Print
E-mail
RSS 
18 comments 
Permalink
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Portion Distortion: Stop Eating Out Of The Bag
by Erika Nicole Kendall
Once upon a time.. I used to kill the bag. Destroy the box. I could barely sit down before I tore into it… whatever the “it” was for the day.
I’m talkin’ about snackin’. Although, for me, it was never really a snack. Not in the traditional sense – it wasn’t simply a little bit to hold me over. It was a LOT to hold me over unnecessarily… and on a regular basis.
I remember one day, coming home from the grocery and getting ready to start putting everything away… and the first bag I opened had a bag of Verona cookies inside. Guilty pleasure, yes they were. It felt like for every item I put in the fridge, I was tossing a cookie in my mouth. I don’t even know if I consciously realized what I was doing at that time.. but I was just eatin’ for the sake of eatin’.
Now… it’s all funny and jokes until I think about the fact that by the time I had finished putting the groceries away, I had finished the entire bag of cookies. There’s what – 24 cookies in a bag, right? If one serving size of 3 cookies is 140 calories… 24 divided by 3 equals 8 servings in a bag… so if I ate 140 calories 8 times… that’s over a thousand calories in one fell swoop.
I realized this was a habit for me. If I ate some goldfish crackers, I’d just get them directly out of the box. Pour them from my hand directly into my mouth – that way I never had to face how much of them I was eating. Not like I didn’t care, but… I didn’t care.
If I ate some ice cream? I’d get a spoonful from the pint, sometimes leave the spoon on top of the ice cream (nasty college student habit, I know), and go back to what I was doing. Cheez-its? Pfft, don’t even. My hand would go from box to mouth.
But then, I started reading the nutrition labels. I could never gauge – and if I did, I’d underestimate – just how much of something I was eating. It was getting in the way of my calorie counting. Of knowing what I was really putting in my body. So… I had to figure out a plan. A way to get a better grasp on how much food I was scarfing down mindlessly.
I bought myself a bag of blue corn chips. They taste a little heavier than your typical tortilla chips, but there’s this rich-and-almost-velvety taste to them that totally rocks. I turned the bag over, and took note of the serving size. 1 serving is equal to 15 chips. I then promptly grabbed a box of ziploc bags, and got to work.
Inside each bag… is 15 chips. One serving per ziploc. And wouldn’t you know it – I was eating three and four servings at a time just from mindless snacking? Do you see those portion sizes? Add in the typical guacamole or sour cream? Holy jeez… I was killin’ myself.
How did the ziploc treatment work? Well, let me tell you. It worked. Believe it or not, there’s science behind why.
Consider this study done by researchers at Cornell University:
According to a new Cornell University study, when moviegoers were served stale popcorn in big buckets, they ate 34 percent more than those given the same stale popcorn in medium-sized containers. Tasty food created even larger appetites: Fresh popcorn in large tubs resulted in people eating 45 percent more than those given fresh popcorn in medium-sized containers.
“We’re finding that portion size can influence intake as much as taste,” said Brian Wansink, the John S. Dyson Professor of Marketing and of Applied Economics at Cornell. “Large packages and containers can lead to overeating foods we do not even find appealing.” [...]
So… if all it takes to make you eat more of something you don’t like is a larger container..
…could you imagine what it does to you to eat something you like without even transferring it to a container at all? Eating your favorite chips out of the bag, instead of a bowl or a paper towel? Eating your favorite ice cream out of the pint container, instead of a champagne flute (hey, get creative – work with me, here)? Never getting a bowl, a plate – or in my case, a ziploc bag – allowed me to eat at will… never having to face how much I was eating, or exactly how often I was eating, either. Not like I ever had any dishes to clean, right?
Can everyone set aside time to get their ziploc on? Of course not. That’s not my suggestion at all. However, I do believe in baby steps. Take it slow. Start by no longer eating out of the box, bag, or container. Commit yourself to every time you get something to eat, you’ll put it in a bowl or plate before you put it in your mouth. Give yourself the opportunity to see what you’re eating, and if you know you shouldn’t be eating in the first place… feel a little guilt about it as you put it on your plate. ‘Cause yes – sometimes, you know you have no business eating seconds (or firsts, in some cases) and you should feel a little eater’s remorse about it.
So… I’ve fessed up about my Cheez-Its and my Veronas…. what’s the source of your portion distortion?
18 Comments
Leave a Reply
A few rules for posting, friends:
- If you are promoting a product, or posting a sales pitch, your comment will be deleted.
- If you are trying to dispute something on the site, you will need more than anecdotal evidence (i.e., "My cousin's friend's uncle's girlfriend's boss did it and it worked!" If you've got books or at least Internet links, then we can talk. Otherwise, you risk your comment not being approved.
- Foul language is discouraged. I'd like people to still be able to read the site at their jobs.
- Disrespecting me or the men and women who post here is also unacceptable. Your comment won't be approved, and you might be banned. (Actually, I've grown to like embarrassing people who behave like they have no home training. Consider yourself warned. :)
- Want an avatar? Quick and easy solution. Visit Gravatar.com and sign up for one!
