How can you eat all that? That looks great but that's A LOT of food! I could NEVER eat all that!

Ouch. Sadly this is an all too common comment written when someone proudly shares a photo of their amazing meal in our Facebook Support Groups. Folks need to stop it.

Remember how it made you feel when your Mother embarrassed you by saying 'DO YOU REALLY NEED MORE POTATO SALAD?' in front of everyone at the barbecue? Or an Uncle pointed out that you ate a lot for a 7 year old.

Well those feelings never die. It hurts when someone judges the amount of the food on your plate... even though we are all limited by four ounce pouches.

When someone posts their plate of food, make sure you don't go the "that looks like a lot of food" or "that would be a weeks worth of food to me", route because (a) it's rude, (b) it's portion shaming and (c) its not your food.

It may feel like a huge volume of food to you if you're a new post op. Many of us are many many years post op and eat plates filled with a small portion of protein and a lot of vegetables or salad. If you're five years out from your surgery and 4 oz of protein and a cup and a half of vegetables takes you a week to eat, seek medical treatment as you are likely malnourished.

THAT is not the only issue. Many of use USE TINY PLATES and the food only *looks* like a lot.

Real world example:

Three glasses, all contain the exact same amount - one cup.

Still think you can judge how much is on a plate? How big is the plate... 12 inches, 7 inches, 4 inches? You dont know but my portobello lasagna is on a very small plate and looks much bigger than it is.

Even a deviled egg looks pretty big in a small dish!

Just because its on a plate doesn't mean someone is eating it *all* either.

When building your plate use those trusty scales and measuring cups but we also listen to the loud signals sent by Band, Pouch, or Sleeve telling us we have had enough.

Most Important of All: Stop telling others they are doing portion size wrong and focus on getting it right for yourself.

June 28, 2023
Bariatric Recipes Advice, Rants & Support Podcast: Real Talk