“American food is not 
what I’m used to — 
everything is like 
three portions.”
Estelle, British Rapper

I noticed it, but I ignored it. I could see it at the mall, the beach, and in restaurants. I could see it at Giants’ games, on school campuses, and at Starbucks. Worst of all, I could see it in the mirror every day. I could see it, but I didn’t want to notice it. The truth of the situation was embarrassing. America has an obesity epidemic, and I was participating in it. No more.

Since April 1, 2023, I have lost 63 pounds. This might surprise some who know me, because it seems that people didn’t think I was significantly overweight. I guess at 6’3”, I carried it well. The point is, I carried it — all day, every day, everywhere I went. Still I turned a blind eye to the situation. 

Can you imagine filling a backpack with a dozen 5-pound bags of sugar and wearing that backpack all day every day? 

I could offer a variety of excuses for how that happened to me, but the truth is that the problem was caused by one factor: a lack of self-discipline. By the grace of God, I got a wake-up call at the end of March, one which did not involved a heart attack or a diagnosis of diabetes. And fortunately, I found myself motivated to do something about the situation.

My experiences of visiting Japan fourteen times since 1998 helped me to realize that portion sizes in America are alarming. I’ve said many times that the amount of food served to me in an American restaurant would be sufficient to feed a family of four in Japan. Despite this realization, I did nothing to address the issue.

Recently, I’ve come across a few statements worth sharing. Fitness guru Richard Simmons warned people to “watch your portions. Splitting your meals up into smaller, more frequent portions will enable food absorption and utilization of nutrients.” An excellent recommendation.

For some fortunate individuals, portion size isn’t a problem. American actress Alice Greczyn admitted, “Honestly, I’m blessed with good genes and a good sense of discipline. I eat whatever I want, but I eat very controlled portions and stop when I’m full.” Many of us aren’t so lucky. And many of us were taught to eat everything on our plate, because there were starving children in China. This approach to parenting was misguided, to be sure.

Recently, I’ve learned a lesson shared by Indian television actress Rashami Desai, who said, “I followed a controlled diet where I took care of my portions and ate at regular intervals; every 2-3 hours.” I’ve been implementing this strategy for the past five months. It’s quite effective.

When it comes right down to it, even the size of the plates themselves can lead to overconsumption of food. American dinner plates are larger than many Japanese platters. This can be especially challenging at a buffet-style meal. American journalist Rachel Nichols shared a recommendation from which we can all benefit. She said, “I never pile a plate to the point where it overflows. I’d rather have a small plate with small portions and then get up for more if I’m still hungry.” 

So what, exactly, is an appropriate portion? I’m sure there are many responses to this question, but one response in particular stands out for me because it is such a practical way of measuring the amount of food we should eat. The quantity of food for one meal needs to fit into the two hands of the person eating it. I have large hands, so I like this suggestion. Then, again, I’m a fairly tall person. A smaller person, with smaller hands, would most likely need less food to adequately nourish them.

It really does come down to self-discipline. Dr. Umar Faruq, an American Islamic theologian, wrote, “Hunger is the first element of self-discipline. If you can control what you eat and drink, you can control everything else.” He went on to say that “self-respect is the root of discipline: the sense of dignity grows with the ability to say no to oneself.”

Author Karen Salmansohn tells us that healthy eating does not mean starving yourself. Rather, “healthy eating means eating the right food in the right amount… Eating healthy food fills your body with energy and nutrients. Imagine your cells smiling back at you and saying: ‘Thank you!’”

I’ll end with a challenge by American restauranteur David Chang who points out, “America is a country of abundance, but our food culture is sad — based on huge portions and fast food. Let’s stop with the excuses and start creating something better.”