People cannot visualize reasonable portion sizes
garystrickland357
Posts: 598 Member
I had an interesting situation at work today. I teach and each month we have a faculty luncheon. Staff brings food and we have a day of food and feasting.
I was eating with a coworker and they made a comment I found really interesting. The person looked at my plate of food and commented, "It must be hard to be on a diet with all of this food around." The comment was innocent. Here's the funny thing though - I had gone through the food line and served myself what I now consider a healthy portion of food. I probably packed away a 500-600 calorie lunch. That's more than I normally eat at lunch by a good margin. It's not a "diet" for me. I have just learned how to judge a reasonable portion for my calorie goals.
What I realized as I scanned the lounge was that most people were eating portions of food including dessert that probably totaled 1,000-1500 calories or even more. These same people whine to me about how they can't lose weight. What they don't understand is just how much they are eating. I used to be among them until I started weighing and logging my food.
Have you had any similar experiences?
I was eating with a coworker and they made a comment I found really interesting. The person looked at my plate of food and commented, "It must be hard to be on a diet with all of this food around." The comment was innocent. Here's the funny thing though - I had gone through the food line and served myself what I now consider a healthy portion of food. I probably packed away a 500-600 calorie lunch. That's more than I normally eat at lunch by a good margin. It's not a "diet" for me. I have just learned how to judge a reasonable portion for my calorie goals.
What I realized as I scanned the lounge was that most people were eating portions of food including dessert that probably totaled 1,000-1500 calories or even more. These same people whine to me about how they can't lose weight. What they don't understand is just how much they are eating. I used to be among them until I started weighing and logging my food.
Have you had any similar experiences?
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Replies
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Yep, I get you.
Counting calories and using a food scale got me where you are now. High five! I’m good at eyeballing proper portions now too.7 -
I have not looked at others food portions..but I notice what people have in their grocery carts at the check out. I also notice what overweight people order at Starbucks in line in front of me...and I just want to somehow help them. You can't drink a sugar coffee drink with flavored syrups, full fat milk.. and double whipped cream and wonder why you can't lose weight.21
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elisa123gal wrote: »I have not looked at others food portions..but I notice what people have in their grocery carts at the check out. I also notice what overweight people order at Starbucks in line in front of me...and I just want to somehow help them. You can't drink a sugar coffee drink with flavored syrups, full fat milk.. and double whipped cream and wonder why you can't lose weight.
It’s when they get the XL full fat stuff like those frapps, you can still enjoy without going overboard. Yeah I’m judgey like that.6 -
I have absolutely had similar experiences. Almost every day, in fact.
And I am also horrified when I think back over the years...decades... that I spent eating in this same way without a qualm (at least about the portion size of regular meals). But I also hope I keep remembering those years, and how I feel about it now.6 -
It's like when my coworkers decide they are on a diet so they order a 1000+ calorie salad.18
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I have had kinda similar experiences - I used to overeat to quite a degree, so I'm actually having that kind of conversations with myself, every day - that's not enough, yes it is, I know perfectly well how much I need, and I'm going to be pleasantly full after I eat this, not stuffed, like I used to, and I always hated that, and I hate it when I occasionally, accidentally or knowingly, eat too much. But I can eat more, and it tastes so good, yes of course, but I don't want to, I will eat more tomorrow, now leave it.19
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Oh yeah, I always notice the portions people pile on their plate and know the reason why they are overweight - people need educated on portion size.
I was one who used to not give a second thought to portion sizes, hence why I was overweight ...until MFP and starting to weigh my food.4 -
That's a really interesting observation. I have had to educate myself on portion control, it was really quite an eye-opener when I first started to weigh my food and realised just how small a portion of rice/pasta/cereal is compared with what I had guessed at before. I found it disappointing at first but then I realised I was just as full eating less. I still have to weigh everything, even after 18 months and 40 lbs down I'm not confident in myself just yet to eyeball portions.
I appreciate that there is a lot of mis-information out there about diets/nutrition etc but it never ceases to amaze me how little people are interested in educating themselves and how they wonder why there are overweight or not losing. My MIL has been saying for months "I just don't understand why I'm overweight, I've given up this and given up that". She has just spent a week in hospital having routine checks and has been moaning about the portion sizes being far too small. I guess the hospital are serving correctly-sized portions which immediately tells me she must be overeating - but she just doesn't seem to get it?! Why can't people take ownership and educate themselves instead of blaming everyone else?13 -
I have that all the time with myself. When I go out, I look at the portions that are served to me in restaurants or pubs and always think that they seem really small, then I don't manage to eat it all and I realise quite how much food there was.
