My body is not a garbage disposal
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?
67
Replies
-
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
10 -
I’m adopting that one. A few bites of sweets for the sweet Gods!5
-
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
-
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.
21 -
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 -
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.
I agree. We spent the first year or so of our lives using diapers. We have outgrown that.2 -
"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
-
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
-
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
-
“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
-
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
-
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
-
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
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 392.9K Introduce Yourself
- 43.7K Getting Started
- 260.1K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.8K Food and Nutrition
- 47.4K Recipes
- 232.5K Fitness and Exercise
- 415 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.5K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 152.9K Motivation and Support
- 7.9K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.6K MyFitnessPal Information
- 23 News and Announcements
- 1.1K Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.5K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions