Leaving food?

wiggawaggle

Is it good practice to always leave a small amount of your meal on your plate to teach yourself that it's okay to leave food? Sometimes i'll think okay i'm satisfied now, i could finish here and leave the rest. But then i end up eating the rest of it anyway because the plates not empty.

I put the calories in before i eat so i've logged the whole plate, but what do you do / how do you make yourself leave the rest if you're satisfied? Won't you just be hungry soon anyway if you leave some of your meal?

arditarose

I don't really understand the question. You already logged the whole plate. Eat it if you want. If you're not hungry enough for it all...eat it later.

strong_curves

wiggawaggle wrote: »

Is it good practice to always leave a small amount of your meal on your plate to teach yourself that it's okay to leave food? Sometimes i'll think okay i'm satisfied now, i could finish here and leave the rest. But then i end up eating the rest of it anyway because the plates not empty.

I put the calories in before i eat so i've logged the whole plate, but what do you do / how do you make yourself leave the rest if you're satisfied? Won't you just be hungry soon anyway if you leave some of your meal?

If you've logged it and it fits into your goal I don't fully understand the why of it.

wiggawaggle

arditarose wrote: »

I don't really understand the question. You already logged the whole plate. Eat it if you want. If you're not hungry enough for it all...eat it later.

I feel like i've had enough to eat before the plate is empty, but keep eating because i logged it all and there is still food on the plate

arditarose

wiggawaggle wrote: »

arditarose wrote: »

I don't really understand the question. You already logged the whole plate. Eat it if you want. If you're not hungry enough for it all...eat it later.

I feel like i've had enough to eat before the plate is empty, but keep eating because i logged it all and there is still food on the plate

Okay. Then practice putting it in a container for left overs if that is the case. Sorry I'm a high volume eater so I don't really get it lol.

Mycophilia

I wish I had this issue while dieting lol.

wiggawaggle

strong_curves wrote: »

wiggawaggle wrote: »

Is it good practice to always leave a small amount of your meal on your plate to teach yourself that it's okay to leave food? Sometimes i'll think okay i'm satisfied now, i could finish here and leave the rest. But then i end up eating the rest of it anyway because the plates not empty.

I put the calories in before i eat so i've logged the whole plate, but what do you do / how do you make yourself leave the rest if you're satisfied? Won't you just be hungry soon anyway if you leave some of your meal?

If you've logged it and it fits into your goal I don't fully understand the why of it.

Because many people always finish what is on their plate even if they have had enough to eat before the plate is empty, so wondered if some people make sure they leave something to retrain this?

arditarose

Mycophilia wrote: »

I wish I had this issue while dieting lol.

Right? I'm like...do not...comprehend.

Diana_GettingFit

Listen to your body. If you feel satisfied then stop, There's no need to clean the plate just because the food is there. Especially when you're eating out. Portion sizes in diners and restaurants are too big anyway. I've learned to stop eating when I feel I've had enough. That way you avoid that stuffed bloated feeling.

strong_curves

wiggawaggle wrote: »

strong_curves wrote: »

wiggawaggle wrote: »

Is it good practice to always leave a small amount of your meal on your plate to teach yourself that it's okay to leave food? Sometimes i'll think okay i'm satisfied now, i could finish here and leave the rest. But then i end up eating the rest of it anyway because the plates not empty.

I put the calories in before i eat so i've logged the whole plate, but what do you do / how do you make yourself leave the rest if you're satisfied? Won't you just be hungry soon anyway if you leave some of your meal?

If you've logged it and it fits into your goal I don't fully understand the why of it.

Because many people always finish what is on their plate even if they have had enough to eat before the plate is empty, so wondered if some people make sure they leave something to retrain this?

