag) to make us ever fatter, ensuring a continuous market for their products. Do we really believe that with all of the advancement in pharmaceuticals that there is no cure for obesity? It's not in their best interests to have a healthy public.

    Here is a really good article:
    http://bigthink.com/in-their-own-words/the-obesity-conspiracy

    otterluv, you are awesome. love your bingo wings, X X X

    sparks787, you are awesome. love your profile pic. surely your body is perfect. come back and make snide remarks when you are ready to show yourself, X X X
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    Options
    It's a conspiracy by Big Pharm. They are in cahoots with the restaurant industry (and in effect, bit ag) to make us ever fatter, ensuring a continuous market for their products. Do we really believe that with all of the advancement in pharmaceuticals that there is no cure for obesity? It's not in their best interests to have a healthy public.

    Here is a really good article:
    http://bigthink.com/in-their-own-words/the-obesity-conspiracy

    otterluv, you are awesome. love your bingo wings, X X X

    Awww, thanks honey. Lose 75 lbs by maintaining a sensible deficit while simultaneously doing a progressively heavy lifting program to maintain (and hopefully) increase LBM is really all it takes.

    Best of luck reaching your goals :flowerforyou:

    You truly are amazing. You have achieved so much and still have an amazing attitude even when dealing with rude, ignorant, uncalled for comments. :flowerforyou:

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