I know myself that I suck at judging portions for things, but it's these situations that really hit home as to quite how bad I am.3 -
we occasionally eat out at high end places. I have friends and relatives who say the portion size at these places isn't enough and they'd leave hungry! I've never left hungry - just a heck of a lot poorer
worth it on occasion though7 -
cheshiremask wrote: »It's like when my coworkers decide they are on a diet so they order a 1000+ calorie salad.
or go to the salad bar and get mostly lettuce and good veggies and then right and the comes the bacon bits, croutons and a ladle full of Bleu cheese dressing.
I over served myself constantly in the past. Dish sizes don't help. What most people would call a cereal bowl will hold 3-4 servings.9 -
at the same time i think a lot of designated portions are ridiculous. why is half a cookie a portion? a half a cup of ice cream seems awfully small. 2 sandwich cookies? why bother?8
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I have definitely struggled with knowing what portion sizes work for me (especially since I'm 5'1'' and need less than others). I've had a roasted potato and brussel sprout meal this week, and every time I portion out the right amount, it doesn't seem like much. After I'm done eating, though, I feel satisfied and don't feel hungry too soon afterward. I would absolutely continue the gain without my scale because of that!8
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at the same time i think a lot of designated portions are ridiculous. why is half a cookie a portion? a half a cup of ice cream seems awfully small. 2 sandwich cookies? why bother?
This is done so the manufacturer can legally claim "Only X calories per serving!" Most people won't actually read the label to see what a serving size is designated as, but buy it because they are under the (mistaken) impression that the item is lower cal.7 -
Some years ago I had a revelatory conversation with an obese co-worker. Both he and his wife were obese and waddled on land like walruses. He, particularly, had ruined his ankles with the abuse of walking on them. He told me that he focused his restaurant food choices on getting the most calories possible for the fewest dollars necessary. It turns out, that is the mental calculation made by lab monkeys, too. Primates want the greatest reward possible for the least effort necessary. As global food production has incessantly grown to exceed the rate of population growth, more and more people around the planet are finding it possible to get more cheap food than they need for survival. The unconscious choice many people make to maximise their food reward for their effort or money expended is the ultimate root cause of the global increase in rates of obesity.
"The struggle is real" isn't just a meme. It's not just the body. It's the brain. The executive brain has to overcome the reflexive brain. Portioning properly has to be learned and is a lesson which runs counter to our natural tendencies. It is hard.
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Yeah, correct portion sizes are really an eye opener and most people don't realize how much they are eating.
It is truly an educational process.3 -
at the same time i think a lot of designated portions are ridiculous. why is half a cookie a portion? a half a cup of ice cream seems awfully small. 2 sandwich cookies? why bother?
To be fair, I'm not so much a "volume eater" and I find when I weigh out a serving of ice cream as stated on the carton, it's plenty. And I often have 2 Oreos after dinner with my tea. Honestly, that's why I wish they'd do here in the US what they do elsewhere - include the "per 100g column". I think that's so much clearer.
As to the OP, sadly this is all too true. People just go by what they've always eaten and when you add portion creep on top of that, it's easy to understand why so many are overweight. But I think people know in the back of their mind that this is true. That's why so many people will dig their heels in about weighing portions and why they hate logging. Because they KNOW if they measure correctly and see everything in black and white, they won't be able to kid themselves anymore.
I've had a couple of people close to me ask for my opinion on what they can do to lose weight. Both insist they hardly eat anything. Based on meals I share with them, I suspect all their portions are terribly oversized, but both refuse to even log, forget about using a food scale. But there's not much to advise them on if they aren't willing to consider that their perception is skewed.17 -
I've had a couple of people close to me ask for my opinion on what they can do to lose weight. Both insist they hardly eat anything. Based on meals I share with them, I suspect all their portions are terribly oversized, but both refuse to even log, forget about using a food scale. But there's not much to advise them on if they aren't willing to consider that their perception is skewed.
I see this a lot with co-workers. They complain about weight gain and feeling like poo but never change their eating habits, reduce stress, and exercise. When we go out for lunch they always make the same crappy food choices and wonder why they can't lose weight.