If a person is full then yeah this makes sense. But if they're doing this to "retrain" and still feel hungry afterwards it makes no sense to me.

arditarose

Eh. That's backwards thinking to me. I would benefit more from buying a whole bag of chips or jar of peanut butter (my happy foods), and practicing moderation and weighing the appropriate portion out of the container, rather than selecting a portion and training myself to leave some behind.

wildrosewood

I understand completely! Growing up, we never left food on the plate, even if it meant stuffing ourselves. Since joining MFP, I`ve just been eating smaller portions in general, so I haven`t really run into this problem recently, but I`d say the best thing to do is to stop eating when you feel full. My advice is to either save the extra for another meal, or maybe go back and change your entry if you prelogged it. I don`t feel good when I know I overeat, even if it fits into my calories. Plus, when I do leave a little after I`m full, it helps me learn to recognize the feeling of being full and helps me have the self discipline to say no. Mostly it`s a mental thing for me, knowing that I`m not just eating it because it`s there.

Queenmunchy

arditarose wrote: »

Eh. That's backwards thinking to me. I would benefit more from buying a whole bag of chips or jar of peanut butter (my happy foods), and practicing moderation and weighing the appropriate portion out of the container, rather than selecting a portion and training myself to leave some behind.

Same here. I also cook and portion foods based on the amount that satisfies me.

mewilliams11

I understand what you're saying & have questioned myself about this in the past. You've accounted for the calories & you have enough in your allowance, but while eating you realize that you're satisfied & no longer hungry so you question yourself, "why keep eating if I'm full?"

Part of the reason I'm overweight is because of portion control issues. Years of eating past the point of no longer being hungry has most certainly contributed to my weight gain.

I think it's important to pay attention to your body & the hunger/fullness cues. I say that if you're truly full, then there's no reason to keep eating. Save the food for later in case you get hungry, or subtract some calories from your diary for the food you didn't eat & save them for later in case you get hungry later.

conqueringsquidlette

Part of overeating is blowing through the "not hungry anymore" feelings to the "gorged" state. I do have to relearn what that signal to stop stuffing my face is, so I get it. I don't know that I would intentionally leave it behind so much as eat mindfully and learn to be ok without eating everything on my plate all the time.

glovepuppet

you should stop eating once you're sated. it's a good habit to get into.
my leftovers almost always end up in the dog & cat, so I don't feel wasteful.
<- suzycat tucking into cauliflower. but maybe start making smaller portions.

Kalikel

I try not to waste food, so I don't put more on the plate than I'm going to eat.

If you're just cutting back on food, then it would make sense to stop eating when you're no longer hungry. It just seems so wasteful to send food down the drain, KWIM?

AlabasterVerve

It wouldn't be worthwhile for me. I decide how much I'm going to eat before I plate (or even cook my food) so there's no value in it for me as far as dieting is concerned. I also enjoy eating and feeling full and satiated -- it makes me happy -- so again, no value in leaving food behind for me.

But if you feel there's a benefit to not "cleaning your plate" or it's just a habit you'd like to cultivate, do it. In order to maintain your weight loss something has to change about the way you used to eat and maybe this is one of those things. Experiment and see how you make out.

wiggawaggle

It is a good point about it being silly to leave food on plate if it fits in calories and you are still hungry. I have switched to using a smaller plate instead of a dinner plate. I think i struggle with the "just stop eating if you are full" part, so maybe i need to practice listening to my body instead of practicing setting up some ritual of "always leave a crumb or two on the plate"

Francl27

Well if you eat 5 extra bites, you'll just be full longer... I don't see the problem with that.

Personally, I just try to learn to put less food on my plate instead.

SaffronSunrise

I make my plate with what I think I'm going to eat. If I'm still hungry & it fits into my calories, I go back for more. If I'm full before I finish my plate, I subtract what I didn't eat & it goes into the fridge for lunch or dinner the next day.

