To think my portion was too large (photo)?

[Ribrabrob]

I’m living a bit ‘on the road’ at the moment (essential) and relying on eating out - trying to be as healthy as I can as I’m trying (!) to lose weight.

I have attached a photo of tonight’s evening meal, my only meal of the day plus a few snacks. My photo isn’t the best unfortunately but it was a bowl of spicy rice and a bowl of bean stew/soup (I’m vegetarian).

Aibu to think I had too much? Would you have eaten all of it? Unfortunately through years of dieting and binge eating I have lost sight of what a normal portion of food is and how ‘normal’ people eat.

Ps i appreciate it doesn’t look very nice but it was actually quite tasty!

It looks fine to me.

Especially as it was your only meal of the day.

As long as you didn't leave the table unsure if you had room left to breathe I'm sure you are fine

It was the only meal you had that day, so I wouldn't say it's too much, especially if you'd been busy throughout the day. It all looks very healthy, not lots of fat or sugar, so I wouldn't worry too much.

If that was for me I'd know about it the next morning!

Agree with stew a bit big but probably all good stuff so fine. But that looks like 2-3 portions of rice.

I get really fed up with portion sizes in many restaurants. I was given a pasta dish recently that was literally enough for 3-4 people. I could barely make a dent in it and then the waitress questioned me as to whether I didn’t like it! I was honest and replied that it was a ridiculous portion for one person.

If you're trying to lose weight then it doesn't matter how big your portion is as long as it puts you in a caloric deficit. My plate of food tonight is huge, it would give all the food obsessives a heart attack. Its 850 calories and I eat 1650 a day to lose, on average, 1.5 lbs a week. 7 stone off in 2 years so honestly i'd eat out of a bin lid if the cals were right 🤷‍♀️

Ok, am I missing something here? Are you asking if you are being unreasonable eating a certain amount of food? Maybe I'm the weird one as I don't see any similar comments, but eat whatever the fuck you like 😂😂 Are you really gonna let strangers tell you you're being unreasonable and you should eat less. Come on now.

I do find this post a bit strange. Just eat the amount that fills you up? If you feel full, leave some of it. It looks completely healthy anyway and for one meal a day I don’t know why you are worrying.

Bertieslanding I saw that on a programme once and have gone by that ever since - I lost 6 stone healthily because of it.
We bought smaller plates, eat what we want when we want, but half the amount of what we had before - This looks loads to me, but eating one meal a day isn't that great for you, because if we give our bodies too little food, then it tends to hang onto the fat as it feels its being starved!

Using a food scale is the best way to check your portions. Judging by eye isn’t always accurate.

OP don't get put off by the silly comments one here. I do OMAD so only eat once a day - as a recovering anorexic I have a totally fucked up metabolism and still don't lose weight (and my meal is healthy). My guess is that, living on the road, it is hard to find healthy food and you've picked what was probably one of the most sensible options from the buffet. I'd say that the bean stew/soup was probably pretty healthy - looking at it it probably held 2 portions of veg (bearing in mind beans count as one of your five a day). I think that it is fair comment to say that the rice was too much - it isn't clear from the picture if it was brown or white and how much was rice and how much lentils/grains etc. I struggle massively with weight and hate the MN competitive undereating/size zero mentality. If it had been me I'd have put the equivalent of a fistful of rice into the stew and eaten 2/3rds then sat back for a few minutes and then asked myself how hungry I was - if ravenous I'd have added another fistful of rice and finished the bowl, if moderately I'd have finished the bowl without extra rice and if not hungry I'd have left it. Leaving it a few minutes part way through is necessary as your brain doesn't recognise satiety instantly. For me this is a practical solution to having to eat out and try to do so healthily - says she who has stayed at home whilst the rest of the family head off for a meal as I have already eaten at lunchtime - not ideal and not a good example to my DC I know but it can be hard sometimes.
I think you made a good choice but were a bit stuffed by the size of the serving of rice. I hope that is a fair way of looking at things,.

Firstly, as the king of pot cooking, especially the one pot, I don't go by looks! I've made some absolute killer meals that look like something from the bottom of the food waste bin, but tasted like it was made by a top french chef!

I personally think of you managed to eat both of that lot, it's no wonder you need to lose weight! Sorry, but even when I had a good (he's a growing lad, let him eat) appitite, I could never have eaten all that. I used to be able to boast how much I could eat in one go... Like the 14" pizza from Asda!

Now I barely eat enough to fill a growing child, not in one meal anyways. I have.constant stomach issues, and currently have no teeth, this eating is actually hard work. Recently I've eaten fairly well due to some really easy mince meat dishes... No chewing needed!

