My body is not a garbage disposal
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bhop2982
Posts: 9 Member
This has become one of my mantras. A little rule that keeps me from eating the leftover Chinese food in the fridge. It keeps me from eating every last french fry on the plate long after I'm full. It keeps me from eating crappy break room donuts just because they're there and they're free.
"My body is not a garbage disposal" has saved me from a lot of wasted calories that I used to consume just because something was sitting in front of me. I had to get comfortable with throwing away food. If I order dessert and it's just meh, I don't finish it. I don't bring it home. Because, duh, I'm not a garbage disposal. Somehow, it's helped me really identify what's "worth" eating and recognize when I'm actually full vs. just on auto pilot and shoveling food in.
Since I've started using this mantra, the amount of times I've looked at a plate of food and been like, "Ya know, I don't have to finish this." has been, honestly, eye opening.
What little "rules" and mantras have helped you in your journey?
"My body is not a garbage disposal" has saved me from a lot of wasted calories that I used to consume just because something was sitting in front of me. I had to get comfortable with throwing away food. If I order dessert and it's just meh, I don't finish it. I don't bring it home. Because, duh, I'm not a garbage disposal. Somehow, it's helped me really identify what's "worth" eating and recognize when I'm actually full vs. just on auto pilot and shoveling food in.
Since I've started using this mantra, the amount of times I've looked at a plate of food and been like, "Ya know, I don't have to finish this." has been, honestly, eye opening.
What little "rules" and mantras have helped you in your journey?
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Replies
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I don't have any mantras but I get mad at my husband when he says "You're wasting all that food"
"I tell him this why there is an obesity problem in the US we were raised to FINISH everything on our plates!!" Leave me alone. If I say I am full that means I am full it doesn't matter what's left on my plate.23 -
I like this! I have a problem not finishing because a.) I paid good money for that regardless if it ducks or I want it or not and b.) my parents browbeat the starving children in China thing into my head
I like the culture that leaves a few bites for the gods. That, I can get behind!21 -
springlering62 wrote: »b.) my parents browbeat the starving children in China thing into my head
I was always like "How is eating everything on my plate helping "them" out!!" That drove me crazy when my parents said that
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I’m adopting that one. A few bites of sweets for the sweet Gods!5
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I don't have any mantras but I get mad at my husband when he says "You're wasting all that food"
"I tell him this why there is an obesity problem in the US we were raised to FINISH everything on our plates!!" Leave me alone. If I say I am full that means I am full it doesn't matter what's left on my plate.
As an aside, I don't think that's the reason for the obesity problem in the US.16 -
Eat it. Enjoy it. Log it. 💙12
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I do like your mantra. It has a nice ring to it.
I have two mantras.
On diet days, which is 28-29 days a month, my mantra is "Not one calorie over the target, no exceptions, no excuses." If I have 42 calories remaining and there's a 43 calorie piece of Dove chocolate on the counter, I won't eat it. I am very adamant about this, even though it drives the people around me nuts - "Why did you take 3 oz of roast beef for your sandwich and leave half a slice left over in the fridge?", "Just eat the last remaining meatball in the pot, for god sake, what am I supposed to do with it?", etc. But I'm a big believer in "know thyself". An absolute, tyrannical caloric line in the sand is what works for me, and nothing else does.
On the occasional casual day once or twice a month, my mantra is, "Eat like a normal person." I've noticed that normal, non obese people may overeat a little, may have some junk food, and even be a little indulgent, but they don't go crazy with junk food or stuffing themselves silly. They go out to dinner and maybe get a reasonable dessert but that's after a decently healthy meal, not the absolute most fattening, largest thing on the menu. I try to emulate that behavior by saying to myself "Eat like a normal person" on my casual days and eating generally healthy and not to fully-stuffed level.
Usually "eat like a normal person" works well for me. Every once in a while it completely fails, though LOL The thing is, if it only fails once a month, I can absorb it as a rare blip in my overall weight loss program so I'm OK with that.
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As far as a mantras go I have always liked "you can't outrun a crappy diet."
It's really easy to overestimate caloric expenditure in the gym, and underestimate that cheese cake that looks so good on the dessert menu.