jjmariposa

I made a casserole for dinner last night. I used the recipe option and logged the ingredients. It was well over 1,000 calories - for the entire dish. I then logged it into dinner as a 25% portion. I was convinced I'd be hungry and would want more. Previously I'd have eaten a 50% portion. Nope, I didn't need more or want more to be full. It was enough.
Part of it for me is the ability to dish up an appropriate portion in a smaller sized dish. I could have used the larger pasta bowl but used the smaller soup bowl. My eyes told my brain that I was eating a larger portion.
I had calories left over after the dinner's entry. I asked myself, do I want to just eat more of this or have something else later? I knew I'd have leftovers for tomorrow so the dish was put in the fridge.
Getting away from the "I'm not full yet" or "I'm still hungry" is hard. I rarely leave anything on my plate as my portions are now smaller and it's the dish size that matters. If I am "full" then I do throw out what is left on my plate.
If I go out to eat it's another story and harder to stick to what I should be doing.
I've been focusing on taste and quality rather than quantity.
I'm glad we have this option for supporting each other.

Horrorfox

It takes about 15 minutes to start digesting. If you inhale a plate prior to that time limit, you're more likely to grab that second plate.

In regards to your question, there are two things you can do. Weigh your food, so you are accurately logging what you're eating, and use a smaller plate.

https://youtu.be/Lfdvjlm1V7k

Don't worry about whether you should eat everything on the plate, as long as you're being accurate about what's on the plate.

Lounmoun

wiggawaggle wrote: »

Is it good practice to always leave a small amount of your meal on your plate to teach yourself that it's okay to leave food? Sometimes i'll think okay i'm satisfied now, i could finish here and leave the rest. But then i end up eating the rest of it anyway because the plates not empty.

I put the calories in before i eat so i've logged the whole plate, but what do you do / how do you make yourself leave the rest if you're satisfied? Won't you just be hungry soon anyway if you leave some of your meal?

If you are actually full then stop eating and put the rest of the food away. Have some containers ready.
I suppose you would stop by telling yourself that you ate a good amount, are full but can choose to eat more later if you want.
If it happens a lot to you then maybe you need to take smaller portions to begin with or check to see that you are weighing/measuring/logging accurately.

AspenDan

I always eat what's on my plate but I feel your struggle =P

wiggawaggle

Lounmoun wrote: »

wiggawaggle wrote: »

Is it good practice to always leave a small amount of your meal on your plate to teach yourself that it's okay to leave food? Sometimes i'll think okay i'm satisfied now, i could finish here and leave the rest. But then i end up eating the rest of it anyway because the plates not empty.

I put the calories in before i eat so i've logged the whole plate, but what do you do / how do you make yourself leave the rest if you're satisfied? Won't you just be hungry soon anyway if you leave some of your meal?

If you are actually full then stop eating and put the rest of the food away. Have some containers ready.
I suppose you would stop by telling yourself that you ate a good amount, are full but can choose to eat more later if you want.
If it happens a lot to you then maybe you need to take smaller portions to begin with or check to see that you are weighing/measuring/logging accurately.

Thanks.

I am eating small portions on a small plate, so maybe i'm just surprised at the full feeling and should try listening to it.

MelodyandBarbells

What I usually do is make or serve less next time.

DerekVTX

When this happens to me, I just put the plate back on the scale, zero it, and remove the extra food and remove it from the logged amount.

conqueringsquidlette

It's mostly only difficult for me if I'm *served* food, like at a restaurant or as a guest. There's a whole lot of "clean your plate / don't be rude" and "starving kids in Zimbabwe" voices in my head because it's just how I was raised. It's actually the whole avoiding waste thing that gets me eating everything on my plate even if it's too much for me. Leftovers are where food goes to die in my house - it's better just to not bother with it and let it go.

Despite what my mother used to tell me, it IS actually ok to leave stuff behind. My not eating it won't have it magically transported to starving children (only to my butt!), my host's feelings are secondary to my own health, and it's most likely going to be tossed anyway (albeit with a lot more fuzz growing on it) if it comes home with me. Walking away is ok.

cbelc2

I don't leave food on my plate unless I'm going to eat it later. So I'm careful what I put on that plate!

callsitlikeiseeit

i guess if it helps you eat less/ say within your calories.

but its a waste of food. dish up and weigh what you will eat.

there are plenty of times when my eyes are bigger than my stomach, but unless i want the calories for something else later, I don't even change the weights in my log.