Do people REALLY only eat half a carton of fresh soup?

[sprigatito]

I’m struggling to get my head around this! I’ve seen on MN several times lately that people eat half of a carton for a meal, and I know the calories are given that way on the packaging, so officially it’s a serving…but I’ve never met anyone in real life who doesn’t eat the whole carton! I’ve lost 4.5 stone this year and I eat soup most evenings for dinner. I don’t overeat generally. My soups are mostly homemade, but I do use fresh supermarket ones sometimes, and half a carton really would be a miserable little puddle in the bottom of the bowl! Is it really, honestly normal? And…why?

YABU: half a carton is ample. You’ve lost sight of what a normal bowl of soup looks like
YANBU: nobody actually does that. It’s soup, not golden syrup with extra chunks of pork fat.

Half is definitely a portion, but with a slice of bread.

Half, because the whole thing doesn't fit in my bowl, and two bowls seems excessive. But as others have said, it's not really quite enough.

Yeah I would typically half one of those and have 2 slices of toast with it for lunch. I could easily eat a full carton , but it does me for 2 lunches if I split it.

For lunch half a carton and bread or toast.

Sometimes I have half but with lots of bread and other bits.

My favourite soup costs nearly £4, I can’t afford a whole pack!

Half but could eat it all and try not to

Half a carton.

If its a tin of heinz tomato then still half.

I am quite greedy (not by MN standards, just by normal standards!) and I usually have half. I think I probably want to eat 2/3 but don’t want to have 1/3 left for next day so opt for 1/2. The other day I brought 2 cartons to my Mum and Dad for lunch and my mum tried to serve one carton between the three of us! But she is definitely more conformist to MN standards of appetite…

I've just googled and half a chicken soup covent garden is 143 calories. I usually have homemade soup. I calorie count (about 1800) and would have about 250 cals of homemade soup plus farmhouse bread about another 250 cal to make a 500 cal lunch. I would definitely eat the whole portion

I’m actually shocked and didn’t know people would eat the whole thing.

half here, with a slice of bread and a small piece of cheese.

And if DH asks me if I want a cup of tea after I say no because I’m already full of liquid..

The calories are low, it is the salt content you have to watch with these.

I don't think I'd fit 600ml in my soup bowls.

The 600g Covent Garden ones is definitely two portions, plus a bread roll/slice of cheese on toast with. I don’t think I could fit the whole thing in one normal bowl

my Mother does this. So if I’m visiting she says let’s have a half can each and accused me of greed if I want more! Honestly I couldn’t wait to move out away from this disordered thinking.

Most people I know would half. It's not a "puddle", it's a normal portion. I usually share with DH. We would have bread or crackers as well if that makes a difference.

I hate eating loads of soup so it would be half for me plus bread, and if the soup was for an evening meal there would need to be pudding or cheese and biscuits too.

My mum has half of one.

she’s 80 and barely eats. Lost so much weight in the last two years.

I have half but with lots of bread

I usually have half a carton, but I'm usually having soup for lunch. If I'm eating soup in the evening it's generally homemade and I would eat more than that.

Half a carton, but with a couple of slices of toast, or a cheesy bap. Also love chopping cheese into cubes and adding at the end so they go all melty.

Usually half a carton, with a couple of big slices of bread for lunch. I would also serve half a carton as a starter, as part of dinner.

I have low blood pressure and need salt or I start fainting 🤣

so the salt content isn’t an issue for me as I eat a pretty low salt diet otherwise.

calories wise my soup of choice a full Caron is about 300, which seems reasonable. I’d rather have the full carton for 300 cals, than half with a single slice of bread for 300 cals.

i am a “volume eater” though and find I do best on bigger portions less often. I also grew up with constant criticism of how much I ate, being constantly hungry and given tiny portions so I didn’t gain weight. I can’t comprehend anyone older than 7 eating half a tin of soup.

No way could I eat a whole carton, but I never eat it as my main evening meal. If you are eating whole cartons and are still losing weight then I wouldn't be worrying what others do or do not eat.

Yes I don't buy pre made soup for exactly this reason. Its much too salty

Half with 1-2 pieces of bread and butter.
but probably to lose weight more soup without bread would be better.

generally people have huge portions of everything.