That said, if you know exactly how much a slice is going to add to your totals and you did the work, don't drive yourself crazy. Treat yourself.13 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »I don't have any mantras but I get mad at my husband when he says "You're wasting all that food"
"I tell him this why there is an obesity problem in the US we were raised to FINISH everything on our plates!!" Leave me alone. If I say I am full that means I am full it doesn't matter what's left on my plate.
As an aside, I don't think that's the reason for the obesity problem in the US.
It doesn't help8 -
"Don't do anything to lose weight that you're not willing to do long term, to stay at a healthy weight permanently (except a moderate calorie deficit)."
I thought of weight loss as a time to learn strategies for maintenance: How to eat out, dine at friends' homes, celebrate and connect socially with food in ways that are normal in my subculture, etc. (I'm now in year 4 of maintenance, so maybe that helped?)17 -
I say something similar! My body is not a garbage dump. I don’t need to eat those leftovers if I’m not hungry.8
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In the past, I’ve used the mantra, “I am a nice shark, not a mindless eating machine” from Finding Nemo. It was helpful and good for a quick laugh.23
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I think to myself "is this worth the calories?". And if it is, I eat it. But that question has saved me from finishing many a substandard dessert.11
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“The few seconds of pleasure aren’t worth the calories”.
Eating out, I’m mindful of what I’m ordering. If it’s more calories than I’m comfortable eating, I’ll bring home 1/2 for another meal.5 -
My mantra has always been, "I didn't put the weight on overnight, I'm not going to lose it overnight." It reminds me that my weight loss is a journey. As with all journeys I will see ups and downs, but these will only make me stronger as I strive to reach my goal(s).5
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This is great! I have such a hard time throwing food away! I'm used to cooking for 6 people and still haven't got it thru my head that most of the kids have flown the coop so there's always leftovers,need to change my thinking or buy less food😆6
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This has become one of my mantras. A little rule that keeps me from eating the leftover Chinese food in the fridge. It keeps me from eating every last french fry on the plate long after I'm full. It keeps me from eating crappy break room donuts just because they're there and they're free.
"My body is not a garbage disposal" has saved me from a lot of wasted calories that I used to consume just because something was sitting in front of me. I had to get comfortable with throwing away food. If I order dessert and it's just meh, I don't finish it. I don't bring it home. Because, duh, I'm not a garbage disposal. Somehow, it's helped me really identify what's "worth" eating and recognize when I'm actually full vs. just on auto pilot and shoveling food in.
Since I've started using this mantra, the amount of times I've looked at a plate of food and been like, "Ya know, I don't have to finish this." has been, honestly, eye opening.
What little "rules" and mantras have helped you in your journey?
That's excellent. I've had the same "I'm not a garbage disposal" thought before, too. Thanks for writing this!4 -
I like "my body is not a garbage disposal." I tend to be pretty strict with what I eat and generally like the healthier meals when I go out to eat, but will sometimes choose a healthy choice with a not so healthy but loved side like ordering chicken breast and sweet potato fries. I'm finding since cutting back on oils restaurant meals are too oily. I've actually kept eating expecting it to taste better as it was something I used to love, like going to my favorite Chinese food restaurant for my birthday a couple weeks ago. I'm finding I feel sick with a lot of fat so I'm going to use this saying and see how it goes.6
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I like that mantra. I don't really have a mantra. I just know that I had to make some major lifestyle adjustments even after losing weight because I want to be well. For the most part, I'm happy with my lifestyle changes, but sometimes, I get a little irritated with the restrictions, but that's life.1
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cwolfman13 wrote: »I don't have any mantras but I get mad at my husband when he says "You're wasting all that food"
"I tell him this why there is an obesity problem in the US we were raised to FINISH everything on our plates!!" Leave me alone. If I say I am full that means I am full it doesn't matter what's left on my plate.
As an aside, I don't think that's the reason for the obesity problem in the US.cwolfman13 wrote: »I don't have any mantras but I get mad at my husband when he says "You're wasting all that food"
"I tell him this why there is an obesity problem in the US we were raised to FINISH everything on our plates!!" Leave me alone. If I say I am full that means I am full it doesn't matter what's left on my plate.
As an aside, I don't think that's the reason for the obesity problem in the US.
