"In the first clinical trial on "portion control plates," Sue Pedersen, an endocrinologist at the University of Calgary, had 65 subjects use a specially designed plate and bowl to limit their calorie intake for part of each day. Another 65 people who didn't use the dishes served as a control group."

"Patients in both groups were clinically obese and had type 2 diabetes, a group for whom losing weight is not just a goal but a medical imperative."

"The results, published in June in the Archives of Internal Medicine, are encouraging: After six months, subjects using the plates lost an average of 1.8 percent of their weight, compared with 0.1 percent loss in the control group."

"Especially heartening, Pedersen says, is the fact that a subgroup of subjects which was not taking insulin did even better -- averaging a loss of 2.5 percent of weight over six months. Studies indicate that insulin treatments normally make weight loss more difficult."

"Pedersen, a specialist in endocrinology and metabolism, says that aside from selecting patients who weren't on weight-loss medication and who agreed to use the plates, the study was relatively flexible."

"For breakfast, subjects used the bowl to measure 200 calories' worth of cereal and milk -- colored rings on the bowl correspond to different types of cereal -- but only if they wanted cereal. If not, they were free to eat anything else, with no portion restrictions."

"The plate, which holds an approximately 800-calorie meal, was to be used during the biggest meal of the day. Its painted lines mark sections for grains, cheese, sauce and protein; mixed items such as lasagna were placed in the section that fit their ingredients closest. Vegetables were unlimited as long as they were not covered in oil or fried."

"The dishes, sold by Diet Plate Limited of England, are not specifically designed for people who are overweight or have diabetes. But special plates and bowls can be useful in controlling calorie intake because the notion of
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