Today I’m sharing a tip that can help you win the battle of the bulge.

This tip is an oldie but goodie. I have heard my mother tell me this tall tale, and I have seen other people swear by it, but I don’t believe anything until I try it out for myself.

Smaller plate = Less food consumed

It seems like common sense. If you have less of a plate to fill up you should eat less. I never really believed this myth. I figured I would eat off of my small plate, and when I wanted more I would get a refill, I might even eat more calories to compensate for the small dishware.

A few months ago I stopped using my favorite bowls. They are a deep purple, and have the circumference of a large plate, yet it is shaped like a bowl. My mother ate out of bowls when I was growing up, and most people know, like mother like daughter.

 

I’ve been on a mission to get in shape, and accomplish my goal of a 6 pack by summer, so I have been trying every myth, and tall tale that I have ever heard with intentions to cut my calorie intake. I realized my “favorite” bowl was large, deep, and dark. Purple is my favorite color, but maybe it’s not the best choice for dish color.

My boyfriend contributed some of his dishes to our household, which I never used. I actually had a plan to slowly get rid of them; but instead of plotting their demise, I decided try eating off of his smaller saucer. I must admit, the color scheme of his plates are much more attractive to me. Since cooking healthier I find my food is very colorful, and the contrast with my favorite purple bowl actually plays down the colorfulness of my food. About 3 months ago I started eating off of this saucer, (its so small I can’t even call it a plate).

I find that I enjoy eating off of something so small. My plate gets filled up a lot faster, and I tend to eat a lot less. I didn’t noticed how much less I consume until we went out to dinner. The plates were huge and after 2-3 bites of each course I was full. Even my boyfriend commented about the drastic drop in the amount of food I consume. Eating off of a smaller plate makes me eat slower, because I don’t want it to be over as fast, which gives my stomach time to signal my brain and tell it I am full. The bright color makes me happy, and brings out the even more color in the colorful food that I create.

After my own experiment I did some research on this subject and this is what I found.

“The results showed a small increase in dishware size can lead to a substantial increase in calories available to be consumed, particularly if food is calorie dense. This reinforces the need to consider dishware size when developing strategies to prevent over-consumption.”

The highlighted points:

“Appropriate calorie intake still comes down to discipline”

If you are attempting to decrease your total calorie intake use small dishware, consume low calorie foods, and limit your number of servings.

It truly works. I’m your living proof.  

Reference:

http://breakingmuscle.com/nutrition/lose-weight-smaller-plates-science-weighs-dishsize-and-calories