I gotta say, secretly I love this product... I realize it's not in vogue to approach the new year with diet-oriented resolutions, but - as anyone who reads this blog knows - I am a portion measurer (a calorie counter, even, via my online food diary, which I've been keeping for years) from way back. Don't worry, I take the holidays off. And, for me, this isn't a resolution. It's a lifestyle.
The diary is a way to encourage my accountability. I am, by nature, a list maker, an organizer. I love to see how input and output correspond. On some level, I view myself as a cool science experiment, peeps :-) Of course, I know that some people should avoid this method at all costs. It's not healthy for them. Or, it's cumbersome and unpleasant. But I find it very comforting. It suits my nature. Oh, and I love to eat so tremendously, that left to my own devices, a "serving" is synonymous with a "carton of ice cream".
I'm considering buying this item because I measure out a reasonable amount of my food as it is. (Much of it, I can eyeball at this point, but when I'm dealing with junk food or new food, I do like to apportion with a scale.) I also find it ingenious. I think it's practical design and I'm all in favour of that. Apparently, the woman who developed the Measure Up products, did so because she got sick of spending so much time with measuring cups, as she used a food diary to help her lose a substantial amount of weight after the birth of her children.
But let's get talking about this: What do you think? Do you think food measurement is a good idea? Do you hate it? Have you tried it? Would you purchase this product? Curious to know your perspectives.
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Seems like a clever invention to me. Especially as a lazy gal who could use some help in the portion-control department!
ReplyDeleteI think it's a great idea for people who don't know what a single serving really looks like, which is a lot of people!
ReplyDeleteI think food portion is a very important tool as it is easy to be fooled by the concept of a "small bowl of ice cream" etc (hee hee). It is easy to go astray from healthy eating just by missing out on knowing portions. I think these are neat and what I would hope is that if I used them I could graduate to my own dinner ware with these lines in my mind. I am very conscious of not influencing my daughters' eating habits so I don't know if I would purchase these except for use at my office or something.
ReplyDeletehmm. i think this is a great idea, especially for people like me who pour out a big ol bowl of cereal in the morning that's waaaaay over an actual portion size. what a brilliant and subtle way to carry portion control over to all your meals!
ReplyDeleteI measure, but like to use my small measuring cups, and then put the food in a pretty bowl or on a plate . . .
ReplyDeleteI'm like you - I keep a food diary and have for over a year now. It really helps me control my weight. I would love love love these bowls! My friend has serving spoons that measure exactly a half cup or quarter cup and I want those too.
ReplyDeleteI have not gone to the length of keeping a food diary, but I did make an assessment of intake versus output a few years ago. I was pushing 195 lbs and needed to do something. I switched to packaged lunches with a stated calorie count, stopped snacking at work, and increased my exercise. Measuring individual portions never really became a factor because so much information is available on food packaging and I was able to do a fairly good job estimating to keep the calories (intake - output) to around 2300.
ReplyDeletebottom line: I was able to lose 20 pounds over two years and I am still keeping it off.
And those dishes look like pet feed bowls.
I've never been one to be very particular about portions. I don't measure anything. But I have been eating smaller portions in general this past year – well, smaller portions of "bad" foods and bigger portions of veggies, fruits, etc.
ReplyDeleteFor me, I've found it very helpful to simply use smaller plates and bowls. I don't feel like I'm missing out if I don't have a bunch of empty space on my plate. :)
Let me add to my earlier comment that a serious weight loss or diet modification requires analysis of current eating habits and some dietary awareness. My comment should not be taken as a poo-pooing of diary keeping and measuring etc. It's just that I lucked out and found a way that fits with my own life-style and works.
ReplyDeleteSal: If you observed my tweets last night, you will know that I do too!
ReplyDeleteWendy and Sophie: I totally agree, of course.
Miss C: You know this is my one objection - how interesting that you mention it. The pretty plate thing is high on my list of priorities. But it does look rather simple / able to be paired with other things and look elegant (she tells herself).
Meg Kathleen: I think, for all of your lifestyle transformation, you deserve those lovely things. And, when you think of how much easier it will be to continue to accomplish what you already do - well, it's a requirement!
D.: I really appreciate your perspective. I think the key is knowing the portion size intuitively - and in really reading those packages (which I do). With junk food, though, my interpretation of "20 grams" (for example) turns out to be 40 grams, when I actually measure. Regular food doesn't throw me in the same way. Some people (most, even) loathe the food diary. For me, it just seems like the right way to go. Which is why I've been doing it, more on than off, for 10 years!?
Sonja: Excellent point! I eat from smaller dishes also. It's all about the ratios, yes?
Margaret: Somehow I missed your comment! I totally agree with you, as you will see from my reply to D. And I think, having a young daughter also, that your awareness of the impact of your actions on her is admirable. Having said that, my daughter knows I keep a food diary - and that I think such a diary is completely inappropriate for a child or teenager. We talk about it, which I hope allows her to see a bigger picture. Thanks for your comment.
ReplyDeleteABA - Applied Behavioural Analysis.
ReplyDeletexx
Well, I am a measurer and a weigher of long standing. Many things I know by now, but I still think the bowls are cool and very useful for those who don't know their portion sizes, or even for trying those new "makes 6 - 1 1/2 cup serving" recipes. Anyway I would buy them and would even feel that they might fit into the basic modern white set I was thinking of getting this year, before I knew all my pennies had to be saved for major plumbing revisions.
ReplyDeleteI think they could be used with children too, wisely, and carefully, not to instill fears but to help educate about nutrition and serving sizes and why some foods should only go in "small" bowls. But perhaps that is because we had that kind of thing growing up -- vegetables were unlimited and desserts were rare and only served in tiny portions -- and I've just had my stepchildren here who serve themselves tiny portions of meat and vegetables and fill the entire 3-cup bowl with ice cream.
Hammie: Ain't it though.
ReplyDeleteMardel: I agree with you about using them to help kids understand nutrition. I mean, not as a method of calorie counting, but of portion recognition.
`h: I still haven't ordered them. But I'm in post Xmas lock down!
Cool product. I keep measuring cups/spoons at work as well as home.
ReplyDeleteI love to keep track of what I eat. If I don't, I go insane with eating. Tracking my food intake is a relief for me, making me feel in control of the food situation. I don't go crazy with it. I count between 1300 - 1500 a day. If I go over one day, I eat less the next. I've maintained a healthy weight for some time using this method. And I love numbers and figures! So its no stress for me to track that...
I liked this post. And understand exactly where you are coming from on this.
TL: It sounds like your personality is a lot like mine!
ReplyDelete