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Faking your way to portion control

Posted on Jan 19th 2007 10:00AM by Jessica Ashley

Filed Under: Diet & Weight Loss, Reviews & Products, Nutrition & Supplements

Why does it always seem to come down to portion control?

And why is it so hard to eyeball a good amount of food (note that I said good, not fabulous, humongous or basically non-existent)? How in the world do solid tricks – like comparing chicken breasts to a deck of cards or peanut butter to the tip of our thumb – elude us in those critical moments between pan and plate?

Because all of this business both boggles and challenges me, I was delighted by another idea that might just cement good portion sizes into my mind: Fake food.

Perhaps like me, you've visited a dietitian's office or been to a weight loss program where fake food has been pulled out to demonstrate what a healthy meal looks like. And perhaps like me, you've been amazed at how real it looks (and how strangely rubbery it feels). Until I read this, it never occurred to me that purchasing my own set of fake food would be a weight loss aide.

The downside of this miracle tool is that fake food is rather spendy. The best part of faux cuisine, however, is that it gives you a definitive measurement for your food and drinks. Unlike the amazingly expanding deck of cards in your mind, there will be no doubt left in your mind if your rice overfloweth.

If you can get over setting an extra place at the table for your imaginary meal or pulling an imitation glass of merlot out of your purse at a restaurant, perhaps fake food will help you measure your way to weight loss success.

If it all seems a bit too quirky for your personal portion controlling, then perhaps purchasing a bit of this will be all the motivation you need!

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4 Comment

Tags: portion control, fake food, measurement, PortionControl,FakeFood,Measurement

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Stacy 1-20-2007 @ 9:31AM

Do people really buy these for themselves? An odd idea, but it just might work...

Gretchen Rubin 1-24-2007 @ 9:29PM

Hello, it's Gretchen from the Happiness Project blog. I'm so pleased that you liked my idea of buying those fake foods to use to help with portion size! It IS a bit pricey, but I'll be darned if it hasn't actually helped me. You get some pasta in a restaurant, and compare it to the pasta serving at home...which is 1/3 the size. Very useful. Sadly, I realized I have routinely been eating four servings of rice whenever I go to a Chinese restaurant. Well, now I know. www.happiness-project.com.

Mama J 2-01-2007 @ 2:03AM

Yes, thank you! I never used to be overweight until I joined the Marine Corps. They pound into your head that you need to eat 3 meals a day as fast as possible and completely clear your plate. I gained 60 lbs as a result. I stopped doing that once I figured out it was that and not depression that caused the weight gain. I went back to the eating habits I grew up on. I ate when I was hungry, stopped when I was full, and always ate whatever I was craving. I dropped half the weight doing that, but have been having trouble losing the rest because I now have a bigger appetite thanks to all that overeating. I have been trying for so long now to find something that shows correct portions. And when I get back to my old weight and smaller appetite, I can give the fake food to my Goddaughter for her tea parties.

mary 1-25-2007 @ 1:12PM

hello?? the only motivational tool we will ever need to lose weight is a mirror. a 3 way mirror if possible. if the picture of a big blubbery butt in the mirror isnt enough motivation to lose weight, then spending 72 dollars for a piece of fake fat isnt gonna do it either.eating less is hard. in fact, unlike european countries, its not ingrained in our brains to eat slowly, sparingly and wisely. instead, we have always been encouraged to eat until bursting at the belt(think thanksgiving), clean our plates, dont waste food, and that eating to excess= enjoying food..we have a hundred years of brainwashing to undo and buying fake fat isnt gonna do the job any more than putting an oinking pig magnet on your refrigerator will. havent we tried all the tricks and failed. if we havent failed then why do we have businesses such as weight watchers and jenny craig, because we HAVE failed. wake up folks, all we have to do is eat like the japanese, chinese and french. with intelligence and proper control. they arn't thin for no good reason.