Super simple diet trick THAT ISN'T SPAM!

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  • WatchJenShrink
    WatchJenShrink Posts: 18 Member
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    I use divided toddler plates. My doctor had me start using them for portion control and now I have a collection of them.
  • BigT555
    BigT555 Posts: 2,068 Member
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    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
    shawnakatiebohn Posts: 7
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    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
    msf74 Posts: 3,498 Member
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    Which black dot is smaller?

    3025338-inline-i-plate-dots.jpg

    They are actually the same size...
  • jkal1979
    jkal1979 Posts: 1,896 Member
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    I don't use smaller plates, but they do have a pattern around the outside of the plate which makes them seem smaller.
  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 9,024 Member
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    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
    dpwellman Posts: 3,271 Member
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    Eating ice cream with a chopstick. . .
  • Iron_Feline
    Iron_Feline Posts: 10,750 Member
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    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
    iasue Posts: 46 Member
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    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
    BigT555 Posts: 2,068 Member
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    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
    amethyst7986 Posts: 223 Member
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    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
    George_Baileys_Ghost Posts: 1,524 Member
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    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
    Iron_Feline Posts: 10,750 Member
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    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
    BrainyBurro Posts: 6,129 Member
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    not to throw a damper on this whole theory... but how do you explain chubby blind people? :huh:
  • NinjaJinja
    NinjaJinja Posts: 147 Member
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    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
    Galatea_Stone Posts: 2,037 Member
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    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
    RaspberryKeytoneBoondoggle Posts: 1,349 Member
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    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
    paperpudding Posts: 9,024 Member
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    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
    JoelleAnn78 Posts: 1,492 Member
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    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.

    Brick-Tamland-Saying-I-Love-Lamp-Anchorman.gif
  • JoelleAnn78
    JoelleAnn78 Posts: 1,492 Member
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    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.

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