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Dinner service - obesity

179 replies

sweeneytoddsrazor · 20/09/2026 21:49

DH has purchased a 1970s dinner service. We already have plenty of crockery but it's made up of the remnants of about 5 dinner sets. All of our dinner sets have larger plates than the 1970s one. This got me thinking is that why most recipes that say serve 4 often I only get 3 out of because the plate looks half empty. So I used the 1970s one and a 4 portion recipe did indeed fill 4 plates. So maybe a return to smaller dinner plates would help people reduce portion size and help the obesity problems
I will add that as a child we always had bread and butter on the table if we wanted it alongside our meal which doesn't seem to happen now unless it's garlic bread. Does our minds trick us into feeling full if we see a full plate and think we are still hungry if the plate isn't full?

OP posts:
HexInductionHour · 21/09/2026 18:45

Modern large plates are to enhance presentation I think. If that is your style of serving

CopiedMyBlottingBook · 21/09/2026 18:53

diddl · 21/09/2026 18:43

I thought it was that Olive in OTB was dowdy/unattractive?

They dressed Anna Karen in frumpy clothing and thick-rimmed glasses, with an uninspiring hairstyle and it was a running joke that she was supposedly very fat (joking about her breaking chairs, toilets etc.) although she wasn't.

She also used her acting skills to appear unattractive, frowning, hunching her shoulders and so on. She was made up to look pasty-faced and unmade-up.

Out of costume, she was an attractive woman.

Dinner service - obesity
maxslice · 21/09/2026 19:59

Articles and magazines often encourage readers to use smaller plates for weight management. Salad plates are often recommended. Which probably helps unless you go back for more. They also suggest that people immediately brush their teeth after eating to prevent eating again. I personally find this silly. If I really feel like eating something, say, before bed, the horror of having to brush my teeth again is not going to stop me.

diddl · 21/09/2026 20:00

it was a running joke that she was supposedly very fat (joking about her breaking chairs, toilets etc.) although she wasn't.

She certainly wasn't in that pic of her in bra & trousers!

Maybe she sometimes wore padding or her weight fluctuated in the series?

ThatCyanCat · 21/09/2026 20:23

diddl · 21/09/2026 20:00

it was a running joke that she was supposedly very fat (joking about her breaking chairs, toilets etc.) although she wasn't.

She certainly wasn't in that pic of her in bra & trousers!

Maybe she sometimes wore padding or her weight fluctuated in the series?

I'd never heard of her or the programme but I had a quick look and it seems she did sometimes wear padding (but even that seems minimal from the stills I've seen, and yeah, there are shots where she clearly isn't padded and is not remotely overweight) and she also did indeed work as as a stripper and a model.

Remember the hue and cry when Titanic came about because the young Kate Winslet was apparently so fat?

Gingerkittykat · 22/09/2026 02:39

HoraceCope · 21/09/2026 14:30

Sometimes the portion sizes I make are quite small so I give dh the small plate to stop him feeling hard done by

Where are you getting your small plates, I had some from a charity shop but have only one left

I use the OFTAST plates, bowls and side plates from Ikea, it's their most basic range so is really cheap. The plate is 25cm or 9.8 inches.

I don't know if you want smaller than that, but this is definitely smaller than a lot of plates out there.

CopiedMyBlottingBook · 22/09/2026 08:21

ThatCyanCat · 21/09/2026 20:23

I'd never heard of her or the programme but I had a quick look and it seems she did sometimes wear padding (but even that seems minimal from the stills I've seen, and yeah, there are shots where she clearly isn't padded and is not remotely overweight) and she also did indeed work as as a stripper and a model.

Remember the hue and cry when Titanic came about because the young Kate Winslet was apparently so fat?

That was crazy about Kate, she looked beautiful in Titanic. Her figure was just right for the early 20th century costumes she was wearing.

ThatCyanCat · 22/09/2026 08:38

CopiedMyBlottingBook · 22/09/2026 08:21

That was crazy about Kate, she looked beautiful in Titanic. Her figure was just right for the early 20th century costumes she was wearing.

I remember going to school after seeing it and everyone, boys and girls, raving about how absolutely beautiful she was. But yeah... fat and not very pretty, apparently. No wonder eating disorders were so common in the 90s. And yet, with pressure to be super thin, endless fat shaming even of people who weren't fat, no decent clothes past a size 16 (and not a very big 16 either) and diets and eating disorders everywhere, obesity still rose and rose.

Jan24680 · 22/09/2026 08:45

I tried to get 9" plates for a ship I worked on 10 years ago. They just weren't available through the chandlers. We generally preferred the smaller plates but only 12" ones were available. Only the skinny guys ate off the 12" ones.