Agreed, it's a much more complex equation than that. There has been a decoupling of energy needs and intake for the past 100 years. Greater spike in the late 70's early 80's. There is not just a single issue. Its multiple. The change in the type of food we eat is one. The fact that many of our jobs are now more sedentary. The rise of two parent working households. Less home cooked meals and a reliance on grab and go meals. The rise of the internet and more effort saving devices. That's just to name a few. It is a very hard put it on just one of those, but more or the perfect storm. Jmho12 -
You're right my body itsn garbage disposal! I'm going to try this. Thanks.3
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springlering62 wrote: »b.) my parents browbeat the starving children in China thing into my head
I was always like "How is eating everything on my plate helping "them" out!!" That drove me crazy when my parents said that
Eating everything on your plate can help them out by causing you to be obese... leading to an earlier death... leading to more food available for kids in China (or wherever).3 -
I like that saying. I have one too. “Hunger is not a medical emergency, you can wait”.
I say it to myself whenever I open the fridge hungry and just want to put the first thing I see in my mouth. Im so bad at tolerating hunger. Even the mildest pangs they go after 5 mins or after a drink of water.9 -
I don't have a mantra, but I came to the realization that the garbage disposal one describes early on when losing weight and found it tremendously helpful.3
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In order for me to lose weight, I have to cut alcohol pretty much completely. It's not just alcohol cals...I just lose food discipline after one drink. I'm getting close to halfway (almost lost 10 of 20 lbs that I need to lose).
So my mantra is less healthy than average:
"If I don't eat *that* the sooner I can have a cocktail."
Whatever works right?
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Training myself that it’s ok to leave food on the plate is a major goal of mine. In addition to that, I don’t drink my calories as much as possible because liquid isn’t filling. I have only so many calories to use to feel full, I feel like I’m wasting them on drinks. It’s sad because I have several bottles of delicious red wine in my cupboard. But once I reach goal weight, I’ll have something good to celebrate with.2
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I try not to assign moral judgments to food. I do have a long dieting career that I don't wear like a badge of honor. I joined MFP to create my own positive food management plan. I no longer follow diets or menu plans written by other people. I eat the foods I enjoy in reasonable amounts.
I've been here 3 years now and I'm still standing intact. It's the best decision I've ever made holding myself accountable in every way. In the beginning, I used this as a reminder: Another binge is not a cure for a food addiction.6 -
Eat it. Enjoy it. Log it. 💙
That's a good one! This seems stupid but only until recently, I only eat things that I actually want to eat. I can't tell you how many lite n fit yogurts I've choked down before I was like, you know what, I freaking hate yogurt!!! It takes a lot of trial and error, but I think I've finally figured out the foods that satisfy, taste good and won't blow my calorie budget!9 -
I order what I want in restaurants and if it's calorie dense, I box up half of it before I start eating so that it looks great in the takeout box and I'm *excited* to take it to work as my lunch the next day. I've found that if I plate about 800 calories and stop eating once the food is gone, I am pleasantly full but not uncomfortable. Which is generally what I'm trying to accomplish - PLUS, I get awesome restaurant food A SECOND TIME without the second expense or having to put on pants to go fetch it.
And yes... I AM that hippie weirdo with a re-usable container in her bag for restaurant left overs. If I don't put the food in my bag, I'll forget it, and I'm not putting a crushable styrofoam container of pasta in my backpack next to my laptop. >_<10 -
ElizabethKalmbach wrote: »I order what I want in restaurants and if it's calorie dense, I box up half of it before I start eating so that it looks great in the takeout box and I'm *excited* to take it to work as my lunch the next day. I've found that if I plate about 800 calories and stop eating once the food is gone, I am pleasantly full but not uncomfortable. Which is generally what I'm trying to accomplish - PLUS, I get awesome restaurant food A SECOND TIME without the second expense or having to put on pants to go fetch it.
And yes... I AM that hippie weirdo with a re-usable container in her bag for restaurant left overs. If I don't put the food in my bag, I'll forget it, and I'm not putting a crushable styrofoam container of pasta in my backpack next to my laptop. >_<
Oh, man: I need to do that! Thanks! :flowerforyou:4
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