Restaurant portions still outnumber my hunger lately

2026-10-09 21:16

I’ve done the lose-regain-lose thing, and restaurants are where my good intentions usually order first. Last Friday I met friends at a pasta place I used to love.

I told myself I’d get the small plate, but the small plate was still enough for two of me. I ate maybe six bites, felt full, then kept grazing because everyone else was still eating.

Not a disaster, just annoying. What helped was asking for a box when the food came and moving half off my plate before I started.

It felt a little awkward for ten seconds, then nobody cared. I’m not looking for rules or a lecture.

I’m trying to stay at the table without turning every meal out into a math problem. How do you handle the part where the portion is fine on paper but huge on the plate?

2026-10-16 04:30

I’ve hit that exact wall at pasta places. Their “small plate” is often just a smaller entree, not an appetizer, so I ask for a lunch portion or half order.

If they won’t do it, I order two apps—side salad plus meatballs—and box half the second it arrives, before I take a bite. For the lingering-while-everyone-eats part, I get hot tea or sparkling water so I’m still “having something.” I also track restaurant meals as a range, not a precise number, because portions vary too much.

Have you tried asking for a half portion there, or is that not a thing?

2026-10-18 06:23

waiting for the same answer following closely

2026-10-18 14:33

I relate to the social pace being the real trigger. One thing that helped me: I look at the menu before and

2026-10-20 12:11

Tbh the grazing while everyone else is still eating is so real — I’ve started asking for a box before I even sit down 😅

2026-10-27 15:21

Six bites is honestly a win — your fullness cue showed up. I’ve started ordering a cup of soup and a side salad as my actual meal at pasta places, so there’s no giant plate to graze from.

If I want the taste, I’ll have one bite of my partner’s pasta and call it done. Between bites I hold my drink in my non-dominant hand; weirdly, it interrupts the autopilot reach.

What’s one restaurant where you’ve felt more in control lately? I’m building a short list.

2026-10-29 00:51

One thing that shifted this for me was choosing a restaurant “default” before I walk in—soup plus a side, or one appetizer and a salad—and letting that be my whole order. I also log it into my weekly average instead of judging it that night; one pasta dinner rarely moves a seven-day trend.

Curious whether you find the portion size or the lingering-at-the-table time harder to plan for?

2026-10-30 16:34

At our little Italian place I started ordering an appetizer as my actual meal—meatballs or bruschetta—plus a side salad, and I ask them to bring it all together so I’m not sitting there with empty hands while everyone else is still twirling pasta. I also keep a sparkling water with lime in front of me and take a sip whenever I catch myself reaching.

It’s not fancy, but it keeps the grazing down. Has anyone tried just ordering two small apps instead of one entrée?