Dearest Apples, I have been shopping yet again. (I know you were getting worried. Like I’d forget to shop!)

Sara here, and I’m noticing a trend. First, one of our favorite blogs told us all about the Diet Plate, so you know I just had to check that out. Then, for the five seconds that I actually watched television last week, I saw these new chic portion-savvy dishes called Mesu, so you know I just had to check those out, too. It would appear that service wear designed with your waistline in mind is all over the place, from high end to low end. Of course no exploration of dishes would be complete without some delicious food, so naturally I have investigated for you. I know, selfless of me.

Here’s the Diet Plate:

And here’s Mesu:

Comparison:

The Diet Plate is actually clinically proven (independently) to help you lose weight. How about that? This goes back to Mark’s ongoing point that although carbs – especially refined carbs – are unhealthy, it’s still calories that count for weight loss. While you’ll get a lot more mileage out of things like fat, protein and veggies, that doesn’t mean you can eat more calories than you need – what goes in must get burned off!

Mesu gets points for pretty. Mesu is very new and uber sleek, but in my opinion, just not that special. I really like the back story of the young woman who invented it (she was dieting for her wedding and was a bit of a struggling artist, from what I can tell, unless that’s just the marketing spin). And the various bowls and dishes are very appealing. But I don’t know that I’d want to buy a whole set of dishware just to lose weight – I prefer the efficiency and ease of a concept like the Diet Plate. But then, if your whole family is on a diet, or you just feel the need for some smart dishes, Mesu might be right for you.

What I like about this trend is the emphasis on the need to control portions. That really is the key to weight loss. You all know I pretty much live on avocados, cream and goat cheese, but I do watch the portion sizes. I also occasionally cheat and have a bite of pizza or a light beer, but I don’t go crazy about it. Like our guest blogger Claire said last Friday, one little “cheat” is not a reason to throw in the towel and pig out for the rest of the day. We think it is, but that’s just not the case. One little bite of something you really crave, now and then, is not going to ruin your health or make putting on your skinny jeans a depressing exercise indeed. I know some of us can’t stop once we start, and I am certainly no saint in that department! What helps me is to remember that I can always have that pizza anytime – we do live in the most convenient nation, foodwise, on the globe. For some reason, having this “availability mindset” does the trick, and I can just enjoy a bite or two without turning into Carb Monster.

Mark taught me another cool tip a while back: replace all those giant plates and pasta bowls with salad plates and fruit bowls. You’ll eat less without even thinking about it. If you want to splurge on some special diet dishes, I say go for it, but you can accomplish the same thing by simply switching out your regular plates with inexpensive 7″ disks (which you probably already have!).

Let me know what works for you! I’m stickin’ with my el cheapo Target salad plates and the tiny blue plate my friend made for me in pottery class. They work pretty well for me.

My previous shopping expedition: hitting the mat.

[tags] Mesu, Diet Plate, portion sizes [/tags]

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