Leftovers Are Known to Cause Weight Gain!!

Lasmartchika

segacs wrote: »

Lasmartchika wrote: »

OMG... what a bunch of food wasted... if you're not gonna eat it, at least give it to the homeless. There are starving people in this world. And how about serving yourself on a smaller plate so you don't have a lot of food on your plate? People like you OP seriously piss me off cuz there are people who can't afford food and you're just throwing it away. :noway:

See, this is exactly the attitude that I've had to overcome in order to lose weight.

There are people going hungry, yes. But me eating everything on my plate when I'm not hungry anymore isn't going to help them. Whether the food ends up on my hips or in a restaurant's bin doesn't affect whether people will keep on going hungry in the world. And piling on the guilt ("finish your food! children are starving!") is how so many of us got to where we are in the first place.

Know what will help them? Volunteer or donate to a food bank. Organize a food drive. Cook and bring food to a homeless shelter. Get involved with the community.

Yes, I cook with an eye towards avoiding waste. In restaurants, ordering less isn't usually an option since most restaurants have set portion sizes. I share food when it's practical, and I take leftovers home with me when it's practical, but sometimes the best thing to do when faced with too much food is just to send it back.

But world hunger will not be solved by me finishing my french fries.

I never said scarf the food down that you have served on your plate even though you're full. Save it for some other day... serve yourself less food per serving. Do anything else than throw food away. That's the point, food being thrown away CARELESSLY is what pisses me off. I'm not saying save the world with your fries either. Even that little bit you didn't eat, give it to a homeless and they'll be happy they at least had that to eat that day. Help one person at least once. I'm with you on getting involved with the community. But I guess I've seen it more often than you that it hits me more than it does you. Having times that you don't have enough food for the day... maybe you never experienced that. But whatever... you do you, and I'll do me. And I won't throw food away unless it's ruined.


BTW... throwing fries away anytime is a always a sin.

BWBTrish

I dont really have a lot of left overs.
When we do our shopping and come home almost everything get cleaned/cut/freezed and divided into portions for two people.
i write down what is in it how much it weighs and how much calories.

I love to do this plan and make my meals that way. The time i have leftovers is when we are less hungry. But indeed next day for lunch is perfect than.

and of course that get logged too

PrizePopple

HereLieWe

I'm torn on this. I like to cook large multi-serving meals, measure them out, and save them for the next day. But at the same time, I feel obligated to eat them, and sometimes (when they're really delicious) that means pigging out...

ShrinkingMuslimah

I think the term "leftovers" is misused here.

I always cook extra so that I have leftovers on purpose. That way I only have to cook every two days instead of every day.

Alatariel75

Lasmartchika wrote: »

segacs wrote: »

Lasmartchika wrote: »

OMG... what a bunch of food wasted... if you're not gonna eat it, at least give it to the homeless. There are starving people in this world. And how about serving yourself on a smaller plate so you don't have a lot of food on your plate? People like you OP seriously piss me off cuz there are people who can't afford food and you're just throwing it away. :noway:

See, this is exactly the attitude that I've had to overcome in order to lose weight.

There are people going hungry, yes. But me eating everything on my plate when I'm not hungry anymore isn't going to help them. Whether the food ends up on my hips or in a restaurant's bin doesn't affect whether people will keep on going hungry in the world. And piling on the guilt ("finish your food! children are starving!") is how so many of us got to where we are in the first place.

Know what will help them? Volunteer or donate to a food bank. Organize a food drive. Cook and bring food to a homeless shelter. Get involved with the community.

Yes, I cook with an eye towards avoiding waste. In restaurants, ordering less isn't usually an option since most restaurants have set portion sizes. I share food when it's practical, and I take leftovers home with me when it's practical, but sometimes the best thing to do when faced with too much food is just to send it back.

But world hunger will not be solved by me finishing my french fries.

I never said scarf the food down that you have served on your plate even though you're full. Save it for some other day... serve yourself less food per serving. Do anything else than throw food away. That's the point, food being thrown away CARELESSLY is what pisses me off. I'm not saying save the world with your fries either. Even that little bit you didn't eat, give it to a homeless and they'll be happy they at least had that to eat that day. Help one person at least once. I'm with you on getting involved with the community. But I guess I've seen it more often than you that it hits me more than it does you. Having times that you don't have enough food for the day... maybe you never experienced that. But whatever... you do you, and I'll do me. And I won't throw food away unless it's ruined.


BTW... throwing fries away anytime is a always a sin.

I can honestly say I've never met a homeless person who would accept "that little bit I didn't eat". Jaysus, give them some credit and some dignity. Donate food, yes. But no shelter would accept food you cooked at home, especially left overs, ick.

teagirlmedium

I like leftovers. I will usually only make enough to make me fill full. However, when other people are around I will cook a lot more and then I will eat the leftovers throughout the next day. Also, I have pets so they get some too. I will say that back when I used to think I had to eat all my food in one sitting I did weigh a lot more. Leaving leftovers has helped me.

Local_Atlantis

SnuggleSmacks wrote: »

segacs wrote: »

lisajo89 wrote: »

While the wording of this is ridiculous, I know what the OP is trying to say.

For me, it was always considered rude to leave any food on the plate, which caused a bad habit of eating past the point of hunger. It was always "No dessert unless you finish what's on your plate" and I aaaalways wanted dessert.

