Restaurant portion sizes are huge

[Paq]

Does anyone else find this? Went to a pub/restaurant last night and the portion sizes were insane. I managed a third of my salad, brought the rest home and shared it with DH for lunch today. DD got through half her curry and 6'1" hollow legged DH just about managed to finish his risotto but then felt overstuffed all night.

Only on mn does a salad serve two for 4 days and a chicken feeds 4 for 8days
On mn there’s a culture of conspicuously referencing under eating and minimal appetite

Don't be so ridiculous, depends on the salad.

A good couscous salad is filling for most normal people.

Only on MN will someone laugh and guffaw if someone else doesn't eat a large family pizza and garlic bread for diner.
But only on MN is a size 14 considered a healthy and slim size, with people firmly denying that they could possibly be overweight...

Tbh I'm actually somewhere in between in what I eat. All I am advocating is choice. If I want a smaller than massive portion it would be nice to be able to order that. For example I love a good steak and ale pie but they are generally massive and pretty calorific anyway and come with copious amounts of mash or chips. But, in winter, a small steak and ale pie, with say, 5 fat homemade chips, onion gravy and some carrots and broccoli, green beans and peas would be heaven. A portion that would suit most people and which would be better for restaurants than people continually wanting to order of menu. As a nation with an obesity crisis it is what is needed.

A good couscous salad is filling for most normal people normal? Good?
Your terms are indicative of issues. You’re really not best placed to comment, given your rigidity around normal and good

@eightyfourandahalf

Only on MN are people so proud about over-eating and being overweight. Bit weird.

And of eating nothing and being underweight.

Road runs both ways.

What's wrong with cous cous salad? I'd give it a go if it looked nice.

And of eating nothing and being underweight.

I love my food. Am not overweight t or underweight. But pub and restaurant portions are generally too big for me.

Of course there’s the heaps of veggies posts too, a portion?nah. Heaps

Ditto. I’m bang in the middle the healthy weight for my BMI, so not overweight or underweight either - but jeez, some restaurant portions are massive and contain huge amounts of calories.

Voice of reason right there MaMelon, these threads always have to go to such extremes.

Of course there’s the heaps of veggies posts too, a portion?nah. Heaps
I'm not veggie or vegan either, although I like a lot of the food. I just like about how f meat now and again and I'm not careful enough with nutrition to be able to ensure I'd get everything I need being veggie or vegan. Because I've had health issues, namely cancer, good nutrition is important to me. I also exercise a lot. But as I say I like lots of different food and eat more veggies than a lot of people so my meat consumption isn't huge.

But I want to be able to order smaller than the massive portions generally available.

I really don't worry about the calories when eating out, but I just can't see the appeal of eating a portion of pasta that would easily serve three, or a pie with a giant mound of chips, these types of meals tend to be ping meals too, so not even that good.
It's boring and a bit pointless to me.

@EspressoDoubleShot

A good couscous salad is filling for most normal people normal? Good? Your terms are indicative of issues. You’re really not best placed to comment, given your rigidity around normal and good

yes dear, I am obviously the one with "rigidity"

sorry I obviously touched a nerve.

No nerves touched whatsoever. Nor have I used terms like normal or good
Telling that You did though

No, you’ve just posted snarky comments about competitive under eating and salads containing half a horse (or whatever it was). You seem very defensive for some reason.

What I just don't get is why people are against being able to choose a smaller portion.

I think, the government should stipulate that eating establishments should main course options under 600 calories. Perfectly possible and more suitable for the vast majority of people for which a main course of over 1000 calories would take up most of their daily requirements.

Offfer

This is so funny Cannot believe someone moans about too much salad but also actually asks for acontainer and takes it home for next days lunch Hilarious

@grasstreeleaf

What I just don't get is why people are against being able to choose a smaller portion.

I think, the government should stipulate that eating establishments should main course options under 600 calories. Perfectly possible and more suitable for the vast majority of people for which a main course of over 1000 calories would take up most of their daily requirements.

Agree. There were some really good suggestions for restaurants in that link I posted upthread - if the Govt is serious about reducing obesity and food waste it should start to make these menu option approaches mandatory.

EspressoDoubleShot
You're right. There seems to be two extremes though on food threads.

Camp A: Oh gosh, I couldn't possibly eat a standard restaurant portion/a whole sandwich/insert other fairly typical food here. Just the sight of it makes me feel full. I only want to eat half a portion and the reason we have an obesity crisis is because people like to enjoy more than half a dozen chips when they eat out. If I ordered a salad then I'd have to take at least 2 tupperware boxes with me because the leftovers would take me days to eat. A chicken would feed my whole family for a week. Anyone who disagrees with me must be a glutton who enjoys overeating. Did I mention there's an obesity crisis and anyone who eats more that I do must be responsible for it. It's unhealthy to eat to excess and excess is anything more than I eat.

Camp B:I eat several thousand calories in one sitting regularly and aren't overweight. My BMI is in the overweight category but I'm not actually overweight. BMI is a load of rubbish anyway. I'd be starving if I didn't have at least 3 sizable meals plus snacks throughout the day. It's so unhealthy to have disordered eating by barely touching food, and the criteria for this is anyone who eats less than me.

Meanwhile most people have reasonable attitudes to food are sat in the middle twiddling their thumbs thinking people on both extremes are modelling quite bizarre attitudes to food

There was a push to have calories on menus as a legal requirement, this would no doubt push places to provide lower calorie dishes, but it was apposed saying it might be triggering for some. I think it'd be a good idea though, I do feel for those who struggle with calories and would find it an issue, but something needs to be done as obesity is spiralling, and I do genuinely think some people have no clue on calories. A spoons breakfast for example is edging onto a days calories (and gooood when hungover). Or a portion of chips can add up to 600 cals etc, seeing it in black and white would probably be a surprise.

Totally agree @LolaSmiles. TBH I have probably seen more of Camp A but I guess it depends what threads you look at. I give the 'what's for dinner?' threads a swerve.

It’s a mn phenomenon.competitive under eating. List a tiny amount of food and then say it satiated you and lasted days. Expect a few others to post how they nibble an apple or eat huge salad they can’t finish. It’s a conspicuous way to announce how little you eat without being obvious about it.

I’m fortunate I don’t have weight issues and I don’t need to count calories. I have a healthy BMI and I eat a balanced diet and I keep good health. I also do not need to label food as normal or good

As an aside No I don’t think restaurants should be mandated to offer

By the way I'm not Camp A @LolaSmiles. I just want choice. Yes, I do not want to pay for half a plate of chips when half a dozen nice chips does me, alongside some lovely meat, and fresh veg or salad plus a nice drink or two and dessert. It balances out. Why want to pay for half a plate of chips when you can have variety for the same calorie load? I want good wine, and cheese and chocolate and meat and vegetables and salad leaves and maybe a port or herb liqueur. But I don't want to stuff my face so I feel ill. if we're talking good restaurants they can do all this. I'm never going to be able to eat more for my bodily requirements because I already exercise a lot so unless I become a pro body builder or an Olympian or ultra runner or something equally as extreme restaurants serve too big portions!

It was KarenofSparta who mentioned the extremes on these threads @LolaSmiles.

I agree @Floracoral - just seeing the calories on some standard foods might be enough to start the ball rolling. I know it’s not a restaurant but a Big Mac meal has 1100 calories - more than half of the recommended daily allowance (although of course if you’re sedentary you don’t need anything like 2000 calories). Bloody hell - I used to eat them in my younger days and didn’t think they were anything like that calorific. That’s before you even start looking at the saturated fat and the rest of the gubbins.