To some of you this is going to sound ridiculous, and to some others of you, you will be like, "OMG! I do that too." I don't mind admitting some of my oddities because 5 years of blogging has taught me that many of us are more alike than we think.
So okay, whenever I get takeout meals besides pizza and Chinese because that food usually comes in individual dish containers, I eat right out of the to-go container like this. I don't bother with plates mainly because I'm lazy and hate washing dishes.
I know many people find it surprising that I have lazy tendencies because in many areas I am somewhat disciplined. When it comes to food though, I got all kinds of lazy going on which is why I'm all about finding shortcuts, doing semi-homemade, and using as little dishes and silverware as possible because I hate washing dishes.
In fact, another dirty little secret of mine is that at home I eat mainly with disposable forks and spoons so I can just throw them away instead of wash them. I'm either saving water or creating more landfill, two ways to look at it.
In an effort for, "I tried something new" for the #foodrevolution, I decided this time to put my Vietnamese Bun #3 dinner out of it's to-go container, and put it on a plate. Now, why this seemingly small action actually is a big deal is that it made me realize that when I eat straight out of the to-go container, I will be inclined to eat the whole thing because some of my, "Clean the plate" mentality will eek in. Eating a whole to-go container of anything is just way too much food as some of those containers can fit 3-4 servings.
A simple way to cut down calories
A very significant yet easy way to cut down our calorie consumption is simply cutting down portion sizes. I no longer deprive myself of any foods any more. If I want something, especially if it's a sweet or a fat like pizza or cake, I'll just eat a small portion of it. My Inner Resistance Monster is satisfied because to him even two bites of something is better then telling him, "No way Jose." Whenever, I do that, oh boy, the cravings intensify until I break down and then end up eating way more had I just taken the couple bites in the beginning.
I have these plate/bowl dishes I got at World Market, and I like them because they are flat yet have edges and can hold in food like a bowl. So, I put my takeout food in one of these dishes, and as you see here, I have only one egg roll instead of two, only 1/3 of the noodles, and about 75% of the meat. I don't mind eating more meat because it's mostly protein, and the dish didn't come with that much meat in the first place, so we're good.
I actually didn't eat everything on the plate because I got full, so I stopped and put the rest back in the to-go container for lunch the next day. I think we can often underestimate the power of visual queues when we eat. When you take take-out food out of its to-go container and put it on a plate, you can have better control over the portion size you eat, and help keep on track for your health goals.
Eating at the table
Along with putting the food on the plate, I also ate at my dining table. Normally, I'd eat my take-out in its to-go container on the couch and watch TV. Besides the food looking nicer in a plate, eating at the table made me feel like I was having more of a food experience like what you have at a restaurant versus feeling like a couch potato.
I did have to wash the plate, but I figured washing one plate in an effort to help me cut down on my food portions was well worth it. Glad I tried something new!
So what new thing did you try this week?