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Ah yes. I have a coworker who is constantly starting conversations with me about food and "dieting", yet she consumes at least 2 plates of food on days when lunch is catered. If there is more than one choice of dessert, she grabs one of each.
She and another coworker got into a heated discussion because she claimed our Qdoba catered meal was really healthy. My other coworker tried to explain that the queso and the extra rice and the overflowing bowl of chips was not healthy. She got really angry when faced with the truth.
I used to try to have knowledgeable, enlightening conversations about portions, eating less and moving more. Now I don't even bother. I've hit my head against that wall too many times with her.5 -
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Ah yes. I have a coworker who is constantly starting conversations with me about food and "dieting", yet she consumes at least 2 plates of food on days when lunch is catered. If there is more than one choice of dessert, she grabs one of each.
She and another coworker got into a heated discussion because she claimed our Qdoba catered meal was really healthy. My other coworker tried to explain that the queso and the extra rice and the overflowing bowl of chips was not healthy. She got really angry when faced with the truth.
I used to try to have knowledgeable, enlightening conversations about portions, eating less and moving more. Now I don't even bother. I've hit my head against that wall too many times with her.
I have one of these, too. She keeps asking me and another co-worker what we do, and hates the CICO answer. She eats a bowl of yogurt for breakfast, and adds fruit and nuts to it, and insists it's healthy. There's so many nuts it's probably at least 900 calories for breakfast.6 -
In general, I think recommended portion sizes are silly. Give me the per 100g and per package numbers and let me go from there.
An appropriate or healthy portion size depends on a lot of things, the food item in question being relatively low on the list. People who need to have portion sizes recommended to them don't care enough to listen (generally speaking, obviously), and people who care enough don't need recommendations.
IMO.6 -
Totally agree, most overweight to obese people continue to live in denial as to what is the Real Portion size. They say they want to lose weight, but when they see the portion size, and hear the words food scale it can be sadly amusing the looks I see. I had one of my friends persistently ask me tell me what two things this time have been your biggest helps in steadily taking off pounds. And they did not want to hear MFP and logging everything. So I took a picture of my food scale, and the smaller cute plates I bought that I use now. And sent them. And said I weigh everything first, and all food goes on these plates. No more standard dinner plates for me.3
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In general, I think recommended portion sizes are silly. Give me the per 100g and per package numbers and let me go from there.
An appropriate or healthy portion size depends on a lot of things, the food item in question being relatively low on the list. People who need to have portion sizes recommended to them don't care enough to listen (generally speaking, obviously), and people who care enough don't need recommendations.
IMO.
agreed
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JeromeBarry1 wrote: »Some years ago I had a revelatory conversation with an obese co-worker. Both he and his wife were obese and waddled on land like walruses. He, particularly, had ruined his ankles with the abuse of walking on them. He told me that he focused his restaurant food choices on getting the most calories possible for the fewest dollars necessary. It turns out, that is the mental calculation made by lab monkeys, too. Primates want the greatest reward possible for the least effort necessary. As global food production has incessantly grown to exceed the rate of population growth, more and more people around the planet are finding it possible to get more cheap food than they need for survival. The unconscious choice many people make to maximise their food reward for their effort or money expended is the ultimate root cause of the global increase in rates of obesity.
"The struggle is real" isn't just a meme. It's not just the body. It's the brain. The executive brain has to overcome the reflexive brain. Portioning properly has to be learned and is a lesson which runs counter to our natural tendencies. It is hard.
Spot on my man! I think it was Winton Churchill that said, " why run when you can walk? Why walk when you can stand? Why stand when you can lounge? Why lounge when you can sleep?" I think we are the same way. I get the exact opposite at work. I often take in 2 lunch bags with my food. People are like, are you going to eat all that? Well... my quinoa, veggie, avacado, lean protein plates take up a lot of space. When you eat a Hungry man dinner that's 900 cals for 225 grams, it's a small package. I start to talk about caloric density.... blank stare. At office parties same thing. If I eat small amounts of stuff, I get made fun of because they all tell me I am afraid of "good" food. Oh well.3 -
That too! I hate the idea of "serving sizes", as if people 1) need to be told how much to eat 2) should be told how much they can eat 3) care. And I'm grateful I live in a country where labels show values of 100g of a food. But I think the discussion at hand is more about "portion sizes" - how much a person chooses to serve himself/herself in one sitting. And people often choose more than they need, more often than is healthy.In general, I think recommended portion sizes are silly. Give me the per 100g and per package numbers and let me go from there.
