I had watched documentaries like “Super Size Me” and have heard stories from friends who had traveled to the States, but I was still shocked by the food sizes that are available here in the U.S. Most everything is massive. And I mean MASSIVE.
I went through a Wendy’s drive through and got a small drink. The drink that arrived was the size of a Large back home. On my first trip to a grocery store, I was surprised by how huge the produce was, and how I could find no small milk containers, which ended up with me throwing about half of my milk away in the trash (yikes!).
Although I realize that throwing away things you don’t need is a part of keeping possessions to the minimum, I also try to be environmentally-conscious and hate throwing food or drink away. It’s also harder to consume these huge sizes as a small person (don’t need that much food) who lives in a tiny household with different diets (not everyone will drink cow milk or eat salad).
As a result of these huge food sizes, I gained a couple of pounds in my first 30 days right away, after remaining at the same weight for basically my whole life. In the end, I developed some hacks to try to bring portions back to a normal level for my body’s needs:
- Realize that sizes are huge. I think that half the battle is being aware of what and how much you’re eating in the first place. I try not to eat meals mindlessly (a struggle!) and when I order out, I make a habit of eating only half of what I bought and setting aside the other half for the next meal.
- Get the smallest sizes. I’ve made the mistake of buying regular sizes before, and I could not finish them. I rein myself in from ordering any other size than small, because based on experience, I’m probably not going to finish eating it anyway.
- Groceries are king. I like eating out, but COVID has made dining in a lot more attractive and is safer. I recently overhauled my complete diet by trying to actually build a healthy one, and have been going to the grocery to get my complete list. I find grocery trips fun, mostly because it’s the only time I get to go out of the house, and there is a certain satisfaction in knowing you’re eating healthy food that’s homemade.
My American friends laugh at me when I tell them these things, but I have definitely heard the same sentiments from other foreigners in the area. How about you? Have you been to the U.S. and what was your impression about food sizes?
