Can you eat three course meals anymore?

[Arlanymor]

I used to be able to, but these days no way would I manage both a starter and a pudding and sometimes I can’t even finish my main. I don’t have any dietary issues and I’m not watching my weight (although probably should be!) but I just can’t manage it anymore.

I tend to eat tapas more and more because then I don’t run the risk of wasting anything. But even if I am really hungry, I just can’t manage much more than one course, unless the starter is a salad or something similarly light. I’m 45.

I can, but there has to be something I really like on the dessert menu, and nothing too sweet or heavy.

Oh heavens no! Absolutely not. I need to maintain my slim body so I can fit into my petite car.

Yes of course I can eat three courses! The replies on this thread are utterly batshit. Can't manage one potato and one slice of meat, for goodness sake. The eating disorders clinic is that way, y'all.

Me too! I often fancy the starters more anyway.

I’ve been the same for ages, and no, I’m not remotely skinny (size 14) nor do I have an ED.

I could easily manage a three course meal but that is the reason I’m on a diet 😅

Why are those with small appetites mocked though? Everyone's different. I've always eaten like a horse and now at 49 my appetite and digestion have changed. I still think I eat a lot compared to some people but not like I used to. I feel bloated and ill if I really overindulge now. Just like I can't drink as much wine as I used to!
I have friends who've always had small appetites. I don't see what's funny about it.

That’s normal though. 2 people sharing 1 dessert or perhaps a family of 4 sharing 2 or 3 desserts between them. I was imagining a family of 4 sharing 1 starter portion of bruschetta! 😂

I'm sure the teeny tinies are full from all the hot air they breathe.

I really dislike this taunting of people who can't manage a lot of food in one go. If you can't you can't, no matter how much you want to. Why would you want to be laying into people giving them a complex (which reduces appetite even more due to pressure to eat) rather than minding your business and eating the amount you want to eat? Unless small eaters are commenting on your portion sizes, stop projecting attitudes/judgement/performance on to them and let them enjoy what they are eating.

People can eat whatever they like, but it's the way people say it that gets people's backs up.

It’s not, I am genuinely full. I’ve never had an issue with food in anyway, shape or form… I just can’t manage three courses anymore, it feels mammoth to me. I’m not skinny, I’m not obese, I just don’t have as big an appetite. Not sure how you think labelling my eating helps?

There is a very negative and unhealthy culture on MN of competitive under eating. I am not suggesting the OP started the thread for that btw, so absolutely zero disrespect and I believe she’s genuine in asking.

If you have a small appetite, you have a small appetite. That’s not a big deal. The competitive teeny tiny threads aren’t like that on here. Again, no judgement of you OP. I am not suggesting you were inviting this type of behaviour!

I'm old and my appetite hasn't reduced but portions are certainly bigger, or at least more filling.

Back in the day a starter might be a prawn cocktail or egg mayonnaise which came with 2 triangles of thinly sliced brown bread; a modern starter would be a few mezze-style dips with huge hunks of toasted sourdough!

I wasn't trying to be helpful (or unhelpful, really). It was just an observation based on what I see around me.

WTF? I ask for a smaller portion of the two most filling parts of the meal because otherwise it’s too much with all the trimmings. You’d rather I waste food I suppose? I’m size fucking 14, I am not small, I also don’t skip meals. I just can’t handle three big courses and so can plenty of others so it seems. Your judgement is fairly breathtaking.

this is me and I'm 60 so not age thing

Nothing to do with competitive under eating.

I just don’t have the capacity anymore to eat a 3 course meal in one sitting. I do however prefer to graze regularly during the day so cumulatively, I’m probably eating around the same.

Thanks, I am a genuine poster and it is something I was interested in seeing if other people experienced. Maybe I should start a thread about night sweats and see how many people tell me that my heating is on too high?! I think people have jumped on this post for no reason, it started off normal with helpful responses and then some posters just decided to start labelling and making wild assumptions. If someone can read me asking a harmless question about a diminished appetite at my age as disordered eating then they need to look at why THEY are making outlandish assumptions. Also I am sitting here eating Dim Sum as I post this - so having a very nice and enjoyable dinner! I love food, I just can’t eat as much as I used to!

Totally situation dependent - it depends how much else I have eaten during the day and what the three courses are. Some starters nowadays are almost as big as main courses; main courses themselves can vary hugely.

I usually look at the starters and the puddings first, to see if there is a starter I really want and whether the puddings are tempting, and try to plan my meal on that basis.

That kind of post isn't what posters are talking about, though.

It's the posts (not necessarily by OP) where people gasp in horror at the idea of people eating a pizza, or having a whole portion of restaurant food to themselves.

There was a thread recently where someone said she couldn't understand how anyone could eat a whole portion of fish to themselves, fgs. By all mean say "It's too much for me" but it's quite obvious that lots of people can (and do) eat like that on a regular basis.

It happens every time.

I think it's projection. A lot people simply hate that others need less, so they need to label them as 'eating disordered' to make themselves feel better.

So silly.

Thank you for that beautiful vignette into your life - would love to be part of your Saturday night meals!

If it's a meal where I can control my own portions so, things like Christmas Dinner at home, then I could do 3 courses as I would have appropriate portions.

In a restaurant/pub - no way! I can often barely finish the main as the portions are so large now.

I'm small though and don't have a huge appetite.

5 month ago I could easily eat three courses. I'm on Wegovy now, so hell no. More like either a starter or half a main.

Since menopause, I can barely manage 3 meals a day, nevermind 3 courses. My appetite has dropped dramatically and the food that I find appealing is much healthier, yet somehow I have turned into a lump of dough :-(