An appropriate or healthy portion size depends on a lot of things, the food item in question being relatively low on the list. People who need to have portion sizes recommended to them don't care enough to listen (generally speaking, obviously), and people who care enough don't need recommendations.
IMO.4 -
psychod787 wrote: »JeromeBarry1 wrote: »Some years ago I had a revelatory conversation with an obese co-worker. Both he and his wife were obese and waddled on land like walruses. He, particularly, had ruined his ankles with the abuse of walking on them. He told me that he focused his restaurant food choices on getting the most calories possible for the fewest dollars necessary. It turns out, that is the mental calculation made by lab monkeys, too. Primates want the greatest reward possible for the least effort necessary. As global food production has incessantly grown to exceed the rate of population growth, more and more people around the planet are finding it possible to get more cheap food than they need for survival. The unconscious choice many people make to maximise their food reward for their effort or money expended is the ultimate root cause of the global increase in rates of obesity.
"The struggle is real" isn't just a meme. It's not just the body. It's the brain. The executive brain has to overcome the reflexive brain. Portioning properly has to be learned and is a lesson which runs counter to our natural tendencies. It is hard.
Spot on my man! I think it was Winton Churchill that said, " why run when you can walk? Why walk when you can stand? Why stand when you can lounge? Why lounge when you can sleep?" I think we are the same way. I get the exact opposite at work. I often take in 2 lunch bags with my food. People are like, are you going to eat all that? Well... my quinoa, veggie, avacado, lean protein plates take up a lot of space. When you eat a Hungry man dinner that's 900 cals for 225 grams, it's a small package. I start to talk about caloric density.... blank stare. At office parties same thing. If I eat small amounts of stuff, I get made fun of because they all tell me I am afraid of "good" food. Oh well.
So true. If I eat something small or make a "healthy" choice, I get "Oh come on, live a little!" But if I take a second helping, I get "You are so lucky being able to eat like that and stay slim". And it's the SAME PEOPLE. They see that sometimes I indulge and sometimes I take small portions but they don't want to see that I make it balance out. To me it proves that people just don't stop to think about what to eat and how much. They want indulging to be normal, but with no consequence.7 -
Several years ago I took my family home to Minnesota to visit. We live in Italy and my husband is thin. We were taken to an "All you can eat" restaurant. My husband was horrified. He looked around at the dinners, spread his hands out straight from his sides and said "All you can eat!"2
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I was reminded of this (I think there's a lot of denial around food, but because I refuse to think I was in denialSo true. If I eat something small or make a "healthy" choice, I get "Oh come on, live a little!" But if I take a second helping, I get "You are so lucky being able to eat like that and stay slim". And it's the SAME PEOPLE. They see that sometimes I indulge and sometimes I take small portions but they don't want to see that I make it balance out. To me it proves that people just don't stop to think about what to eat and how much. They want indulging to be normal, but with no consequence. , I call it a "disconnect"): Slim people around me, who of course would eat small portions of food whenever I saw them eat, or just one food for a meal (an apple or a yogurt), or pick a low cal version, or eat just one piece of chocolate etc, I used to think they either didn't like food, or were starving themselves, or ate more when they were alone. But I was also aware I ate larger portions than them, and made sure all my meals were "well rounded", and never missed an opportunity to eat, I was aware I was heavier, but I also sincerely belived I needed that much food, that it was unhealthy to "starve" myself, that the "stop" button is "I really can't get down anymore". The light bulb just didn't come on. 7 -
When I weighed 275 pounds at 5'2" I couldn't figure out why I was heavy. I didn't eat that much... or so I thought. After I started tracking I can see that I often ate 2500 or even 3000 calories a day. It's a miracle I wasn't 375 pounds with the portions I ate. Two or three 32 oz Dr. Peppers a day really add up. You don't need much "food" when you're on a sugar high 24/7. Why have one lean grilled pork chop when you can have 2 or 3? They're small (probably 6 oz each), a giant plate of spaghetti a TON of parmesan cheese, and garlic texas toast? No meat so it's "healthy". Fried cookies sprinkled with powered sugar - GO! Rice Crispy treats - GO!
You get the idea...5
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