Finish your plate or waste food?

MoonMeliMelo

Hi,
Like many, my parents and grand parents always told me to finish the food that was in my plate during my childhood.
I don't blame them, my grand parents knew what being hungry meant and they had raised my parents with that knowledge. My parents, in turn, taught me that wasting food is very bad indeed.
So I often get the dilemma: do I throw away what's left of it as I'm full or just finish it up and make myself bloated?
I work in restaurants, therefore my meals get plated up for me by the way...

dhakiyya

put it in the fridge and finish it later. saves on cooking another meal later on

TheFunBun

Yeah, I just put it in the fridge. Most things that don't reheat well are not that good for you anyways (I'm looking at you french fry)

fionarama

save it for later or bin it. In my mind its still a waste of good food if you eat it when you don't need it.

Umeboshi

Save it for later! If you're eating your meals at restaurants then I'm sure you can box up the leftovers.

MouseFood

I save it for later or throw it away too.

Flafster

Thing is, if it's food that you don't want or need, isn't putting it in your body just as much of a waste as putting it in the bin?

Could you ask for a child's portion, with extra beans or similar?

WaterBunnie

If I've already logged it I will eat it or save it for later. Eating plenty at mealtimes curbs any need to snack and saves me calories across the day.

chrishgt4

I just bin leftovers - there's normally not enough to make any kind of snack later on, so just throw away what you don't need.

LynC33

We shouldnt be eating till we are full, we eat till we're satisfied. There's a big difference. If you're full, save it for later, doggy bag it, give it to someone else or throw it away. You make the choice wether you want the extra food in the bin or on your hips.

Poods71

If you work there I am sure you could ask them to give you a smaller portion. We have loads of left overs in the house from the kids and I just have to bin them straight away before I start picking at them. Good luck x

LynC33

If I've already logged it I will eat it or save it for later. Eating plenty at mealtimes curbs any need to snack and saves me calories across the day.

You can always go in and edit your logs. Most days I put the food in my diary that I intend to eat. About 60% of the time I go in and change it, whether it's due to circumstances or a surprise lunch with a friend etc

goldengirl28

it depends, i'm going to assume that the total content of the meal is with your calorie budget, if it is i would put in fridge and eat it later.

However my hubby and son, as they are not on a calorie defict diet, if they leave anything i tell them to throw it away, because
1. less temptation for me
2. i need to trust that their bodies know when their full
3. eating the extra calories later might make them start gaining weight
4. i had the your not leaving the table till you finished upbringing and i don;t want them in that cycle

not sure if that helps, but thats what i do

benodie

I grew up HAVING to finish my plate aswell . . .I was in big trouble if I didnt! I have to force myself to stop eating when I'm full now . . . and the leftovers go to to my dogs!

mikeyrp

Sadly, I think binning it is the only option.

I'm impressed that a lot of restaurants I go to now are starting to serve 'right sized portions' especially when this comes to stodgy food like potatoes, pasta and rice. Maybe if you work there you can talk to them about portion sizes - I think customers these days are a lot more health and environment aware and would support this - they can always request extra sides!

Pebble321

Toss it!

jonnyman41

At home I would always ensure to make the right amount rather than waste food and any left overs I do have tend to go to my hubby as he never puts on weight due to active work and sports.
At work ask if they will serve a little less but otherwise throw away once full. I would not have thought that they would be allowed to keep left overs for very long anyway as there are usually pretty strict guidelines re food cooked food storage for restaurants.
The only time I would force myself to eat more is if I was in danger of falling well under calories despite a heavy day at work. (Sometimes you don't feel hungry even though really you should be eating more!)

Charliebarleymo

I can't stand throwing anything away. If I have got my portion wrong, I save it in the fridge, or give meat scraps to the cat, and other scraps to the chickens. This probably wouldn't be possible in a restaurant though...!

mikeyrp

I can't stand throwing anything away. If I have got my portion wrong, I save it in the fridge, or give meat scraps to the cat, and other scraps to the chickens. This probably wouldn't be possible in a restaurant though...!

