[LondonJulz]

Does anyone else do this???


I have found that if I can make my food LOOK bigger , then my brain somehow thinks it's bigger and I feel fuller....

For instance. I typically have 2 eggs for breakfast. I used to do them scrambled and it just looked like a tiny amount to me. So, I've started doing them over easy (break the yolks). I cook them in a pan with the bottom slightly greased with EVOO. I put the eggs in, break the yolks and then spread the egg and yolk as much as I can in the pan. This makes it look like a HUGE amount - and I feel more satisfied after I eat that, than if I make them scrambled.... it's a kind of neat trick.

So, if I make anything in the oven, like lasagna.... instead of piling it up HIGH, I use a bigger pan and spread it out more.... so I can cut myself a BIGGER piece..... does this make sense??? It's like I'm tricking myself into thinking I'm eating huge portions, when really - it's the same portion sizes that I should be eating - just spread out more....

Anyway, I just wanted to share this....
I have been faithful to doing things this way all this week, and I haven't had to use any of my extra WW points for the week.... which is a goal I'm trying ot adhere to.....

[vealcalf2000]

OMG I do the same thing! Fool the mind and you'll fool the belly too! I used to eat homemade wraps but now instead of rolling up the tortilla I lay everything out flat. It's so much more filling now. Figure we're probably eating slower this way so it's filling us up faster on the same amount of food!

[modkittn]

I use small plates sometimes instead of large ones. Then I can still finish the plate, but eat just the right amount

[ruthannie]

I've just been reading "Mindless Eating" which goes over this whole volume issue. It's like the trick they do where the same amount of liquid is in a tall glass or a short wide glass. It looks like more liquid in the tall glass.

The opposite is true of food on the plate- not as tall, but spread out looks like more. I noticed Lean Cuisine does this with their lasagna too. It's a very enlightening book. There are any number of tricks we can play on ourselves and it goes both ways.

[Sammi711]

Ok now I'm intrigued! I do the smaller plate thing and when I make something like my crockpot mac n' cheese I measure out my 1 cup serving and spread it out so it looks like it fills the plate. I didn't realize that I was tricking myself into thinking that it was a lot of macaroni cuz I know it's not but I do feel satisfied after I eat it as opposed to the huge plate I used to eat of it!

[LondonJulz]

Originally Posted by vealcalf2000

OMG I do the same thing! Fool the mind and you'll fool the belly too! I used to eat homemade wraps but now instead of rolling up the tortilla I lay everything out flat. It's so much more filling now. Figure we're probably eating slower this way so it's filling us up faster on the same amount of food!

Glad there are more of you like me out there!!!

Originally Posted by ruthannie

It's like the trick they do where the same amount of liquid is in a tall glass or a short wide glass. It looks like more liquid in the tall glass.

That's amazing that you mentioned that. When I drink my cup of milk everyday, I put it in a short stubby glass, because it fills the cup up, and to me - it feels like I'm getting more.....even though I KNOW it's the same amount even if I put it in a HUGE glass, it just FEELS like more because the glass is full...I'm sure if I had a tall skinny glass, I'd use that, because then my eyes would see a TALL glass FILLED with milk.... oye my head hurts from trying to wrap my brain around this phenomenon! lol

Originally Posted by Sammi711

Ok now I'm intrigued! I do the smaller plate thing and when I make something like my crockpot mac n' cheese I measure out my 1 cup serving and spread it out so it looks like it fills the plate. I didn't realize that I was tricking myself into thinking that it was a lot of macaroni cuz I know it's not but I do feel satisfied after I eat it as opposed to the huge plate I used to eat of it!

All of us weirdos on one site..... lolol... I'm just kidding!