Ponoka7 · 22/09/2026 08:58

The 70s adults was the war/children of the war generation. Portions of food were smaller, but people filled up on bread. Luckily bread was healthier. Tea snd biscuits, tea and fruitcake, tea and a scone etc was a mid morning/evening option. People used side plates, during my childhood, people still had dining tables. There was more crockery used. We'd have soup bowls and desert bowls. It was a usual Wedding present. Along with full cutlery. I've still got my Mothers trifle set, we'd need two bowls each. It's pure calories in vs out, actual ingredients/fresh food and activity levels. Which is why weight loss injections work. People eat less and because they are warned that they'll lose muscle, they move more. Women worry about hair loss, so eat nutritionally. It equals weight loss.

Westfacing · 22/09/2026 09:12

CaptainMyCaptain · 21/09/2026 07:57

There were almost no fat people in the 50s - if they were they were probably cheating on their rations - and it was less common in the 70s. There was a dance group in the 60s and 70s called The Roly Polys whose USP was that they were all fat. If you look at them now some of them would barely qualify as Plus Size.

I remember the Roly Poly's - and Les Dawson!

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5foot5 · 22/09/2026 09:42

Fizbosshoes · 21/09/2026 11:16

I dispute that there were no fat people in previous generations.my mums family were all overweight (my grandparents, mum , her brother) ive got old pictures of them and they were overweight in the 40s and 50s. Well before upfs, they didnt have a car, they walked or cycled everywhere
My mum slimmed down in the 70s but for most of my childhood and beyond she was overweight, but im not convinced she ate more than I do, I think she had a different body disposition to put on weight and would probably qualify for WLI if she was alive today.

Edited

There were fat people, true. But it was much less common. Some people who were thought of as fat then would probably pass as pretty average now. In my primary school in the 1960s/70s there was one girl, a good friend of mine, who was a bit chubby. She was generally regarded as fat by most of the other children. When I look at my old school photo she wouldn't stand out at all these days; probably half the kids in the class would be the same now.

You almost never saw the vastly obese people who are a common sight now. Honestly, I think people would have turned to stare in the street back then at what is, sadly, not unusual these days.

Sparrowlass · 22/09/2026 10:20

Vroomfondleswaistcoat · 21/09/2026 15:16

TDEE is total daily enegy expenditure - it's the number of calories that they calculate you need per day based on your level of physical activity. So the estimation I was given is quite high because I am very physically active.

OMAD is One Meal A Day - I eat once a day in the evening because it fits in with my daily life. I'm not a big eater but I can't go to bed hungry!

Different things for different people isn't it. For some, going to bed hungry is their best tip for staying slim!

I did OMAD for a while. It didn't really work for me,or at least didn't mean for any improvement.

Vroomfondleswaistcoat · 22/09/2026 10:24

Sparrowlass · 22/09/2026 10:20

Different things for different people isn't it. For some, going to bed hungry is their best tip for staying slim!

I did OMAD for a while. It didn't really work for me,or at least didn't mean for any improvement.

I tried going to bed hungry and the rumbling of my stomach would wake me up! I also found it hard to get to sleep with the discomfort of being hungry!

It really is so much personal preference though, as you say, otherwise there would be one simple answer that people could be told to follow and - instant slim! We all do what works best for us.

Sparrowlass · 22/09/2026 10:27

Vroomfondleswaistcoat · 22/09/2026 10:24

I tried going to bed hungry and the rumbling of my stomach would wake me up! I also found it hard to get to sleep with the discomfort of being hungry!

It really is so much personal preference though, as you say, otherwise there would be one simple answer that people could be told to follow and - instant slim! We all do what works best for us.

I did it by accident just a few days ago, when I looked at MFP I had eaten less than usual. I had also gone to bed very early whether that made a difference at all. I woke up at around 02:00 with my stomach feeling like my throat had been cut. Ended up eating a bag of 'snack a jacks' in bed like a student!

I have quite a large meal of a morning now. Once I am back from the gym and the dog's walked I'll take in a lot of protein and some healthier carbs. Then again mid-afternoon and that's it. That seems to be working for me so far, but if I am honest (other than meals out etc where I've veered from this routine!) I cannot remember the last time I used a plate!😆

Doubleknow · 22/09/2026 10:35

Yes, everything protion size has got ridiculous.

My mum still uses the tins she used in the 70s to make fairy cakes. The cakes we thought were a perfectly reasonal size for a treat after lunch etc at the time. Now they seem like a very small mouthful compared to the muffins and cupcakes of today.

