confused about one plate deal with soup, salad and entree??
Moderators: Soprano, automatedeating
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christmas tree
- Posts: 14
- Joined: Sat Dec 29, 2007 2:50 pm
confused about one plate deal with soup, salad and entree??
Hello everyone, I am a beginner on the No S Diet. Last night I had a bowl of veggie soup, then a salad with salad dressing, then my plate of food--how does the soup & salad fit into the one dish plan. Thanks for your help in advance.
Welcome christmas tree!
The whole point of the one plate rule is to make sure that you can SEE how much you're eating, so if you can't physically put your meal on a single plate, you need to try and picture your entire meal fitting on one 'virtual' plate. I try to be pretty strict about this - if I'm having a piece of fruit as part of dinner, I leave a fruit-shaped space on my dinner plate. Ditto salad etc.
However, the virtual plate can be a bit of a slippery slope back to overeating if you're not very careful. An even better way (and this is probably a good idea if you're just starting) is to be obsessive about following the rules at all costs. On a few occasions I've used a big plate and put my bowl of soup on it, then put the rest of the food around it, so that I'm still following the rules - I find that the fact that it seems a bit ridiculous just helps to reinforce the habit for me. Of course this might not be such a good idea at a restaurant / dinner party...
The whole point of the one plate rule is to make sure that you can SEE how much you're eating, so if you can't physically put your meal on a single plate, you need to try and picture your entire meal fitting on one 'virtual' plate. I try to be pretty strict about this - if I'm having a piece of fruit as part of dinner, I leave a fruit-shaped space on my dinner plate. Ditto salad etc.
However, the virtual plate can be a bit of a slippery slope back to overeating if you're not very careful. An even better way (and this is probably a good idea if you're just starting) is to be obsessive about following the rules at all costs. On a few occasions I've used a big plate and put my bowl of soup on it, then put the rest of the food around it, so that I'm still following the rules - I find that the fact that it seems a bit ridiculous just helps to reinforce the habit for me. Of course this might not be such a good idea at a restaurant / dinner party...
I completely ignore this rule. I'd been No S-ing for a while before I realized it existed and decided to ignore it. I have one serving of whatever is being served and don't try to visualize it all fitting on a virtual plate. To me, that made this a "diet" instead of good habits to follow when eating.
"That which we persist in doing becomes easier for us to do. Not that the nature of the thing itself has changed but our power to do it is increased." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson
"You are what you eat -- so don't be Fast, Easy, Cheap or Fake."
"You are what you eat -- so don't be Fast, Easy, Cheap or Fake."
The "one plate" is just a straight-forward implementation of "no seconds."
As with all No-S rules, common sense is paramount. I don't dump my soup over my main course, or worry too much if my salad is on a separate plate. (I use almost no dressing, so I just can't see it as a problem.)
My suggestion: work on the snacks/sweets and not TAKING seconds before you worry too much about fine-tuning meals.
As with all No-S rules, common sense is paramount. I don't dump my soup over my main course, or worry too much if my salad is on a separate plate. (I use almost no dressing, so I just can't see it as a problem.)
My suggestion: work on the snacks/sweets and not TAKING seconds before you worry too much about fine-tuning meals.
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christmas tree
- Posts: 14
- Joined: Sat Dec 29, 2007 2:50 pm
Thank you for your help!!!!!
Your replies have really helped me--thanks for the support---Happy New Year.
Soup and salad can be a little tricky. They're legitimate, normal foods that can confuse the one plate rule. Though it's certainly possible to successfully navigate, when you're starting, just to build the habit, it's probably best to minimize the number of times you're in situations like this. Once you're strong in habit, it's no problem to rely on common sense, but give yourself as much clarity as possible up front to build that habit first.
When simple avoidance won't work, here are some strategies:
1. the most important part of the one plate rule is to *see* everything your are going to eat at a meal all at once. If it's excessive, that excess should jump right out at you. So if for "format" reasons you have more than one plate, say an entree on a plate and a bowl of soup, try to put them both in front of you so you can see what you're going to eat. If it looks shocking, well, that's the point.
2. salad really can share a plate. It's not going to drown anything. Try to put your salad with the rest of your food when possible. I know sometimes this is impossible if someone else is cooking, but if you're in charge, why not do this? Make it your "default," even if, for social reasons, you can't pull it off every time.
3. if you're eating a big bowl of hearty soup and a hunk of bread, that really might be a meal in itself. Consider this option. Soup and bread, particularly heavy stuff like lentil or pea soup, can pack quite a punch. I do this a lot.
4. If your meal just isn't going to work without multiple plates, do your best to compensate by imagining a "virtual plate." Having soup and then an entree? Knock that entree down to half size to compensate. This can be tricky to pull off at first, so be careful.
But most of all, take KCCC's advice to focus on the super clear stuff like no snacks and no sweets and no obvious seconds. The really obvious stuff is most of the problem. Don't waste too much of your efforts on borderline situations like these, you'll get a lot more bang from your willpower buck by focusing on the low hanging fruit.
Reinhard
When simple avoidance won't work, here are some strategies:
1. the most important part of the one plate rule is to *see* everything your are going to eat at a meal all at once. If it's excessive, that excess should jump right out at you. So if for "format" reasons you have more than one plate, say an entree on a plate and a bowl of soup, try to put them both in front of you so you can see what you're going to eat. If it looks shocking, well, that's the point.
2. salad really can share a plate. It's not going to drown anything. Try to put your salad with the rest of your food when possible. I know sometimes this is impossible if someone else is cooking, but if you're in charge, why not do this? Make it your "default," even if, for social reasons, you can't pull it off every time.
3. if you're eating a big bowl of hearty soup and a hunk of bread, that really might be a meal in itself. Consider this option. Soup and bread, particularly heavy stuff like lentil or pea soup, can pack quite a punch. I do this a lot.
4. If your meal just isn't going to work without multiple plates, do your best to compensate by imagining a "virtual plate." Having soup and then an entree? Knock that entree down to half size to compensate. This can be tricky to pull off at first, so be careful.
But most of all, take KCCC's advice to focus on the super clear stuff like no snacks and no sweets and no obvious seconds. The really obvious stuff is most of the problem. Don't waste too much of your efforts on borderline situations like these, you'll get a lot more bang from your willpower buck by focusing on the low hanging fruit.
Reinhard
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christmas tree
- Posts: 14
- Joined: Sat Dec 29, 2007 2:50 pm
Thanks Reinhard
I see said the blind man. Your concept of actually seeing your food and the amount in front of you is simple and brilliant. It now seems so obvious. Duh!!! thank you for your reply. This message board is so helpful. Just eliminating snacks and sweets this week I've lost 3#s. But this is Sat & it's a special day. And knowing there are guilt free special days is such an incentive. Have a Happy New Year & thanks for watching over all of us.