Pick a proper plate....

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Tue Jun 28, 2005 11:53 pm

Say that ten times fast!!!

Hey all you fantastic Nossing folks...
I just had a good thought about a helpful dieting aide...Really it's a trick, but it works...So here it is...
Probably you've all heard this at one time in your life... since it's pretty much from traditional diets like WWatchers, and I'm sure we've all joined that organization, or a similar one, before Reinhard came on the scene to convert the massive masses!

If you pick a plate which is not too huge, it will seem much more visually satisfying to have the exact same amount of food as if you were having it in a larger plate... That large plate will either wind up looking mighty empty and mentally dissatisfying, or, that empty space won't remain empty for long and you'll wind up having more than you really need to eat. I have two sizes of bowls and when I went to use the large one, I thought, better pick the smaller one instead of running the risk of getting back into huge portions...
Well, back to my muesli....
This stuff is great!!! Has barley, oats, almonds and dates...
Yummo!

Have fun picking a plate!
Peace and Love,

Deb

doulachic · Post by **doulachic** » Wed Jun 29, 2005 3:34 am

This is true! The other day I noticed that my two sets of plates (two different designs) are a little different. They are both the same size dinner plate, but the rims are different. The rim on one is a little wider, so the actual "plating size" is smaller. I noticed this the other day, so i have been trying to pick that plate. Good observation, Deb!

spiralstares · Post by **spiralstares** » Thu Jun 30, 2005 2:50 pm

Perhaps we could invent a plate that consists of interlocking concentric rings. Then every month you take off the outer ring so your plate gets continually smaller and smaller until eventually you're eating your prime rib off of a nickel.

sibyl · Post by **sibyl** » Thu Jun 30, 2005 3:16 pm

I don't know if I'd want a nickel sized prime rib...

I have two sizes of plate in the house - dessert sized tiny plates, which I use for breakfast, and regular dinner plates, which I use for dinner. No-S lunches are usually at work, and I figure 1 frozen meal-in-a-box plus two fruit is a plate. My plates are octogonal, so the surface area is kind of hard to compare to a round plate (for spatially challenged me), but I don't fill them all the way to the edges.

More importantly (for right now), I don't fill them again...

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Thu Jun 30, 2005 4:00 pm

Spiral stares,,, That was funny about the prime rib on a nickle! LOL...
Sibyl, actually, fantastic that you feel good about not filling your plate... Clearly you aren't that much of an overeater if you can do that without trouble.. But my main point was that by picking a smaller plate, and actually filling it (remember it's small already) the food will just look that much more "filling"... I don't know, maybe it's me.. When I have a semi-filled plate, that space lingers in my mind.. Then I often will rationalize having seconds, simply because it didn't visually look like that much...
(eg.. "Meh, I just had half a bowl of cereal, that couldn't be enough, better go and eat *something else*..."
Again, kudos to you, I just wanted to clarify why I think filling your plate is actually helpful... Now, if it turns out that you find you are leaving food regularly... this is a good sign that it's time to get new plates...
Maybe start a collection.. Each one represents a little progress!
Imagine two years from now, comparing your "Nickle sized plates" to the gargantuan ones from the old days...
That's like looking at a pair of old huge pants that no longer fit...
Peace and Love,

Deb

sibyl · Post by **sibyl** » Thu Jun 30, 2005 4:21 pm

My trouble isn't the plate.
I'm a grazer - a sandwich here, a bag of chips, then a pear, a chocolate bar, and then some noodles...it all ends up adding up to a lot over the course of the day, even though it doesn't look like much at the time. I'm also a binger - I won't eat something for a while because I know its not good for me, or because its expensive, and then I break down and get it and eat the whole thing in one sitting - not just sweet stuff like a bag of cookies, but a jar of pickled eggs or a half pound of cherries.
No S is good for me to get me to stick to eating properly at meal time and then to avoid snacks - especially those 'mid afternoon hunger pain pitfalls' like chips and chocoalte. I'm doing good so far, but the test is when the next 'binge' starts - can I stop after just one pickled egg on a weekday?
One thing I've noticed reading everyone's posts is that everybody seems to have a different pitfall or problem area. Portion sizes are too big; or there are too many sweet things or 'empty calories'; or its grazing and having no idea how much is eaten in the course a day.
No S tackles all of those problems - it helps with portion control, it helps with avoiding those 'empty calories', it helps with constant snacking. And everyone can tweak it to their own needs, because its not set in stone or pre-packed or anything.
I'm not a veteran or anything, and I have a long way to go before its 'habit', but that's how I see it.

-sibyl

Jammin' Jan · Post by **Jammin' Jan** » Thu Jun 30, 2005 6:58 pm

Nickel-sized prime rib? Given the price of beef at the grocery today, that's about the size I could afford!

I use Corelle plates. A full-sized dinner plate is what I use for lunch, my big meal of the day. For breakfast and dinner, I use a luncheon plate, which is a little smaller. I, too, would rather see a full smaller plate than a half-empty larger plate. It's more satisfying to the brain.

Post by **reinhard** » Fri Jul 01, 2005 1:18 pm

I have to confess, I don't worry about plate size at all. I find that "one plate" however big, is a good enough approximation for the big picture. We don't have to be perfect, we just have to be good enough, and not every time, just most of the time. We don't want to put too much system in our system. The phrase "one plate" is enough for me, without further qualification.

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Fri Jul 01, 2005 7:09 pm

Hey Reinhard!

Thanks for the reminder to just keep it simple, and to not get neurotic over the perfect amount...
I suppose that for me, it's just very easy to be mentally going back for seconds if that plate seems really empty... Weird...
But you're right, the big picture is what counts, and in the large scheme of things, the one plate rule is really enough on it's own... Simplicity makes it easier to build an unconscious habit I guess... Your simple plan is soooo Zen!
Peace and Love,

Deb