Eating only when hungry is a key to good nutritional intake - fuel your body when it needs it, and sends signals to tell you to eat. This is a good habit that I could have been better educated on by my parents. Not saying that my parents did a bad job or anything!! I'm just saying.. I get where the OP is going. ... Sort of... Haha!

^This.

As a small (5'1") woman, I have had to get over the mental hurdle of leaving food over on my plate without guilt. "Clean your plate" is ridiculous advice when I'm being served up a portion of food that's the same size as what a 6' man is getting. And the pressure I would feel (at restaurants, in social situations) to eat as much as everyone else, even though my calorie needs are much smaller, is one of the factors that led to my weight gain in the first place.

Of course, at home, I try to cook smaller portions. Even that requires adjusting recipes and shopping carefully, since individually-portioned foods in grocery stores are also meant for larger people. But I have more control over that.

In restaurants, though? I've finally realized that cleaning my plate isn't going to help that hungry child halfway across the world one iota. Instead, it's just going to make me fat. I've learned to either share with someone else, take half of what I get home, or -- if it's something that simply won't reheat well the next day -- to simply send half of it back with a smile and an "it was very good, thank you, just too much" to the waiter.

Wasteful? Yeah, maybe. But it's better than eating all those extra calories just to be polite.

So it is in fact the lack of leftovers which contributes to weight gain...ie. the reluctance to leave anything for leftovers, because we've been trained to feel obligated to clean our plates.

Eeeeexactly!! At least that's what I think he is saying.. I think some people couldn't get past the title of the thread. It has been poorly worded. But I agree with the actual message.
Parents should be saying to kids "Are you full?" "Are you still hungry?" And be prepared to give the kids a snack or a glass of milk later if they are hungry again, rather than making them eat past the point of hunger during meal times.. It is a much better habit to grow into, rather than the politeness thing..
As a British person, it is very hard for me to stop eating half way through a meal. Restaurants are OK.. But if I am eating something HOMEMADE, I will eat it all until I burst! Haha!

_Terrapin_

johnnylakis wrote: »

This is the single most detrimental thing to losing weight. Many of us were taught to clean our plates and not waste food. That somehow would benefit the starving children of the world. As a result, we feel obligated to finish meals, even if we are full. Something that worked for me was throwing away any food left after a meal. What did this accomplish?
1) I lost weight. Fact is, you eat less, you lose weight.
2) Taught me how to cook smaller meals and avoid unnecessary weight gain

OR....just use smaller plates.

msf74

lisajo89 wrote: »

While the wording of this is ridiculous, I know what the OP is trying to say.

For me, it was always considered rude to leave any food on the plate, which caused a bad habit of eating past the point of hunger. It was always "No dessert unless you finish what's on your plate" and I aaaalways wanted dessert.

Eating only when hungry is a key to good nutritional intake - fuel your body when it needs it, and sends signals to tell you to eat. This is a good habit that I could have been better educated on by my parents. Not saying that my parents did a bad job or anything!! I'm just saying.. I get where the OP is going. ... Sort of... Haha!

That's what I took from the OP as well. Not so much leftovers as the ability to leave food on your plate when you are full rather than feeling compelled to eat it because "kids in Africa are starving yo!

I read an interesting thought experiment a while ago: "is it better to eat what you like most at the beginning of a meal or leave it till last?"

It was argued that people who eat what they like the most first would usually be slimmer. Why? Because people who eat it last have, before the meal has started, committed themselves psychologically to eating the entire meal even if they become full before all the food is consumed. Eating the entire meal is like a task they must complete so they get the stuff they don't like that much out of the way first and finish with what they really like.

Of course, if you are planning your meals and portion sizes appropriately this will not be an issue but I can certainly see how for many people getting out of the mentality of "I must clear my plate" helps with weight loss.

Liftng4Lis

Seriously??? I bring leftovers every day for lunch. Leftovers did not cause weight gain, you eating too much did.

higgins8283801

I taught myself portion control by using a toddler divided section plate. I still weigh it, but each of those sections seems to always equal a serving.

I probably look dumb eating off a Dora plate but whatever

Abstraktimus

You don't half post some trash

YoshiNic0le

Really guy? How about lack of self control, lack of exercise, and poor portion control cause weight gain? I purposely make leftovers so I already have something healthy and delicious for lunch/dinner for the next day. Also, I can't afford to just throw food away, what a waste. If you are full put it in a Tupperware, not the trash can. For shame.

Unless it's some crap your shouldn't be eating in the first place, then just toss it. No need to save French fries.

Francl27

Your point makes absolutely no sense. If anything, leftovers are a great thing because you don't have to finish your plate now and can just pack the rest for tomorrow...

Local_Atlantis

Francl27 wrote: »

Your point makes absolutely no sense. If anything, leftovers are a great thing because you don't have to finish your plate now and can just pack the rest for tomorrow...

Yeah... I think that's what he meant. Wording is terrible, but the point is there, if you read past the title of the thread.

dym123

What the wha!!!! No, no and ah...no. I'm single, I make large meals (on purpose) I portion them in individual containers and put them in the freezer. I've done this through most of my weight loss and now that goal is building muscle, I still do it. Leftovers, if done right, can help you lose weight and stay on track, not to mention saves time.