Yeah - Our cats tend to throw up when I give them 'Human food' says something about my cooking probably

Merrilies

You already know the answer to this really, you know what you should do.

Ask them to plate you up a smaller portion, but if they won't, then throw it away!

By eating it all - even when you are full - you are just putting extra calories in yourself that you don't need and that's not going to help you lose weight.

m60kaf

Haha - This makes me laugh more than you can imagine - I used to pile it high... crave food... cram it... stuff every bit down me, there's starving people in Africa you know!! . Go shopping for a week and eat about 6 meals when I got home, but I weight 20+ stone!!

Yet now half the time I cant even be arsed preparing any food at all let alone worry about what happens to a bit of leftovers.... which tbh usually end up left on a plate on the floor and about an hour later I hear the cat craftily (or at least that's what she thinks) dragging it off lol

I love the phrase "eating is an inconvenience"

Angelabec

I understand where you are coming from with not wanting to waste, but to be honest, if you are eating at work, it's not your food/money that's being wasted anyway, so if they wont/can't do smaller portions, then chuck what you don't want.

SusanLovesToEat

I really feel your pain as I'm constantly cooking way to much food under the guise of needing to have enough so people don't go hungry and/or make more for leftovers. This doesn't seem to be working for me as we always seem to eat up everything I make!

[I'm from a large family so portion size is an issue.]

As I can't seem to control my meals by stopping when I'm full-I've taken to throwing the part I over-prepare (such as pasta) in the trash so I don't eat it. This is extreme but I think its working and I'm getting a better idea what a normal portion should be and hope I will eventually cook normal amounts and stop eating when I'm full.

Sometimes I pre-log a meal and then eat only as much as I've logged and no more. Again, seems to work!

wrecktechno

Thing is, if it's food that you don't want or need, isn't putting it in your body just as much of a waste as putting it in the bin?

This. This this this.
wow, lightbulb moment.

reallyregina

If I eat out and the serving size is larger than I'd eat at home I cut off my portion and immediately ask for a box for the rest. If it's not a good leftover type of food I push the rest aside and put a napkin over it.

At home I only cook as much as I plan on eating or save 1/2 for another day.

I never make my kids finish their plate but I also don't serve huge portions. If they want more food I'll gladly give them another serving.

Sweet_Pandora

I would suggest that you ask for smaller portions. If that is not possible then package it up and have it for another meal or a snack.

The other option is you could bring your meal from home. Then you are sure of what size and how much you are getting.

Karen

thistimeismytime

Save it for later if you can, but....

If you have to choose between food going to waste in the trashcan, or going to waste on your waist, it needs to be the trashcan every time.

ElizabethRoad

If it's a financial concern, by all means save your leftovers for later.

If you're worried because "there are children starving in India"... think it through logically. If you eat all your food, or if you throw it away, either way there are still people who don't have enough to eat. The food on your plate isn't helping or hurting them in any way.

Cheshire_Kat

If it's a financial concern, by all means save your leftovers for later.

If you're worried because "there are children starving in India"... think it through logically. If you eat all your food, or if you throw it away, either way there are still people who don't have enough to eat. The food on your plate isn't helping or hurting them in any way.

Love it, Very valid point!

now_or_never12

I was taught the same thing and I think that contributed a bit to where I am now.

Serve less food. When you are done that wait a few minutes and if you are still hungry get a bit more. Don't load up your plate. If you have food left on your plate just pop it into the fridge and have it later.

I now always serve myself smaller amounts of food and get a bit more if I am still hungry. Usually I'm not. Once the meal is done I will pack up the leftovers (my hubby usually takes them for lunch the next day).

HTMTM

I have that problem when I go out to eat. I think "Well, I've PAID for it now! There's no point throwing that away. I might as well eat it."

I have gotten slightly better with it of late though. I try very hard to resist every instinct that tells me to clear my plate.