The 'size' of the times.

How food is presented to me is really important, whatever the meal. The size of the plate is also important and I try to use a suitable size that reflects the portions I should be eating and not what my treacherous mind says that I want.. I am also using a bit of 'mindful' eating which appears to be working on the whole. My breakfast this morning was a colourful plate to perk up the start of my long week in work. The plate I have used is a modern side plate, I compared this to my 1960s dinner plate and it was bigger than the serving area of this plate ( the plain bit, excluding the patterned rim ), I am a bit of a 'collecting nut' when it comes to kitchenalia and have crockery from the 1900s through to today. Interestingly the dinner plate started off quite big between 1900-1920, slowly shrinking in size until the 1980s when it has got bigger and bigger. The 1950s appear to be the smallest, and most of my dinner sets have 2 sizes of dinner plate in that decade, the biggest size still a fraction of todays monsters.

Breakfast 2 boiled eggs, cress, tomato,radishes ( homegrown) and 1 slice wholemeal toast with lurpak lighter = 250 Kcals.

[Hidden]

Hi Hidden

Good concept

Good presentation

A good breakfast spread

A curiosity and suggestion

Lupark lighter has some vegetable oil to make that butter spreadable

The vegetable oil added could be some oil like soy oil which is best avoided

Best is to use pure butter

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

I use homemade butter or locally produced normally, but bought the lurpak spreadable as an alternative for this hot weather. I also use rapeseed oil, and make my own flavoured oils for economy. Spreads are not a usual product found in my fridge, lol, but am fed up of my butter either being like a brick from the fridge or rancid in the butter dish on the side.. As we live in the UK, it'll be back to normal service soon enough 😂😂😂

[Hidden]

I eat when I am hungry only now hun.. I am finding this the best way and calories vary.. For the first time trying to lose weight is not being governed by dieting, and more a consciousness of what I am consuming. My calorie intake is no less than 1250 and no more than 1800, this way it all balances out over the week.. I eat 4 meals per day and no snacks, spread out pretty evenly.. I do nutrition as part of my job, so am pretty clued up on what I should/shouldn't eat, but like most folk, practicing what I preach has always been a bit hit and miss, lol. 😊

[Fran182716 Prediabetic]

1800 calories may be too many for you, but please don't assume it's too many for someone else, 800 calories is not enough for any adult (unless intermittent fast day or medically supervised VCLD) and it would not be healthy or safe for most people to eat this little, they would lose lean muscle and risk deficiency in micronutrients. Your calorie range for maintenance or weight loss depends on your gender, age and activity level, there are several online calculators which can work this out, but the one attached to healthunlocked is the NHS bmi calculator.

[Latinia]

How interesting about the plate sizes. We seldom use the dinner plate size, just keep them as serving platters. We most often eat our main meal from some shallow bowls (pasta bowls?). These give a good sized meal and are easier to manage when carrying to the table. Sheila

[Fran182716 Prediabetic]

Hello, I didn't complain exactly, I raised a concern because you seemed to be giving advice that would not be suitable for most people. I was concerned that someone might follow your advice and make themselves unwell from not eating enough to fuel their body's functions. I am a healthcare professional but not a doctor or dietician and I am not qualified to give and wouldn't give specific advice to anyone only suggestions based on a reasonable general knowledge of physiology and nutrition. It sounds as though you might have some health concerns if you are bordering on underweight and struggling to eat, so I would honestly recommend you see your doctor who may be able to help with any health issues and could possibly refer you to a registered dietitian who would give you tailored advice based on your individual needs.

I can see you weren't trying to cause any harm but please just be careful you dont advise other people to eat in a way that may not be healthy for them.

All best wishes with your own health and fitness.

[Hidden]

Goodness me, of course I did not complain about you hun.. We are all entitled to our opinion, and I am thick skinned enough to just reply myself.. I am not able to give advice/info professionally on this site hun, and I would not do so.. The nhs plan is a fabulous one to follow if wanting to lose weight, and I would recommend you see your gp for more personal one to one needs. 😊