Portion plates and bowls - Do they help?

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ekburnet
ekburnet Posts: 44 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hey, Have any of you tried portion plates and bowls? See http://www.portioncontrol.com/portion_control_products/index.htm for some generic info and photos. Do they help?

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  • Rilke
    Rilke Posts: 1,201 Member
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    I would never spend money on plates and bowls specifically for this purpose, but I typically eat off lunch plates for dinner now and it does give the illusion of having more food. Portion size was probably my number one issue.

    This advice might be too specific to be of use: I also use teacups for ice cream and it makes a huge difference. I don't go for the low fat or slow churned or any of that stuff ice cream -- I like the full fat, ridiculously high calorie stuff, and that's what I eat. But I do keep it down to a half cup at a time. A half cup of ice cream in a typical bowl is just depressing, but a half cup of ice cream fills a teacup and also just looks cute.
  • AllTehBeers
    AllTehBeers Posts: 5,030 Member
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    A half cup of ice cream in a typical bowl is just depressing, but a half cup of ice cream fills a teacup and also just looks cute.

    Lol

    I would just go look at the dollar store for side plates and single cup bowls. No need to spend tons of money on stuff that's just smaller.

    EDIT: I just looked at the site, it's $30 for f'n measuring cups (basically). I'm too broke for that.
  • velloxal
    velloxal Posts: 78 Member
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    It might help to people who overeat. Smaller plate = less calories.

    For example each Dinner and Lunch meal will be 100g smaller.

    Two meals a day will be 200g less food. In one week will be 1.4kg less food in your body. In one month 5.6kg and 72.8kg a year.


    I like plates with colour border, this way you can concentrate on food in the middle and watch your favourite pattern.
  • htmlgirl
    htmlgirl Posts: 314 Member
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    I wouldn't buy that, but I do use smaller plates when eating and I also weigh everything. It was definitely a wake up call to see how much 1 portion was.
  • vltaylor35
    vltaylor35 Posts: 72
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    ive never used one, but i do weigh almost everything that i eat to make sure i am having the correct portion size
  • SuperSexyDork
    SuperSexyDork Posts: 1,669 Member
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    While I think they're interesting and could be of help to some, I wouldn't use them... I think they're a complicated solution to a simple problem. I just weigh the things that I eat. End of story.
  • bhankiii
    bhankiii Posts: 217 Member
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    If you measure what you eat I think you get the same results. I have a nice large food scale that I use to weigh solid foods, and measuring cups for everything else - you need this info anyway to record your food. When you measure it becomes really obvious that "this is too much".
  • cramernh
    cramernh Posts: 3,335 Member
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    I would rather invest my money in a very good scale, rather than portion-style dishes... I prefer weighing the foods myself, that is more accurate than any portion-style plate.
  • coliema
    coliema Posts: 7,646 Member
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    I'd just use a smaller plate, I wouldn't waste money on buying those.
  • ElizabethRoad
    ElizabethRoad Posts: 5,138 Member
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    Weighing the food misses the point. Using smaller plates makes you feel like you're getting more food.
  • cramernh
    cramernh Posts: 3,335 Member
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    Weighing the food misses the point. Using smaller plates makes you feel like you're getting more food.

    No matter what size plate you have, you still can get up, walk back to the kitchen and refill that plate. You dont even have to keep it to the portioned section itself. There is 0 accountability, unless you have 100% compliance to not refill the plate again and go hog-wild when you do refill it.
  • SuperSexyDork
    SuperSexyDork Posts: 1,669 Member
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    Weighing the food misses the point. Using smaller plates makes you feel like you're getting more food.

    Why not do both? You can fit a hell of a lot on a small plate if you try and like cramer said, you can always go refill it...

    If you measure it, you get an accurate reflection of the calories you are putting in your body before you consume it. It makes me feel accountable just setting things in the bowl to be measured.
  • MessyLittlePanda
    MessyLittlePanda Posts: 213 Member
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    I use a set of measuring cups now for things like rice, pasta, quinoa etc. I just use a lunch plate size, wouldn't buy a specific portion plate.

    At work I started to have things like weight watchers meals which are already portion controlled. Having some of these type of ready meals even though they are processed gave me a better idea of what a portion should be and I can try and tailor the food I cook myself similarly.
  • tabulator32
    tabulator32 Posts: 701 Member
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    Skip the portion plates.

    Get an ounce/gram scale that weights up to a pound or more, a Pyrex measuring cup that measures two cups, and a set of Goodgrip measuring cups in 1/4, 1/3, 1/2 and 1 cup increments. Use them. This combination will help you in far greater portion control than portion plates.
  • inotnew
    inotnew Posts: 218 Member
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    Do what you have to do. If this works for you great!
  • ekburnet
    ekburnet Posts: 44 Member
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    WOW! Great responces. Seems like the best thing to do is to invest in a good scale and to buy measuring cups. I'm already using salad plates instead of dinner plates. The idea of using a tea cup for things like ice cream and pudding is great. I have my Grandmother's china from the 1920s (back when plates were not too big) in storage. I think I'll pull the set out and use it for the whole family. Thanks for all your replys! Feel free to "friend" me.

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