By Lucy Danziger, SELF Editor-in-Chief Provided by: SELF.com

Happier, Healthier You

Use Smaller Plates and Lose Weight! Posted Thu, Mar 27, 2008, 12:03 pm PDT

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  • 1. Posted by Pinky D on Sun, Mar 30, 2008, 7:55 pm PDT

    I have found this trick very successful, even when going to a restaurant. I either order from the kids/seniors menu(if the waiter gives me problems, I ask for the manager!), or I have them put half the meal in a to-go box before they bring the meal to the table. At home I use salad plates, that way if I'm still a little hungry, I can have "2nds" and not beat myself up. I'm not depriving myself of my favorite foods, I'm just eating less of them, and I feel great! I've lost 23 lbs in 5 months.

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  • 2. Posted by Threecatma on Mon, Mar 31, 2008, 12:46 pm PDT

    I've used the smaller plate tactic for the past few years - it really works! Now that I am aware of portion sizes as they SHOULD be, I can keep to these realistic sizes and not feel deprived when I can fill a small plate. I also put the more calorie-laden item in the middle, and then surround with high volume, low calorie veggies, salad, or healthy sides. I also forgo "seconds", and just relax and let the food convince my tummy that I've had enough. In restaurants, I often order my meal from the appetizer section, from the "sides", or just split a meal with a friend. Children's menus are often not a good idea, as the quality of these foods is much less than the rest of the menu. Once you start eating smaller, it's easy to adopt this as a way of life. I lost 100 pounds over a year ago, and have been able to maintain my new weight.

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  • 3. Posted by MistressKitten on Tue, Apr 01, 2008, 6:12 am PDT

    I agree with the smaller plate idea, but could you stop reinforcing the stupid idea that willpower equals starvation? That's ridiculous, starving yourself is not an example of willpower, refraining from eating a box of cookies is willpower. All people should have willpower, telling them it's a bad thing is just contributing to the obesity epidemic.

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  • 4. Posted by indiangurl on Tue, Apr 01, 2008, 7:00 am PDT

    you should never waste food just becasue you want to have a smaller waste... there are bigger problems than that

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  • 5. Posted by Diamond on Tue, Apr 01, 2008, 7:12 am PDT

    This does work and I actually heard about this method at on the Food Network. They were talking about it in regards to eating out and ever since then I have been doing just that.

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  • 6. Posted by April M on Tue, Apr 01, 2008, 7:18 am PDT

    this advice is very helpful

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  • 7. Posted by April M on Tue, Apr 01, 2008, 7:18 am PDT

    this advice is very helpful

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  • 8. Posted by RAJKUMAR W on Tue, Apr 01, 2008, 12:24 pm PDT

    good idea. Where i will find 6 inch dish ?

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  • 9. Posted by Threecatma on Tue, Apr 01, 2008, 2:41 pm PDT

    I was able to find the small plates at Walmart - cheap! But, now that Walmart is being such a scrooge with a former employees health care (different topic), I won't shop there. Try looking at Target, Kohls, etc - or Chinese grocery stores have really cheap dinnerware.

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  • 10. Posted by shoppingshirl on Wed, Apr 02, 2008, 7:51 pm PDT

    more info. like can we get seconds? or if we should not have a certain type of dinner.

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  • 11. Posted by jennifer b on Thu, Apr 03, 2008, 12:38 am PDT

    I actually used this method and lost 149 lbs in 1 year. yes, I did exercise, but simply started off cutting my portions down. I got the idea from that meridia commercial. i left 1/3 of my food on my plate. I went on the internet and found out what a real portion was for every food i eat and stuck to it. i put several other tips i learned about, like always drinking a full glass of water 20-30 minutes before meals, eating a small salad before my meal, or not eating anything but fruit after 7:00 PM. I did not cut anything out of my diet or even go on a diet. I started walking since i was almost 300LBS and was out of shape. as i lost #'s I walked faster and for longer. It became a game to see how many inches i lost. I did not weigh myself on a regular basis, that is failure waiting to happen because all women platau for a peroid and this is when we usually give up. also we are gaining muscle and losing fat and may weigh the same even if we loose fat. soon i bought a cheap stair stepper from the local wal-mart,and every time i got mad, i would jump on it and go to town. this is easy practical way to get fit as long as you stick with it.

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  • 12. Posted by jennifer b on Thu, Apr 03, 2008, 12:50 am PDT

    you can have seconds if you use small plates like small salad or cake plates. or if you want to do it the right way only stock up on fruits and veggies, i know, you are a woman of variety and don't want to stick with just that, but once you change your diet for about 2 weeks you won't crave all of that other stuff. your body will not be dependant on sugar any more and it will crave the good stuff. also, i know excercise is a bummer, but just like the food, if you do it long enough your body will crave it, excercise releases endorphins, the more you do it, the more endorphins flood your body. these make you happy, energetic, and even block pain.do some thing you would enjoy if you are fit. like the song says you have to "move it, move it".

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  • 13. Posted by kristen91910 on Fri, Apr 04, 2008, 3:58 pm PDT

    I really enjoyed the comment left by Threecatma. You can see it posted on EnactOne.com as well as what other people think of this health tip. "Now that I am aware of portion sizes as they SHOULD be, I can keep to these realistic sizes and not feel deprived when I can fill a small plate. I also put the more calorie-laden item in the middle, and then surround with high volume, low calorie veggies, salad, or healthy sides."

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  • 14. Posted by Nahedh K on Sat, Apr 05, 2008, 1:29 pm PDT

    the subjet was very helpful for me. It is provide a lot of good information that can help me lose weight and keep it off thanks

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  • 15. Posted by Nikki on Sat, Apr 05, 2008, 1:39 pm PDT

    This really does work,Ive lost 24 lbs with this trick!!!

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