I saw a film set in the 1940s recently. They has one egg and toast for breakfast. Again perfectly normal when I was a child (later than that!) but who would do one egg each now?

CopiedMyBlottingBook · 22/09/2026 17:00

ThatCyanCat · 22/09/2026 08:38

I remember going to school after seeing it and everyone, boys and girls, raving about how absolutely beautiful she was. But yeah... fat and not very pretty, apparently. No wonder eating disorders were so common in the 90s. And yet, with pressure to be super thin, endless fat shaming even of people who weren't fat, no decent clothes past a size 16 (and not a very big 16 either) and diets and eating disorders everywhere, obesity still rose and rose.

Well, it was the Kate Moss era. Nothing wrong at all with looking like Kate Moss if you have that kind of gamine build naturally, the problems come if you have Kate Winslet's hourglass build, tiny waist but defined boobs and hips, and you try to diet yourself into Kate Moss's boyish build - it can't be done without making yourself ill.

Dancingsquirrels · 22/09/2026 17:03

CopiedMyBlottingBook · 21/09/2026 07:34

The standard version for a lot of foods has got bigger.

Cupcake - 70s version, tiny cake dusted with icing sugar or thin layer of icing, 2026 - muffin size cake with several inches of buttercream style icing

Restaurant starter - 70s, glass of fruit juice, slice of melon, cocktail glass portion of prawns. 2026 - heap of chicken wings, plate of nachos.

Burger - 70s, one burger, not in a bun by default, served with something like beans and a small portion of oven chips. 2026 - two burgers in thick brioche with bacon, cheese, sauces etc.

Takeaway coffee - 70s, small polystyrene cup of coffee with optionally milk or sugar. 2026 - large cup with options of whipped cream, syrup, chocolate etc.

Cookie - 70s, about an inch diameter out of a packet of biscuits. 2026 - at least 4 inches diameter, sold with cakes in supermarket.

'Shrinkflation' and the sugar tax have reduced the sizes of some items, e.g. Mars Bars, but 50 years ago you were probably more likely to have something like a Club or Penguin than a Mars Bar anyway.

And a bag of crisps used to be 25g, not 60g

Rosscameasdoody · 22/09/2026 17:35

Dancingsquirrels · 22/09/2026 17:03

And a bag of crisps used to be 25g, not 60g

They still are aren’t they? 60g is a sharing bag isn’t it ?

Rosscameasdoody · 22/09/2026 17:37

Doubleknow · 22/09/2026 10:35

Yes, everything protion size has got ridiculous.

My mum still uses the tins she used in the 70s to make fairy cakes. The cakes we thought were a perfectly reasonal size for a treat after lunch etc at the time. Now they seem like a very small mouthful compared to the muffins and cupcakes of today.

I saw a film set in the 1940s recently. They has one egg and toast for breakfast. Again perfectly normal when I was a child (later than that!) but who would do one egg each now?

The egg thing is probably linked to rationing more than anything else though.

Neurodiversitydoctor · 22/09/2026 18:13

Rosscameasdoody · 22/09/2026 17:37

The egg thing is probably linked to rationing more than anything else though.

Edited

I (5ft5 9st 7lb aged 50) would eat 1 egg on toast for breakfast or lunch maybe with a bit of tomato or avocado.

HoraceCope · 22/09/2026 18:16

if i have a boiled egg for breakfast i have 3 bits of toast, but i am greedy and overweight!
i only eat this meal at the weekend at least!

5128gap · 22/09/2026 18:20

We used to have plates in between dinner and side that my mum called breakfast plates. They were used for children's dinners and when she was on a diet.

FancyKitten · 22/09/2026 18:21

I remember reading that Liz Hurley used toddler sized cutlery. Also, in the same realm as Jennifer Aniston eating baby food. Anyhoo…

CopiedMyBlottingBook · 22/09/2026 18:43

FancyKitten · 22/09/2026 18:21

I remember reading that Liz Hurley used toddler sized cutlery. Also, in the same realm as Jennifer Aniston eating baby food. Anyhoo…

I remember people going on 'the baby food diet'. One of the daftest fad diets in an era of fad diet after fad diet - the cabbage soup diet enjoyed a revival and in the late 1990s Atkins was all the rage, people eating nothing but bacon fried in cream or whatever. The '2, 4, 6, 8' diet - a four day rotational diet guaranteed to make you ill within a week (eat 200 calories Monday, 400 Tuesday etc.)So many downright dangerous diets in the 1990s.