No Plates?

[jld141]

Hello all!

I have realized that the best way to make No S work for me is to be as strict as possible. The one problem I'm having with this is the fact that I don't always have access to a plate. I am a college student and have to eat on the run a lot of times. Not only does this limit my food choices (recommendations here would be awesome!!), but I also can't exactly carry around a plate with me to make sure I'm eating the right amount.

Also, another unrelated question: what do you do about soup and salad combos at restaurants? Many times if I don't find anything appealing on a menu, I'll get soup and salad, which I consider a reasonable meal but they don't fit on one plate per se...is this against No S?

Any suggestions?

[clarinetgal]

The soup and salad are just fine for a meal. as for eating on the run, if you go for simpler fare, like maybe a sandwich, a small serving of chips, and a piece of fruit, or a big salad, or something along those lines, you shouldn't have to worry too much about whether it fits on a plate. Just skip the desserts and seconds (unless it's the weekend). Some stir fried meat and veggies over rice is another quick and easy meal. Another lower carb option would be a decent sized piece of meat and some veggies.

[Minkymoo]

I have found that I often misjudge when I try to guess sizes (and often overestimate what would fit on a plate) so my on the run tip is to put two palms together to estimate the size if a lunch plate's surface area including the rim of the plate.
As you can imagine it works better with better for dry food like sandwiches / fruit etc than for food with sauces but it helps to stop my sneaky brain fooling me into overeating as it tends to when I try virtual plating.
It is also unobtrusive - holding your food does not look as weird as carrying a plate in your handbag, although I have done this too on occasion

[milliem]

You could just put the food you are carrying around with you on a plate before you leave the house, see if it actually fits! Or try out an approximation of what you would buy when out and about on a plate at home. Once you've seen what fits on a plate (and what doesn't) you should be good to 'virtual plate'

My hands are way smaller than my plates (average dinner plates, nothing massive), so I wouldn't want to use that method!! I'd be starving

[leafy_greens]

In No S Land it's called "virtual plating" - imagining how much would fit on the plate, if a plate is not available. There's nothing wrong with doing this if you are consistent with portion sizes. Obviously soup is not going to fit on a plate, or multiple courses at a restaurant.

[reinhard]

The key thing is to see what you're eating in front of you at once, so you can learn to eyeball excess. A plate is helpful to provide scale, but an imaginary plate will do if you don't have a real one handy. If for some reason you can't put it all in front of you at once (they bring out the soup before the salad), then you'll have to exert your imagination even further. But don't stress, if you use a real plate when you can, an imaginary one when you can't, big picture, you'll be fine.

[oolala53]

Don't you carry a daypack or something? You CAN carry a plastic plate. For years, I've taken my lunch in divided plastic containers that are about the size of a plate. I usually put freggies in the biggest compartment and fit the starches/protein/fat in the smaller ones. Depending on the foods, I may have to accommodate differently. It's all worked out over the years. And if you buy on the run, still carry your light empty plastic container and lay the food out on it before you eat, even if you leave it in the wrappers. Eventually, you won't have to, if you're honest with yourself about what you know constitutes the right amount of food.

And I use my hand often to plan my meal. Palm for protein, one-to-two fists' volume for starch, one-to-two thumbs for fat, two-to-three fists' for freggies. Yes, they're ball park guesses, but again, it's working.

[jld141]

Thanks for the recommendations everyone!