Portion Control: Distorted Perception
August 18th, 2005 by Y.G.Portion Distortion: How Much Is Too Much?, by Susan Burke: here’s the article I picked today, since it’s a problem lots of us have to face when trying to lose weight. Even people who’ve gone through WLS may find themselves “seeing bigger than what they can chew”, so this says it all about us who have the same problem while actually being able to stuff the food in our stomaches.
Granted, the problem doesn’t only come from ourselves. Portions sizes in restaurants have grown bigger and bigger during the past decades, reinforcing our flawed perception; however, since we eat larger portions than before, restaurants also serve larger ones, to satisfy the customer. Egg-and-chicken matter, anyone? This can be a very vicious circle, and like every circle, endless. As an example, the article I linked to above shows comparative data between what a cup of coffee or a bagel used to be 20 years ago, and what they are now.
Other example: the “clean your plate attitude”.
Are you a member of the Clean Plate Club, finishing everything on your plate regardless of the portion size? If you’re like most people, you were raised on the parental decree, “Clean your plate, there are children starving in Africa.” The reality is that most countries today are dealing with the problem of overnutrition, rather than malnutrition.
Not mentioning that the argument is completely stupid, because starving children won’t get more to eat whether we end up overweight or not. Anyway, I’ve been taught to “clean my plate” as well, and this reflex is hard to overcome. It’s a necessity, though. I can’t recall the amount of restaurant dishes I haven’t finished since I’ve forced myself to put this into practice, but if they insist on serving too much food, their fault, not mine. And to think that I live in a country that hasn’t fallen victim to this “king sized meals” trend yet, or not too much, at least: if it’s hard enough as it is here, what is it in the USA? (No offense, folks; just wondering.)
In any case, this all calls for portion control. In a nutshell, here come the few tips provided by Susan Nurke:
- Stop. Before eating, assess your hunger. Most people eat because it’s time to eat, not because they’re hungry.
- Learn the portion sizes of food just right for YOU.
- Split the difference. When dining out, split an entrée, and start with a salad or cup of soup each. If you’d like your own container, ask the server to bring a to-go box when serving the meal.
- Eating smaller meals more frequently allows you to control your intake.
- Check your portion perception. Measure the amount of food you’re eating, and then determine how many servings you’ve eaten.
- Slow down.
- Don’t serve food “family style,” except for salad and vegetables.
- Serve all dressing on the side, whether you’re eating at home or out.
- If you’re not satisfied with smaller portions, then substitute lower calorie, lower fat alternatives.
As usual with this kind of tips, it’s easier to read them than to follow them. I’m however still going to stand to my opinion here: if you have a “list”, if it’s clearly written, broken down in several points, it gets easier to remember it—and follow it when needed.
