Size matters
We all know that its not just what we eat but how much that counts. Portion sizes have gone up exponentially with our waistbands, so is the key to staying slim as simple as eating less?
Nothing impacts weight as much as the amount that we eat. As people become more conscious about the nutritional value of certain foods, there is a risk that healthier versions become undone in the volume consumed.
Too much of anything is bad for you
It is too easy to overeat nowadays. I was astounded by the portion sizes when I first visited the US in my 20s. However, super-size is now the norm, with take-away meals offering deals for “going large”. Supermarkets offer promotions to buy more, three-for-two, buy-one-get-one-free and even saving money for buying half a dozen bottles of wine. We are enticed to buy more than we need and compelled to consume more than is good for us.
The coffee culture that has engulfed us, means we drink 10 times the volume of the espresso shot, in the milk that a standard latte contains. Aside from the calorie count starting at 100 for the smallest version (before adding whipped cream and flavoured syrups), the smallest volume of a coffee is half a pint stretching our stomachs.
Overconsumption makes it harder to downsize on a diet
Because the baseline is so much higher, it makes portion control on a diet more difficult. The quantity of recommended food, like a palm of protein, fist of carbohydrate and a handful of vegetables, seems much less than we might be used to eating. Some diet groups brought out scoops to address that not everyone’s portion sizes are equal. The recommended portion sizes on cereal packets is certainly not a bowlful.
The stomach stretches to the capacity consumed
Its acknowledged that the stomach has the capacity to stretch and then contracts once the food has passed through the digestive system. However, studies show that regularly overeating can increase the propensity of the stomach to stretch. So the more you overeat, the more you are likely to want to overeat. The challenge to resist the abundance surrounding us is not easy.
Hormones signals both hunger and satiety
The body is clever and uses hormones to signal hunger (ghrelin) and fullness (leptin). There is debate around whether obesity can affect the sensitivity to these hormones. However, I learnt from a recent discussion with someone who had a gastric sleeve, that the operation also removes the part of the stomach that contains ghrelin. So in addition to a reduction in the stomach’s capacity,the hunger signal is also removed so cravings for food are reduced.
So perhaps it is not quite as simple as just reducing the amount we eat. We also need to resist the supersize servings surrounding us.
