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Tip of the Week: Plate Size Can Affect Your Weight

Have you noticed that the plates in restaurants are getting bigger and bigger? Well, the size of your plate can actually affect your weight. See how you can stop letting that happen.

I know for a fact that plates are getting bigger because my apartment was built in the 1950's and my modern plates (or shall we call them platters) don't fit in the kitchen cabinets. It would be simple to logically deduce that it takes more food to make one of those beautiful dishes look full.

Brian Wansink, the director of the Cornell Food and Brand Lab, and the author of Mindless Eating says that this increase in plate size has contributed to how much more food we're eating. For many emotional eaters a big part of their struggle with food comes from feeling cheated or denied food in some way as a child. This feeling of missing out makes us look for the biggest cookie on the plate. For others, there is an unavoidable feeling of obligation to finish everything on your plate. And if your plate is really big that means consuming more.

In other words, when it comes to food, for many of us, size matters. Experiment with eating out of smaller plates and bowls and see what happens. Your mind just might be tricked into believing that a full small plate is more satisfying than a sparsely filled big plate - even if it is the same amount of food.


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22 Comments In the order they were posted.

HeatherCheryl said...

Those large plates should never be filled. The large plates give you plenty of room to create a beautiful presentation with a small quantity of food leaving "white space" on the plate. Food should be beautiful and well arranged, after all, the first taste is with the eyes.

donna singleton said...

What is with all of these cognitive-behavioral tips? I thought this was an analytical approach. A big let down-Donna

Estar said...

In my opinion, I don't think it is a let down. If one is seriously to be engaged with obtaining a goal, then one should consider all aspects of possibilities. After reading this tip, it will at least be in my mind to try it when I go out. Just a suggestion to Donna, you should be positive and consider all sides of the 'plate'.

Michelle said...

We take your suggestions very seriously. An analytical approach means understanding why we do the things we do. And yes, SY is an analytical approach in the sense that we feel it's important to understand why you have been overeating or binging. However, understanding is not usually enough because the people that come here want to experience more than just understanding, they want to experience change. Once you understand, you are freed up to make different choices. That's where the cognitive-behavioral information comes in. To succeed you need both. Many of us understand why we have the problems that we do but we don't necessarily know how to make different choices so that our subconscious roots are no longer what's running the show. If there are tips that you think would be helpful or particular areas where you struggle please feel free to email me at michelle@shrinkyourself.com and I'll be sure to include topics that interest you in the weeks to come.

DENEEN said...

I started eating on saucers two years ago. At first, it didn't seem like enough food and I would go back for seconds. Over time though, that one little plate of food is enough. Now, when I see food on a big plate, it looks like waaayyyyyy too much. To those who doubt, try it before you knock it. We should welcome all tips to help us reach our goal.

Michelle said...

I think this is a wonderful suggestions. I come from a family of 8. When growing up, my brothers would eat all the food before us girls could get to it. When we did get a plate full, we made sure we ate it all before someone took a nibble. To this day I find I will fill my plate like it might be my last and protect it until it's all gone. I'm trying to convenience my husband that smaller plates are best. But he doesn't have the weight problem. I do. So I will set my own smaller plate. Thanks for the tip!

Lisa said...

It works for me! Thanks for the reinforcement!! People like having options, and it's nice to know we have a choice instead of being tied to "only what we know"

pg said...

I've been having my breakfast yogurt in a small bowl using a small spoon for some time now and it does work. On the days that I want something more I use a small plate. It does make a difference. Thanks for the tips.

marites said...

pls i dont like big plate i want tip for diet. pls pls. give me more atip for diet .. thanks /.. marites

Lynda said...

I have started using small plate size at home and to me it really does work but I appreciate any information coming from this site. This is the first site that deals with cognitive behavioral, before I can change my behavior toward food I first need to change my way of thinking regarding food.

Ann said...

