Can you eat three course meals anymore?

To quote my youngest (many years ago) "my main course tummy is full, but there is always space in my pudding tummy"

@Arlanymor

Depends where. Expensive restaurants tend to have smaller portions designed for multiple courses as opposed to pub restaurants which tend to have larger portions but few people order starters

This is exactly me! Post menopause, I prefer grazing now to sitting down to a stonking meal. I love the sociability of eating and sharing but no longer enjoy that bloated, sluggish feeling after a huge meal.

Unfortunately and another issue, is my (very) overweight DH is constantly on my case about my appetite, which can make me feel awkward and guilty in company. He draws attention by telling others I’m not ‘eating enough’ and sighs audibly when I order a large starter and follow with a pudding, rather than a main meal. I’m exactly the right weight for my height/build and it’s not me that’s always tired, falls asleep every time I sit down and snore loudly at night. 😏

Depends where it is. Most pubs/chain restaurants etc I couldn't eat 3 courses and rarely 2 as the portions tend to be huge.
Somewhere fancier with dainty portions, I'm definitely having 3 courses and toast when I get home.

For me, it depends on the size of the portions and the quality of the food. Generally speaking, I find that portion sizes tend to go up as food quality goes down.

In somewhere like a Hungry Horse [shudder], there are only a very few things on the menu that I could eat in their entirety - most of it is carby fillers, like pasta, chips, rice, bread etc. and some of the starters are huge, such as a massive plate of nachos (cheap carb) and a fatty sauce.

But in a gastro pub (the sort where you need to apply for a mortgage to pay the bill!) I could probably eat 3 courses quite happily and not feel stuffed.

South Italian wedding! About 15 courses, each one very small and the whole thing went on for hours and hours. You get to taste so many different things, have lots of time between and really, really enjoy the whole thing.

Some places these days - the dessert alone can be a meals worth of calories. I used to love the mini dessert in Prezzo where you got just enough to satisfy the desire for something sweet after dinner. I'm not sure why they haven't reinstated that after the pandemic.

I can eat three courses with no problem as long as the portion sizes are normal.

A couple of weeks ago, we had pub lunch with friends - simple stuff, we ordered sandwiches as we weren't starving. What appeared, and I'm not exaggerating, were dinner plates loaded with chips, lettuce leaves, two slices of cucumber and half a tomato - and a sandwich comprising the filling between two slices of bread, each an inch thick.

One of the problems, I think, is the prices charged for pub food post-Covid; £12.00 for a roast beef sandwich is quite a lot. Maybe the idea is to load plates with cheap carbs in order to make people think they're getting value for money.

I could, but normally won't.
Unless the main is very good and very filling.

I think you'll find portions have shrunk nowadays 😂

I can easily if it is a home cooked meal by me or a family member. I can’t if it is a pub meal because portions (particularly main courses) are so big now. I don’t think I’ve been to an ordinary restaurant for a few years so can’t comment on those

I still love to have 3 courses, but generally can't finish my plate anymore.

Deserts in particular are huge these days. I find it so off-putting to see this massive chunk of cake come out. Still order though - I just usually try to share.

I know what you mean, I'm a few years younger and can eat the same volume as before probably but not as rich, ie steak frites and a cheesecake for dessert would make me feel sick. Steak and salad and chocolate cake is fine though lol.

I'm late 50's and will happily chow down a 3 course meal. I only have veggie options if I'm eating out (not a vegetarian, just a bit dubious about eating meat I haven't seen cooked or don't know the person cooking it). Maybe veggie dishes are lighter on the stomach than meat ones so that's why it's never been an issue for me.

I've always had a massive appetite. The only time I didn't was after abdominal surgery for a stomach infection. I would happily eat everything in sight but I would get stomach ache and heart burn. Then later bloating and other issues. In my 30s and younger I was totally fine, could eat the three courses no problem. Now in 40s I'd suffer for it.

I noticed recently that I was feeling less hungry than usual. It turned out I had h.pylori stomach bacterial infection.

Not unless I was stoned, in which case I could eat a twelve course meal!

Very much this for me a well.

I hear ya OP. I generally do 2 starters + pudding or starter + main.

Not so long ago I'd easily get through a starter, a main with 2 sides (that were shared between 2 adults) plus a dessert and a bottle of wine.

Now I can just about manage a main and a dessert. I had some serious eating/weight issues back then though. I stopped all the extras a few years back due to wanting to lose weight and now only eat to stop feeling hungry. I don't eat till I'm full/uncomfortable anymore. I've lost over 4 stone (but used to weighed even more years ago).

The beauty of a doggy bag! I find if I'm out to eat I'm so busy chatting that I end up not really eating that much. I also eat incredibly slowly which can be annoying for other people. I really like sharing meals, like Indian/Pakistani food, tapas, mezze, Chinese, anything where you can have a little bit of a few things.
If it's individual meals, I tend to go for starter and main, but usually about half the main comes home with me. I always like a little bite of someone's else's pudding though!
I did used to be able to eat loads more when I was younger, but I guess I needed more energy and my weight was higher.

I'm 42 and can happily eat three courses. I'd be stuffed at the end and a bit uncomfortable, but I love food and have always had a big appetite.

I think as we get older people's food sensitivities can start to play up more, which might cause problems? I get bloating from lentils and chick peas now so avoid them, which I never did when I was younger. I have loads of friends who avoid dairy or gluten because it doesn't agree with them.

I am the same OP. As soon as I hit perimenopause I couldn't eat as much and felt full quite early in the meal. Other friends have said the same. Don't know why it is. Sadly I don't seem to have dropped in weight! I wonder if you need less calories as you get older.

I used to be able to eat 3 courses happily, but am now 53 and cant eat nearly as much as I used to.

Sadly this does not translate into losing any weight, the opposite actually, which is all rather disappointing!

So I am 53, eat much less but am much fatter than when I was 23 😡

I suspect its got something to do with reduced muscle mass