- Everyone is welcome here. You don't have to be Black, you don't have to be a Girl. I'd prefer you to be human, and I'd prefer you to be kind. We're helping each other, right? :)
- Last, but certainly not least, commenting here is a privilege. Not a matter of "freedom of speech," but a matter of "approved at the discretion of the the owner." It's how I protect our community. Everyone appreciates this until it's their comment on the chopping block. We simply don't have time for foolishness, here. (And please, don't e-mail to complain. I already know you're mad.)
I used to have the very same problem with Pita Chips and cereal. I could literally eat an entire box of cereal in one sitting. Just because it was there! I now place all of my snacks in those re-usable plastic Glad or Ziploc containers. I use the ones that are 1 cup and toss them in my purse for work or when I’m on the go and may need a snack.
—Brittany
Fantastic advice. Thank you. That’s a good idea with the biscuits!!
—Bb
This is so on point! I started doing this when I had my daughter – i would always out her snacks in a bad so i started doing the same for myself. I was shocked at the difference it made and how once i was finished what was in the zip lock bag i really didn’t want anymore. Where before if i would just eat straight from the bag my hand was going in the boz/bag at least twice.
I have invested in the glad/zip lock containers with the actual cup size on them. They are a life saver (when i use them properly) when i want a snack.
—Cryssy
I so agree with your post! For me it is cookies also, oreos, chocolate chip, even chocolate teddy grahams. I just cannot seem to have only the 2-3 that equals one serving size. Throughout the night I will go back for more and more and more. So I either do exactly as you have done, or try to purchase bags that are one serving like the 100 Calorie packs.
—PhluffyPrincess
This post is so true, mindless snacking is one of the worst habits one can have, and it has helped many of us pack on the pounds and keep them there. I started putting measuring cups in all the boxes I eat out of (cereal, cheezits, trailmix, etc…) so that when I go to eat them, I see the 1/4th cup or whatever size it may be, scoop them out like that, and put them in a bag to take to work. That way I am not just pouring or eating without knowing how much I am ingesting. It’s the little steps that make the big goal maintainable!
—Timmera
Found your blog via @blackgirlsrun. I so very much needed this reminder! Snacking will surely be the death of me. Great idea, Timmera, about putting measuring cups in the boxes. I can stuff quite a bit in a bag, so the measuring cups would be very helpful.
—Au Naptural
I am a victim of mindless eating, via the bag. I still practice sticking it in a zippie bag but thanks for the heads up on the importance. I love food, love to eat, but I am a crazy snacker. It’s as if I always have to have something in my mouth! I think I gained this weight from my constant snacking, back to the zippie!
—Alfree
Mine is Lays potato chips, the plain ones lol. I can munch on those things all the time. But its getting a bit re-dam-diculious lol
I will give putting them in baggies a try. Hey it definately couldnt hurt. Love your blog!
—Margaret S
Problem – being lazy. All these things take time, effort and planning.
hill
—Hill
Well, if it’s not worth the effort, it isn’t worth eating… is it?
—Erika
i do this for my kids but not for me …………..i’ll see how it works out
—cakediva77
I really need to practice this
—hardworkpaysoff
my weakness is sun chips, i only buy the small snack bags anyways but now a days I simply limit myself to one per day if that but I will try cutting those down too
—Rita
my weakness….ice cream straaight out of the pint, almonds biscottis, chocolate orange cookies, soy pudding (family size pack of 4 servings). I’ll definitely gice the ziploc method a try. Thanks for sharing, Erika!
—Monika
This, although time consuming.. really works. I’ve made it a point to bag up everything while I’m putting away the groceries. (may I also suggest chewing gum while filling bag.. so you’re not tempted to snack and pack).
If it’s not worth your time to control the portions, then don’t buy the snack. Or pysch yourself out like I do.. it’s easier to count out baby carrots or slice celery than it is to count out 15 cheese-its..
—samanto
chips ahoy is my source of portion distortion. I can singlehandedly devour the whole bag. Once I reallized that I just didnt eat them any more.
—nettid
I used to eat mindlessly straight from the bag, but I’ve gotten a lot better at not doing that. I would say the biggest source of my portion distortion now is college. My dining hall is all you can eat, buffet style, with quite a few options. Nutrition facts for some of the items are listed online, but they aren’t always helpful because serving sizes are still pretty abstract to me–I really don’t know what 4 oz of rice or fish or whatever is supposed to look like…
—Eni
red handed..cheez its…doritoes..restaurant tortilla chips…
thats why they do not leave the store shelves and enter my home…
side note..I used to KILL the By One Get One nacho cheese doritos..man man man…i learned a whole new lesson on serving sizes and portion control..a “hunger” grab bag of doritoes is about 480 calories and over 1000 mg of sodium. All a “hunger” grab bag is two heaping handfuls of dorritos in a bag…and to think id kill the regular bag in three days…
how about i kill the snack chips and have a small pieace of tilapia, veggies and some brown rice for about 100 calories less with protein, vitamins and fiber
knowledge is power…mercy lawd!
—purple 'fro