Everyday Systems

I'm new at this....do I look at a sandwich as if it was on a virtual plate or is that considered stacking food?

You decide for yourself. Some people do NoS one way, other people do NoS another way.

For instance, put your sandwich on a plate (cut it in two if it's too long and thin to fit) and ask yourself if it looks like a proper meal. Adjust at will (for instance, add an apple, or shorten the sandwich, or lengthen it, or change the food inside the sandwich, whatever).

Anyway you can decide it's a proper meal for now, and change your mind later on.
Try it this or that way for a few weeks, then check if you are losing weight, check how you feel after your meal (too full? still hungry? just full enough?), check how you feel right before your next meal (ravenous? not hungry? just hungry enough to appreciate your next meal?), and adjust. Try again for a few weeks. It's a learning process.

I can't last till my next meal on just a sandwitch. If I have one for lunch I make it a really good one-- thick slices of cheese or meat, veggies, fresh herbs, and I add fruit or veggies to the plate and maybe some chips to round out the way the meal looks. Then I feel like I've eaten a meal and not a snack.

I don't worry about stacking, but what I've found works best for me is to use salad plates and pile it high. It just looks like more food, even if it would fit nicely on a 10" plate.

I'm discovering that the way the plate looks is everything in terms of keeping me satisfied.

But in the beginning, I would say that I wouldn't stress too much about stacking or no-- as others have said, experiment with what feels like the right amount. Does your sandwitch last till dinner?

Best of luck,

Betty

It is a little scary at first ..... getting in touch with your body about how much is too much. But No S will help you do that. It is not as hard as it may seem in the beginning. Hang in there .... success is sweet!

foxylady

Thanks for the advice.

I always have something with my sandwich, either soup or fruit or both. Today I had mushroom soup, PB&J sandwich and a handful of fresh cherries. I felt satisfied and it will do me until dinner. I am not much of a sandwich person but somedays they do the trick. The bottom line is you have to eat enough to last until the next meal.

When I have a sandwich, I look at it's size.

I imagine it inside a plate. If I 'feel' if may be too big, I don't eat other things like fries or soup. But if it's a light/small piece, I eat something elese to 'supplement' it.

Most sandwiches can fit pretty comfortably on a plate. If you have a plate handy, put it there. If not, use your imagination.

The "stacking" guideline is more for crazy stuff like slapping a steak on top of mashed potatoes and peas instead of making room next to them. Honestly, it'll look so excessive that you don't really need an explicit guideline.

Reinhard