My ex was a vegetarian, and despite her constantly critising my size/weight, was a bit.of.a porker herself. This was down to lots of picking, large meals, and little activity.

I'm guessing being on the road a lot means you get little opportunity to exercise. That can change, by the places you stay. Obvs if on a small budget, it might be better to try that scheme where you can use any gym, rather than a specific place.

If you'd halved that stew, and the same on the rice (rice is a fast carbohydrate, which is why.your hungry later). Healthy food.is.good for.you, but portions like that aren't.

I won't pretend I'm slim, or anywhere near it. I have and am losing weight slowly. I'd love to be able to exercise, I even have time to kill. Sadly I am quite disabled, and couldn't exercise if my life depended on it.... I soo wish I could, I used to be very active, but never slim ... Oh those damned genes!

Oh I do love a competitive undereating thread!

OP, here's how to tell if it is too big. Eat it, savouring every mouthful and chewing it completely.

When you feel your hunger has abated, stop eating. You don't want to feel 'full', you want to feel 'not hungry'. You may not have to make that distinction, but I do or I over-eat.

By following this guidance, you can either have seconds if you need to, or box up the excess for later if it is too much. If you begin to feel hungry later, eat again. You then don't have to rely on responses from randoms on the internet, on a forum that is well-known for its bizarre responses to food queries

Looks fine, but if you wanted to make it a bit healthier (more nutrition, not just less stuff) you could swap half of the bowl of rice for some greens, maybe cooked with garlic & soy sauce for flavour, or with some flaked almonds. Frozen green beans or brocoli & pea would also work if it's harder getting hold of fresh veg.

If you are trying to lose weight then you need to be eating proper meals / food throughout the day. You’ll end up eating way more calories with “snacks” than you realise. The dinner is all good and healthy and maybe a little too much rice but if I’d not eaten properly all day I would have easily eaten this

I only eat once a day as it suits me, that amount is fine but with that amount of carbs (was it white rice?) you need to be active. Change to brown if you can, Also if your snacks are healthy you are doing okay, chocolate or sugary sweet snacks your diet is lacking nutrition. Fruit. nuts, veg snacks all good in moderation! Take a multivitamin otherwise!

To lose weight you need to be eating at the same times everyday. Also biggest meal at breakfast medium at lunch and small for dinner. I swear by these rules and I am very happy with my weight.

What rubbish!

One meal a day is actually a healthy way to eat and anyway the OP has snacks too - hopefully not too many and not too unhealthy.

I usually eat one or two meals a day. If one then it can be at any time from 2ish to 7ish depending on when I get hungry.

And if two meals then the later one is usually the larger of the two.

OP - the size looks fine to me if it's your only meal. If there are other meals then the rice/wheat portion looks too large. And to be fair I probably couldn't eat that much rice even when on one meal a day but mainly because I find it boring!

I would put rice and stew in my bowl and eat it until I am full or bored. If you are having a dessert then leave some space for that.

I don't know how people eat that much rice, unless it's to fill you up on a strict budget. I find it boring and my teenage DS makes a fuss too if I serve too much. I usually cook 50g per person of rice, quinoa or whatever. How do people have room for the rest of the food?

@ChaoticCatling can't speak for anyone else, but personally I find exercise and general activity creates a healthy appetite and a need for carbohydrates. Revolutionary I know. Haven't a fucking clue how much I allow per person, but if we use the ready cooked stuff we generally have one each of the packs that serve two. And a naan/ garlic bread or similar depending on the meal. As for boring, naturally you just have more of the accompanying dish. And no, we certainly aren't a family of fatties.

Personally I don't know how anyone can be so inactive they only require such small portions of food.

The most important thing is to eat it slowly. If you are full before the end then stop. We are far too focused on eating meals because it is a meal time and finishing what's on our plates than whether we are actually hungry. Look up weight loss hypnosis apps, they can be really helpful without feeling deprived.

This thread is completely fucked up. I must have entered the twilight zone by mistake. Excuse me while I exit

Just want to add another voice to “one meal a day is perfectly healthy” - so is skipping a day, or two or three. In general, in Western culture, we eat too much, too often. OMAD really helps you to get in tune with your hunger & satiety. Eat when you’re hungry, stop when you’re full. Intermittent fasting is more akin to how we have evolved rather than the relative recent abundance of 3 meals a day plus snacks. The body needs a rest from digestion. Read Dr Jason Fung’s ‘The Obesity Code’.

Personally I don't know how anyone can be so inactive they only require such small portions of food. We don't eat small portions, rather a regular bowl or plate of food, it's only about a third rice or equivalent though as we like other foods too.