On a Yahoo discussion group, we have been talking about the book One Bowl. Many of us are seeking to find a bowl that is beautiful and comfortable. I found this the other day. The Buddha Bowl. Many sites sell it, and this is one. 2 sizes 12 and 18 ounces This link is for the 12 ounce. http://www.ochelly.com/item.php?item_id=154

Michelle said...

Ann, I love that buddha bowl. I just took a look. My best friend was taking a pottery class years ago and I had her make me a bowl just like that with a handle and everything. It's still my favorite thing to eat out of and just right when it comes to size.

Cathy said...

Smaller plates are a great help in controlling the amount of food you take. We also use smaller bowls for cereal, pudding sugarfree etc. Our regular dinner plates are in pristine condition -- they have hardly been used in the last 20 years.

Kathrine said...

My only concern with using a smaller plate, is the theory that eating too little can SLOW your metabolism, causing our body to go into "starvation" mode, and use LESS energy for daily tasks. Any thoughts??....

Peggy said...

This paragraph is completely correct - plate size makes a HUGE difference. I have been eating off of saucers for 3 years and have gotten to where the amount of food on a regular plate looks immense. I feed my family on lunch plates instead of dinner plates, and use the dinner plates as serving platters. The other thing that has helped me cut back a lot is to use cocktail-size silverware. I found a bunch of baby silverware that was all silver so it isn't clunky schlocky plastic, and usually eat with that to help me take smaller bites you can't get as much food on smaller silverware and it has helped a lot too. When I can't use my small silverware, I use dessert forks and iced tea spoons.

kelli said...

Great tip. This is a great tip as we subconsciously become satisfied over time to replace an old habit with a new habit. Thank you and please keep up the amazing work.

Juda said...

Someone recently suggested to me, two things. Treat your body like a temple and eat out of a bowl or plate that holds the quantity of food that would fit in your two cupped hands. I am enjoying eating less food off smaller plates as a result of his advice. Smaller plates and bowls feel more normal and that is my goal to eat and enjoy food like a normal person or maybe I need to say a person with out body image and food issues. Slowly getting there folks. Thanks for all the good advice and heartfelt sharing.

Carolyn Kay said...

We use our salad plates most of the time, to serve our meals, and we use six-ounce glasses. Carolyn Kay

Stephanie said...

This article really hit home for me and reading it and some of your comments desribed a few of my habits to a "T". I feel if my big plate isn't completely full I am being denied or missing out and I always look for the biggest "cookie" on the plate...I use the excuse of getting my money worth instead of mindless eating or binging or greed....I also prefer the dinner forks which can pick up more food. I do like to use smaller spoons lol. I am going to start practicing mindful eating and using smaller plates and forks going forward. Thanks for the great article and comments

Sherri said...

I think that if we all ate actual serving sizes of food...meat the size of your palm, cheese the size of the tip of your finger ect.. it would more than fit on a smaller plate. As for Katherine's concern...I believe that it's the quality of the food that positively or negatively affects our metabolism much more than the quantity of food. Just my thoughts~

Jackie said...

I think recognizing physical hunger versus phantom hunger is key. Listen to your body and what it is telling you. I agree with the other comments. Plates have gotten bigger. Plates from a relatively new dinner set barely fit into the dishwasher whereas our older plates fit comfortably. I'm quite a big fan of some of these cooking shows on tv and many talk about eating with our eyes. I guess there is stuff we can do with the extra space to enhance the presentation of our food. I like the tips. I think the tips help us to make incremental changes that result in healthier lifestyles.

Shannon said...

Michelle, I so relate, I grew up with an older brother and two sisters. Our brother would literally wolf down the food and us girls would have to "run to the table and quickly grab our portion of the meal...and enough of it cause it would be gone in minutes. I feel that I still approach food like this sometimes and i always assure my kids there is more if they are still hungry...even if i had to fix a little something later. This seems to quell any fear that they are missing our by eating slowly!! Love this tip and the comments.

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End Emotional Eating

Tip of the Week: Plate Size Can Affect Your Weight

End
Emotional
Eating