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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think my portion was too large (photo)?

381 replies

Ribrabrob · 29/07/2020 19:45

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!

To think my portion was too large (photo)?
OP posts:
Batshittery · 29/07/2020 20:06

@lunar1

I think it was probably fine, the rice is on a side plate isn't it?

Don't take some of the replies too seriously, there are people on here who would be completely stuffed on two of the beans and three grains of rice.

This exactly Grin Grin

I can't stop laughing at all the beans. I don't know why. Sorry OP

KylieKoKo · 29/07/2020 20:09

Way too much op. I only ever eat 3 grains of rice and a teaspoon of stew and I'm full all day.

Francesthemute · 29/07/2020 20:09

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Lougle · 29/07/2020 20:09

I think it's too much, but I also don't think one meal and snacks is a healthy way to eat, tbh.

LonelyGir1 · 29/07/2020 20:10

It doesn’t look like rice to me. Is it mixed with something else.

Impossible to say on portions as there’s nothing for perspective. Are you overweight?

WhatOnEarth67 · 29/07/2020 20:10

I don’t think you should have posted this if you struggle with bingeing and not knowing what a normal portion is like. I’m the same, I had bulimia, sorry to ask but did you? I feel these comments will just make you anxious and want to restrict. Especially as MN sees anything over a size 10 overweight, lol. It looks super healthy, and if you’re having one meal a day you need it - even with snacks. But maybe try to eat more in the day too? Enjoy your dinner :)

Pelleas · 29/07/2020 20:10

It does look rather large, OP. I say this as a lardy over-eater, not a three grains of rice type.

willowandsage · 29/07/2020 20:11

It looks lovely!

I wouldn't probably be able to eat all the rice//grains (probably half) but as the only meal of the day it looks like a sensible choice!

Tootletum · 29/07/2020 20:12

The rice thing is 3-4 times more than I would eat. Can't really tell how big the beans are but they usually fill me up anyway.

JizzPigeon22 · 29/07/2020 20:12

I only eat one meal a day Op and you’re supposed to eat your daily calorie I take in that meal. I think that looks fine.

Chicchicchicchiclana · 29/07/2020 20:12

It's very difficult to tell without anything for scale but my immediate reaction is it's an awful lot more than I could eat (and I am a phat phuc).

frumpety · 29/07/2020 20:12

Is the rice one of those microwave packet rices ? I think they are supposed to be two servings, although I can easily manage the whole thing.

IncrediblySadToo · 29/07/2020 20:13

@Batshittery

On second look - there's a lot of beans in there!
How peculiar in a bean stew.
Lookyloo · 29/07/2020 20:13

Well that size of a plate of rice would feed 3 children alone?

SchrodingersImmigrant · 29/07/2020 20:13

Op, when I was trying to find what the right portions because I too lost sight of it hence the obesity, I read around and then kind of gave up, because there is so much different information. Because I count calories I needed to find right balance for food between low cal-healthy-filling. In the end I came to 150g of cooked rice (approx 50g uncooked I think) per portion and about 2 standard ladles of stew/curry/saucy thing. Same for potatoes. 150g, pasta 125g. I top everything up with extra bit of veg. It works. I am not starving, just healthy hungry before meals and I am losing.

The biggest change though is that I don't feel... How to say it... Heavy after meals. I am full, but not "can't breath" full. Just nice full.

Don't stress too much. Take your time reading a bit about portions and checking them out. All packaging has recommend serving portions, most are actually really good. It will be shock at the beginning, but you will quickly get used to it and the nice full feeling.

Make small changes, bit by bit so you don't have to worry about having to binge.

shinynewapple2020 · 29/07/2020 20:14

It will probably be fine OP , particularly the veg stew. The good thing about this kind of meal is you can eat a huge portion for very few calories. Eat the veg stew first to fill you up and then as much rice as you need .

Don't forget that there are some people on MN who seem to get by on two lettuce leaves a day .

TrainspottingWelsh · 29/07/2020 20:15

This is mumsnet op, you'll just get loads of responses about how that much food would feed their family of 10, including the obligatory 6'10 dh, for at least 5 meals. And I bet a lot of posts suggesting you ditch the rice entirely because even looking at carbs makes you fat.

In the real world, I'd say it's an average size for someone not doing much exercise. Of course in mumsnet world an good amount of exercise is a stroll round a national trust property and a short jog/ feeble class a few times a week, so you'll have to work that part out yourself.

AnnaSW1 · 29/07/2020 20:15

As far as I can tell from the photo I think I'd have had half of each bowl as one meal

Cakestandkitchen · 29/07/2020 20:15

Here we go. Here are the members who say that will feed half a nation for a week with a portion for the freezer.

SideEyeing · 29/07/2020 20:19

I love a good Mumsnet food thread full of what I imagine to be baby budgie sized women cheeping with horror at the thought of a whole bowl of anything lasting anything less than a week or they'd instantly vomit/explode.

OP to me that looks like a big but not obscene meal (and very delicious). I wonder how big people on this thread think each of those beans are - cabbage size?

SideEyeing · 29/07/2020 20:20

@TrainspottingWelsh My thoughts exactly.

SchrodingersImmigrant · 29/07/2020 20:21

@Batshittery

My apologies Schrodinger I did mean a home grown lettuce of course Grin
That's better. 😁
Shitfuckoh · 29/07/2020 20:23

Oh goodness OP you aren't supposed to ask about serving sizes on here. This is the place where a chicken does a family for a crazy amount of days & people live on 1 A4 sheet of paper for a month.

I do need to read the rest of the comments though, only read page 1. This is going to be interesting Grin

Thisismytimetoshine · 29/07/2020 20:25

I love the smug "I'd only eat a tiny percentage of that - maybe that's why I'm a size 6/8? "
You can't resist it, can you? You teeny weeny women 🤣

Bluntness100 · 29/07/2020 20:26

If you counted the calories for that meal it might not be someone's full RDA

It might not, but you add in snacks and depending on what they are it could be way over.

I’m not sure why folks are making bitchy comments about under eating. That is clearly a huge portion of food for one person for one meal. There is no point pretending other wise and being bitchy about under eaters.

The snacks is the big unknown here. If it’s an apple and a couple of carrots then it’s likely Fine for a days intake, it it’s a couple of donuts and a sharing bag of crisps it’s not.