Plate weighing device 'can curb childhood obesity'

[ccharles000]

A talking, computerised weighing device that tracks how quickly food is gobbled off the plate could be a solution to childhood obesity, researchers say.

The Mandometer keeps tabs during meal times and tells the user if they are wolfing down meals too fast - a habit experts have linked to weight gain.

In a trial with 106 obese children the gadget showed promising results, the British Medical Journal reports online.

After 12 months of use the children weighed less and ate smaller portions.

Their speed of eating was reduced by 11% compared with a gain of 4% in a comparison group.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8440193.stm

[nemo137]

1. Interesting.

I'm not sure how it'd work, but I can't see how being mindful of how fast one eats could be harmful.

[struggle4progress]

11. It supposedly takes a number of minutes for the brain to detect a full stomach:

so with slower eating, one feels satisfied with less

[Hekate]

2. A British woman developed a portion control plate that has shown success as well...

The size of a portion of veg, meat, gravy, starch, etc is marked on the plate so all that needs to be done is cut your portions to size. It's proven very successful with diabetics and others trying to lose weight. She ultimately designed plates and bowls for men, women, and children.

Hekate

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Diet-Plate-Female/dp/B000H1HXZM

[Hekate]

3. KnR. I don't know why the hell someone would unrec this post. nt

[dkf]

4. How's about limiting sugar?

I'd like to see a study on that.

[cbdo2007]

14. and enriched white flour and HFCS

All of which is difficult for OUR bodies to process, not to mention the damage it's doing to little kids.

But alas...it's too much work for people to change their eating habits so we'll just live with diabetes and heart disease.

[SoCalDem]

5. We rarely use "dinner plates"

My husband's diabetic, and needs smaller portions, so I just started using dessert plates, and then he can have 2nd if he's starving..but I usually give him raw veggies for an appetizer, so he's usually half-full before dinner..

Children need to be NOT told to "clean their plates".. that would help a lot.

and parents just need to stop it with the cookies, chips & soda.

[Hekate]

6. Along with everything else, US dinner plates have expanded in size over the years.

We're all being encouraged to stuff ourselves like Strasbourg geese, with similar results.

Hekate

[NoSheep]

7. And then we get a "charger" under the huge plate. What is that all about?

[Hekate]

8. Presumably that's just for dress-up, like a doily. nt

[NoSheep]

9. Doily is a killer word, isn't it?

You have a good ear for humor!

[Dead_Parrot]

10. On the other hand...

...here's a photo from the wiki on "competitive eating":



Spot the fatty.
No, neither can I, although if anyone has a photo of an obese competitive eater I'll consider the possibility. And eat my hat in 23 seconds...

I think the problem is the amount of food going in long term, rather than the speed at which you swallow it (with various disclaimers for medical conditions).

[gorfle]

12. The idea of "competitive eating" makes me ill.

It's like the ultimate indulgence of abundance.

[Dead_Parrot]

13. Me too

"Hey, look at me! I live in the west and can eat as much food in 30 minutes as an Ethiopian family did in 2005!"

Nom nom nom.

But, they're not fat...