I knew this... but...

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Wed May 27, 2009 5:03 pm

Putting food on a plate REALLY does make a difference.

I often eat lunch out of various tupperware-type containers. Never worried about it, because I could see all the food at once and had an idea of how much I was eating.

Or so I thought.

Well, I recently brought a small plate to work, because I don't like micro-waving in plastic. Today, I dumped my leftover pasta and pesto on my plate...and did a double-take. That was a BIG serving. It didn't look nearly so big in the container, but it was definitely more than I had at dinner last night. I had thought it was about the same.

It was still "legal"... and I ate it. However, I'm suddenly aware that my lunches tend to be a bit larger than I'd realized. (And I'm thinking about what a fast-food meal would look like on a real plate...oh, dear.)

For those of you interested/amused by math, here's an old thread about the difference plate sizes can make:

http://everydaysystems.com/bb/viewtopic ... highlight=

(I'm thinking I may start assembling my leftover lunches on a normal plate at home, then pack the components in their various containers...that will keep me on track.)

Thalia · Post by **Thalia** » Wed May 27, 2009 5:05 pm

KCCC, I've been plating my lunches at work, and I keep meaning to post about the same thing! I bring my little tupperwares and I think there's hardly anything in there, but then you dump them on a plate and WOW it's a lot of food. I had no idea I was such a bad estimator. And I'm using a formal china dinner plate, so it's not like it's that tiny.

midtownfg · Post by **midtownfg** » Wed May 27, 2009 5:28 pm

I also eat my lunch out of tupperware and I have wondered if it is more than a plate's worth. Yesterday I brought some leftover veggies in separate baggies to make a salad. I opened the lettuce first and put it on one of the paper plates we have in the office. It overflowed off the plate. I know it is just lettuce and it really didn't look like that much in the baggy but I couldn't bring myself to eat it all after I saw how it looked on the plate. If it had been in my usual container, I would have eaten it all without thinking about it. I will definitely pay more attention to this from now on.

Thalia · Post by **Thalia** » Wed May 27, 2009 5:29 pm

It makes me wonder how good an estimator I am on "stuff in a bowl" meals -- I'm guessing it's often a lot more food than I think it is.

~reneew · Post by **~reneew** » Wed May 27, 2009 6:36 pm

Thank you so much for bringing that to our attention!! I think that our eyes see the surface diameter and not the bulk that is supported by the sides of the container. I usually eat from the container and I guess I never thought about it. I sometimes buy plate covers or new shower caps to cover my plates since I stay home. I know that they sell plates with covers for those of you that need a portable lunch. I will try to remember to dump it on a plate from now on. Thank you!

harpista · Post by **harpista** » Wed May 27, 2009 6:53 pm

Thank you for posting this.

That said, sometimes ignorance is bliss!!

Now I will have to check this myself!!

mimi · Post by **mimi** » Wed May 27, 2009 7:02 pm

We all probably will...sigh

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Fri May 29, 2009 2:29 pm

mimi wrote:We all probably will...sigh

Lol!

On the other hand, if you're getting good results doing what you're doing, then it can't be too bad, right?

I'm going to pay a little more attention, but gradually. (I believe in "5 degrees of change" at a time - there's a post on that somewhere. Small changes add up over time, and that's good enough.)