Meal portioning in my hilariously broke uni days definitely left me unintentionally losing a lot of weight. I made it work by telling myself that’s all there is in the portion and if I wanted any more I’d be ruining tomorrow’s lunch, which I couldn’t afford to do, so there.

Volume eating is what helps me get into gear. Same sized plate as always, but a smaller, more reasonable portion of the actual food, served on a gigantic bed of lettuce, cucumber, cabbage, shiritake noodles, etc.

I’m feeling full immediately because of the volume, I stay full because the meal itself was an appropriate portion of something nutritious, and after a few weeks of eating like this I find I’m naturally gravitating towards smaller portions of more veggie-heavy meals, recognising when I’m full, and no longer eating with my eyes. I no longer need the bed of cabbage to satisfy my hunger.

Perhaps it has something to do with the gut microbiome and the fibre in the cabbage that just re-wires my stomach to be happy with a diet.