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Use a Smaller Plate to Help You Lose Weight

Use a Smaller Plate to Help You Lose Weight
Use a Smaller Plate to Help You Lose Weight

We’ve all probably heard a bunch of tricks people claim helped them lose weight. For a while it was the cabbage diet, avoiding anything white, not eating past 6 pm, and putting your fork down between bites. One such trick that has earned some scientific backing is using a smaller plate. This fairly simple change can help gastric sleeve, gastric bypass, and lap band patients lose weight without deviating from their post bariatric surgery diets.

Researchers looked at the results of 56 different studies that looked at the relationship between smaller plates and consumption. While not all the studies used similar methodologies, two trends emerged from the data:

  1. smaller plates reduced consumption, but it was best if diners served themselves their portions
  2. smaller plates worked best if diners were unaware that their eating habits were being monitored

So, in a situation where food is placed on the table or offered in a buffet and diners used smaller plates to serve themselves, this lead to reduced intake. On average, reducing the plate size by 50% led to a reduction in intake of 30%.

For those patients who are trying to lose weight before their surgery or in a situation where a gastric sleeve, gastric bypass, or lap band patient is having a hard time sticking with their reduced calorie diet, using this simple trick may help them reduce their intake. Choosing a smaller plate to eat your meals may help you reduce your intake.

This suggestion is offered by the staff at Dr. Shillingford’s Boca Raton office for advanced laparoscopic and obesity surgery. Dr. Shillingford’s gastric sleeve, gastric bypass, and lap band patients come from all over South Florida, including Delray Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Miami Beach, and Davie, as well as Orlando, Tampa, and Jacksonville. Dr. Shillingford’s patients are often seeking guidance for maximizing their weight loss.