When did a Whopper become small?

At our last weight loss support group meeting, we discussed portion sizes, how they have grown over the years and how many calories that extra portion adds to our intake. We saw that 20 years ago, a typical soda had 85 calories. Today, a typical soda has 250 calories. A difference of 165 calories and we probably didn't even notice the size was bigger!

I recently had my own personal experience with increase in portion sizes. Last Saturday, I was on a USO bus trip. We stopped for dinner at an autohof (of of those places on the autobahn that has a cafeteria style restaurant plus either a Burger King or McDonalds) around 9:00 pm. The cafeteria line was closed so our only option was Burger King. I'm standing in line staring at the picture menu when I suddenly realized that the Whopper was the smallest burger on the menu. I remember when the Whopper was introduced 25-30 years ago. It was unbelievable! Who would have thought there could be a burger bigger than the Big Mac? The Whopper was huge! Now it is the smallest item that the German Burger King! When did this happen? Burger King does offer a Whopper Jr. which is smaller than a regular Whopper but you will not find it on the menu. You have to know to ask for it.
So how do you control portion sizes? Here are a few suggestions:

When eating out...

• Ask for a doggy bag as soon as you get your food and put 1/2 of the meal in the container. This may be easier back in the states than here in Germany since take out containers are not as popular.
• Order a large appetizer instead of an entree. This only works if the restaurant actually has healthy appetizers. Many appetizers tend to be fried or high in fat.
• Order from the senior menu which tends to have smaller portions sizes.
• Split a meal between two people so you only eat half of the dish.
• If an item comes in different sizes, order the small size (small fries, Whopper Jr., etc).

When eating at home...

• Separate large containers of snack foods into smaller single size units. For example, split a box of crackers into smaller baggies or other food container.
• Never eat out of a bag. Take out the portion you would like to eat and put the rest away. This works when you want to eat in front of the TV. We tend not to pay attention to how much we are eating when we eat while watching TV.
• When making dinner, dish up the plates in the kitchen and then eat in the living room. The food you may take for seconds is not quite so tempting when it is not in front of you.
• When putting leftovers away, place in individual portion containers so that you will not overeat later.
• Measure your food before putting it on the plate. After a while you can "eyeball" your desired portion.
• Use smaller bowls and plates. This gives you the illusion you are eating more food than you actually are.

In general,

• Before eating, determine if you are really hungry, or are you just bored?
• Eat regularly. Skipping meals and becoming overly hungry makes portion control very hard.

I hope this gives you some ideas on how to control portion sizes. Please feel free to add any ideas that you use that others may benefit from also. In the mean time, Happy Portioning!