There were some good comments on the previous post that I wanted to address. First, it is possible that a person could cook more or less based on initial hunger, and then a clean plate would be a natural outcome. I would say that, given the statistics on adult overweight/obesity, that this is a skill that is in short supply.
Also, I was thinking more about restaurants when I wrote the post. That is, a restaurant gives a standard (often oversized) portion to each customer. I would say that unless a person is very hungry, finishing off a restaurant portion could be a sign of disinhibited eating.
Good point! When I was still eating SAD I ate out frequently and I was one of those who cleaned their plates–and we all know that there was too much food for a 5’4″ middle-aged woman. And I was certainly a disinhibited eater.
I was actually thinking about the restaurant aspect yesterday. Me and my colleagues regularly go out for lunch as the so called Menu Of The Day here in space is usually of high quality and you can often make Paleo choices (in most restaurants at least). I’ve noticed how the portions are almost always appropriate. You never get a stuffed plate, opposite of what I experienced in the States.
Would be interesting to see a study of this behaviour (at restaurants/homes) in relation to weight/bmi/overall health split out by region or country.
Fair points. On a personal note, I find that eating plain, Paleo food allows the hunger/meal size feedback loop to operate very effectively. I would say the obesity problem stems from the disruption of that feedback loop (as suggested by the food reward theory of obesity.) The once-a-week restaurant meal my wife likes to ensure we have usually interferes with this, and sees me pigging out. I tend to have an enforced fast the following day, more an artifact of my own self-conscious desire to restore equilibrium than a feature of the body’s ability to self-regulate, perhaps.
Alex…
” more an artifact of my own self-conscious desire to restore equilibrium than a feature of the body’s ability to self-regulate, perhaps.”
Wonderful! I’m very very curious lately, how “what we believe is healthy for us” is where a very big part of the whole eating right equation really lies.
My guess is there is much to come on this subject.
Marc
My experience with the oversized restaurant portion is that I often clean my plate (if the food is actually that tasty!), but end up eating much less than usual the next day or two because I’m just not hungry. It’s pretty much unconscious regulation, and it happens even more effortlessly now that I generally eat only real food. But it seems most people don’t get such clear signals from their body…