No One wants to be the Mayor of Cinnabon….
but not all plates are created equal?!
For those who have been aware serving sizes are on the rise. Not shocking news I am sure. Ken and I were in Michigan two weeks ago and they have no “small” sized coffees in the US, as all the small are actually considered medium coffees in Canada. A small that isnt a small but a medium! We actually had the girl say, “that is what that button the creamer machine is for” as I guess, they have a defunct button to dispense cream for a non-existent small in the US.
We have all seen Morgan Spurlock movie “Super Size Me” and get the whole ‘more doesn’t always mean better’ idea. I sometimes have to remind myself of this. Just because they give you more, doesnt mean you have to eat it, OR you can request that they not bring bread or other carb-a-rific “free” things to the table, because at the end of the day, it isnt really free, is it? It costs you calories.
The worst offender is the size of a plate. If you have the real estate, you tend to fill it. We have all seen people at the buffets in Vegas filling every inch of their plate. Don’t get me wrong, everyone is guilty of doing this at one time or another.. I know I have. Now, I just tend to be smarter about now and grab a side plate at a buffet. Makes you more apt to make better choices. As well, never pick, have a plate, load it up, and be done with it. The kryptonite of WLS is the grazer, which effectively is no different than binge-ing prior to surgery.
So plate size. After surgery it became abundantly clear that our plates were HUGE, even for Ken, who is a normal eater. So our “regular” plates and side plates are imaged below. They are pretty standard. Next to them is my “new” plate, which holds a the amount of food I should be eating, a cup or less. Hand at the side for scale.
This is my new plate, nested into my old plate. What would you say…maybe 3 times as much food?
This is a bread-side plate compared to my new plate… again slightly bigger especially if you colour outside the nice green border. I have and will use side plates whenever I have the option to, like last weekend for Thanksgiving at my sister’s house. It keeps me honest and visually it allows you to normalize what you NEED vs what you can EAT. Those newly out (pre 18 months) will fully understand this once they hit their two year mark and beyond. The bloom is off the rose and everything can go down easy-peasy.
MY new motto is just because you can doesn’t mean you should.
Making a big batch of pork chili verde today… new recipe. Look for this one pot wonder this week!
Antics of a Museum Girl 
As a newbie with only 7 months under my much-too-big for me belt, it’s so good to read this. Now that I can eat much more than before, my mind is already playing tricks on me, and I’m in constant worry that I’ll go back to bingeing and losing sight of the tool that I was blessed with. I read your post and remember that it will probably be a life-long struggle, but if I make the right choices, it will be a much easier and healthier life. Great post!!
Ps – love the plates!!
Thanks Kelly… it is all about setting yourself up now for continued success down the road. Easier to get use to eating
on smaller plates now than later. I also find I never have to worry about if I ate too much if I use the same plate.
Being diabetic portion size is crucial. I from California an everything there is huge and seems a buffet on every corner. I always find myself grabbing the bowls to use. That habit has stuck. I still use a small bowl when dishing my food to this day. My mum-in-law thinks I am crazy.
Hi Kath!
Not crazy AT ALL. Understanding human nature and knowing yourself will prove successful for the long haul. It is easy to get use to larger portions and I for one, dont want to be measuring every single meal. I do it occasionally to make sure I am on target, but using a smaller sized plate-bowl makes eyeing things a lot easier.