I have heard that some people find it really helpful to buy small dishes, utensils, cups etc. so that when they eat 1/2 cup of food or what not, it's easy to gauge it and it doesn't look like you are eating so little with it on a big dinner plate or something.

So I was wondering if any of you have done this and what did you buy? Toddler dishes? Smaller versions of adult dishes? I know when I did a pre-op diet for lap band (which I never followed through with getting) I was using toddler spoons to eat things like applesauce or whatever... and drinking from sippy cups.

Would love to hear any experiences/products!

I have a small china bowl and a small terracotta flat bowl that I use in the oven and microwave. I also use a teaspoon to eat with as I'm still on mush. Once I go onto more solid foods, I have a small fork ready.

I also bought some baby/toddler food pots for storage xx

I thought I would post this little update. I went to Target last night and found some great stuff!!! The dark blue bowls in the front are actually from the same set as our current dishes so that was awesome, and they call these "dipping bowls." I am estimating they hold about 1.5 cups so they are too big for early on but I still bought them since they go with our dish set. Then I found these four clear bubble glass dip bowls - they vary slightly as they are hand made glass but they are about 1/2 cup in size (measured them with Water last night.) Then I got the white melamine stuff - the small plates are appetizer plates and the other ones are dip bowls (1/2 cup capacity).

(the glass ones were $1.99 each, the plastic were $0.99 each).

I also scored some rubbermaid storage containers. The small ones are exactly 1/2 cup and the larger ones are 1.25 cup. I figured these would be great for measured portion control on the go. NOTE: My husband is having the surgery also so that's why I bought so much as both of us will be eating this way. He also works and will have to take his meals to work so I figured the rubbermaids would help him with that. :wink0: Sorry I don't remember the price on the rubbermaids.

Tiffkins: I'm sorry that I'm not so good using this forum yet. I'm going to go to costco tomorrow for my pre-op shopping and I don't want to miss anything important.

What type of over the counter medications or other should I get?

What other things am I going to need right post-op?

Your advise will be greatly appreciated. Thank you. Gloria

I found some really cute little white Corelle dishes at the local Fred Meyer. Little tiny bowls, some cute square plates, etc. Grown up looking dishes that match what my family eats off.

Britt

I'm with Mini-Me, once I'm post-op I think I will reward myself with a piece of dainty little high tea china from an antique store, with little teeny silver forks and spoons and a demitasse cup. Might as well make it fun!

I have antique china, which is nice because the pieces are much smaller than modern china. So, I use a salad plate for dinner and a small bowl for soups. I felt like this occasion was worthy of the china and the size is a huge mental thing for me as well. The only thing I really bought was from Bed, Bath and Beyond, it's a 6 piece, toddler size set of flatware. The silver being proportionate to the dishes is great for me and helps in taking small bites.

Thank you friends, I'm going to get me some cute little flatware today. My husband will for sure get a kick out of it.

Hey there, I found some Demitasse spoons (used for espresso) and some cocktail forks from target.com they are silver and very heavy and nice looking. I like the idea of small utensils but jsut not childish. They work great!

Exactly Xandria1, I like the idea of small utensils and plate, but I don't want to feel like a child. I wonder if we should take something from the fact that all these antique plates are so small, no wonder they weren't obese, portion control! Plus, this is an aside, but have you ever noticed the old Coke-Cola signs? the glasses were always so tiny, not the gallon guzzlers typical today.

Edited June 21, 201016 yr by Globetrotter

Exactly Xandria1, I like the idea of small utensils and plate, but I don't want to feel like a child. I wonder if we should take something from the fact that all these antique plates are so small, no wonder they weren't obese, portion control! Plus, this is an aside, but have you ever noticed the old Coke-Cola signs? the glasses were always so tiny, not the gallon guzzlers typical today.

Interesting point! I was part of a boot camp and they told us that in the 20's the average person was so physically active with work, walking, etc. That most people were of healthy weight, and burning approx 4000 cal a day. Now how they would know this is beyond me, but I found it fascinating that we eat more and move less.

I have this really cool book full of stories and recipes that were collected by the WPA across the country during the Depression. It's fascinating to see how people ate and what they considered a treat! No wonder we have a national weight problem, prior to the 1960's a roasted chicken or steaks at the dinner table were real treats. Soda pop had to be got at specific venues, you couldn't just have gallons of it at home. Even the fast food wasn't as bad; I saw a report on the food network about the fat content of the original mcdonalds hamburger and fries and it was like a tenth of what it is today.

There was a lot of talk about this on lapbandtalk too over the years. I dont like the idea of feeling like a child, eating of childrens crockery and using childrens cutlery.

But I have white dinnerware that you can buy piece by piece, which we have because we chip so many bowls and mugs in this house! We've always eaten off salad plates, as I dont want to encourage my kids to see enormous huge plates of food as normal. Truth is, today's salad plate is the size of what was a normal dinner plate when I was a child. Anyway, so I've got this dinnerware and you can buy ANYthing, square plates, bowls, big plates, small plates, gravy boats, salt and pepper shakers, bug mugs, little mugs, you name it. So I have plenty of small bowls and plates and the whole family just uses them, so like I mentioned, i'm hopefully encouraging the kids not to be overeaters.

Eating IS visual, I feel ridiculous with like half a cup of food on a whole huge plate and I often feel self conscious when eating out, when it seems like I've eaten NONE of my huge portion.

There was a lot of talk about this on lapbandtalk too over the years. I dont like the idea of feeling like a child, eating of childrens crockery and using childrens cutlery.

But I have white dinnerware that you can buy piece by piece, which we have because we chip so many bowls and mugs in this house! We've always eaten off salad plates, as I dont want to encourage my kids to see enormous huge plates of food as normal. Truth is, today's salad plate is the size of what was a normal dinner plate when I was a child. Anyway, so I've got this dinnerware and you can buy ANYthing, square plates, bowls, big plates, small plates, gravy boats, salt and pepper shakers, bug mugs, little mugs, you name it. So I have plenty of small bowls and plates and the whole family just uses them, so like I mentioned, i'm hopefully encouraging the kids not to be overeaters.

Eating IS visual, I feel ridiculous with like half a cup of food on a whole huge plate and I often feel self conscious when eating out, when it seems like I've eaten NONE of my huge portion.

lol - exactly Jachut, that is why I had said on a thread once that the silver lining for us is that now those teensy portions at fancy french restaurants will seem just right to us now and a single sushi looks like a meal! :mad0:

it's funny how small dishes give you a total outlook on stuff. . .i use a teacup saucer as my plate and a normal fork and teaspoon. . .after having done this for the past 6 months, when we go out to eat the plates they bring out look ENORMOUS!!! I always make a funny noise when they bring the plates and straight away ask for a take out box. . .that food i take home usually lasts me 2 days. . . it's really weird how this has changed the way i eat. . . sure i eat slider foods but only a bit, not in hugh gobs like before the surgery. . . i've been blessed with no serious weight gain. . .1 or 2 pounds but that is usually water weight, take some lasix and poof it's gone. . .but those small dishes sure do give you a different sense of life. . . good luck

thinoneday - I haven't eaten out at a restaurant yet but my hubby and i got kid-size frosty's at Wendy's (the lowest cal/fat ice cream option i've seen in fast food world) and I couldn't believe how BIG they looked to me now!!! It took us 3 different sittings to finish them. Kid size!

Would it be silly of me to bring my own little plate when I eat out at a restaurant???? I think it would really help.