It All Worked Out Just Fine

So today my husband and I went to an Italian restaurant after church. This restaurant serves absolutely delicious meals. We decided to order a pizza - meat lovers with black olives and mushrooms. Yum.

While we were waiting, our server brought us some soft, warm, to-die-for, garlic bread. Two servings of them. Oh my. I knew if I ate the bread, I would not be hungry for pizza, and I really, really wanted to enjoy eating the pizza.

What to do? What to do? I knew if I took that first bite of the bread, there would no stopping until I had eaten the whole thing. Well, I did it. I took one bite and then another and another. I nibbled till it was gone. Yep. I did.  That first bite.......was at the same time too many and not enough.

When the pizza came, I honestly didn’t know how much I would be able to eat.  It looked and smelled wonderful. I chose the smallest slice of pizza on the tray, and started eating. Oh my, the flavor did not disappoint. It was great. Oh, man. After a few bites, I realized that I was already getting full. I ate about three quarters of my slice and moved my plate to the end of the table.

We asked for a ‘to go’ box, and as soon as my husband finished eating, we put the left over pizza in it. Enough pizza for at least two meals.

Yeah! Victory! I ate my bread and some pizza too, without the guilt feelings of overeating.

Big plate vs. Small Plate

I have read many articles/books over the years on the topic of weight loss. Some were technical, almost scientific in the presentation of its information. Others were more relaxed and informal in style and syntax. Most contained, in addition to whatever diet plan it was sharing, tips, hacks, if you will, about how to make dieting seem easier.

One of the tips/hacks often mentioned is to use small plates and bowls when eating. Smaller dishes give the impression that the portions of food on them appear larger than they would on larger dishes. That way you will believe that you’re eating more food than you actually are.

And that is fine unless you are at a church dinner, for example, where only large plates are available. If you are not supplying your own small dishes, then you are staring at a large plate with a small amount of food on it.

I have though about this dilemma several times and come to this conclusion. I will always use regular sizes, not small, plates and bowls for my personal dining on a daily basis. There is no point in coddling/deceiving myself into thinking that I have larger portions on my plate than I do.   I have gotten used to looking at small portions on a regular sized plate and in a regular sized bowl, and it no longer bothers me. I can finish my ‘tiny’ portions, and if I’m full, then my meal is over.

I encourage each of us, to be strong.  Look at things as they are. It is not necessary to make ourselves feel better by looking at small dishes with small portions on them. Come on. We can handle this. Let’s just do it.

Another Challenge?!?

3. I have read that it is best if we eat 10 servings of fruits and vegetables a day. Before I changed my eating style, I ate fruit at almost every meal, and a couple of servings of vegetables and a salad at lunch and dinner. Now I am eating fewer and smaller servings of fruits and vegetables because I get full. Even though I’m losing weight, my diet might be as nutritious as before. Hmmmmm. For example, today I have eaten no servings of fruits and vegetables. I just know that there is no way I can eat 10 servings a day, especially if a serving is considered to be about a half cup. That would be 5 cups of food. I’m not eating that much food in a day.

This is my solution to the issue. It might not be the best, but it’s all I’ve got right now. No fruits and vegetables all day is not acceptable, so here’s what needs to happen. I must make sure that I include at least one fruit and one vegetable at every meal, even if it’s only a fourth cup. Then I can at least get a few bites of each in before I get full. There ya go. Problem solved.

My Eyes Are Still Bigger Than My Stomach

One of the challenges I am having is very much tied to the 'feeding the hungry children in China' challenge. I am still trying to judge how much food it takes to 'fill me up'. When getting a bowl of chili, for example, one ladle full of chili just doesn't look like enough. So when I add another ladle full then I get full before my bowl is empty and then I am faced with the 'feeding the hungry children' challenge---leaving uneaten food, which is still very hard for me to do.
Today I put only one ladle full of chili in my bowl and ate it. I felt satisfied when I finished. Yea!!!
This is all a process. I am working on two different things at the same time. (1) making my eyes accept the fact that a small serving of anything is enough. (2) leaving uneaten food on my plate when I am full.
I know I can do it. When I have completely conquered these challenges then I will be well on my way to permanent weight loss!!