I have a problem

skinyZ
skinyZ Posts: 89 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
whilst pondering over the reasons i gain weight i have realized that I have a serious problem with wasting food! i was raised to finish every single thing on my plate, and now it is embedded in my head not to waste.....even when i see people not finishing their food it drives me insane...its not good because now i have a slice of chicken pie in my fridge that i could just throw out but in my mind im going to have to eat it today or it will go bad therefore be wasted...this problem is partly the reason i struggle with my weight but because i cant deal with the anxiety i am leaving space for it in my food diary, i just wish it wasn't carby fatty pastry, booo! but mmmm

anyway just thought i would share :smile:
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Replies

  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
    I was raised the same way, you didn't leave the table until you cleaned off your plate and if food was ever wasted we got the lecture about starving children etc etc it does get ingrained.

    I still don't like to see food go to waste, I work hard for my money. Personally I think you're on the right track thinking you need to eat the leftovers, just build your other meals around it and "carby fatty pastry' notwithstanding enjoy it and if you're feeling a bit guilty do a little extra exercise today as your penance!
  • skinyZ
    skinyZ Posts: 89 Member
    I was raised the same way, you didn't leave the table until you cleaned off your plate and if food was ever wasted we got the lecture about starving children etc etc it does get ingrained.

    I still don't like to see food go to waste, I work hard for my money. Personally I think you're on the right track thinking you need to eat the leftovers, just build your other meals around it and "carby fatty pastry' notwithstanding enjoy it and if you're feeling a bit guilty do a little extra exercise today as your penance!

    absolutely, i generally have a strange, unhealthy relationship with food, if i try and stop what is imbedded in my brain i feel i will end up picking up even more unhealthy habits, so yea im gonna work around it lol! im kinda crazy :ohwell:
  • cramernh
    cramernh Posts: 3,335 Member
    You could always freeze it for later consumption!
    When I cook, Ill cook for four meals: One for me, one for the next day's lunch. Two for my husband (his appetite is inhuman!)\

    If my husband doesnt have that second helping, he will save it for his breakfast the next day.

    On days when we do a huge BBQ, I will often grill up about 10-15lbs of meats. Some are saved for the next few days worth of meals - makes it easy for dinner making where Ill only need a couple of sides to go with it. Some I will freeze individually for future use.

    I hate hate hate hate waste!!!!! So, I work with the leftovers to make other meals for other that day, or freeze it for a future meal.

    I save so much money~!!!
  • deesaf
    deesaf Posts: 46
    Im so all over this! I have a family of enablers. They serve up the food and when you say 'that's enough' they ladle about 3 more huge servings on top, then get mad at you that you can't finish.
    The food you don't finish isn't going to be sent to any starving orphans in Africa, and I have had to retrain my thinking that I am doing more for them by adjusting my eating and cooking less food.
  • ElizabethRoad
    ElizabethRoad Posts: 5,138 Member
    and if you're feeling a bit guilty do a little extra exercise today as your penance!
    NO. Food should not be associated with guilt. You should not look at exercise as "penance". Don't punish yourself for eating. Terrible, terrible idea.
  • vade43113
    vade43113 Posts: 836 Member
    it is a thought, but if you live out in the country and do your own gardening.... you could start a compost bin, then your not wasting it, but instead preparing for a future meal with it
  • skinyZ
    skinyZ Posts: 89 Member
    hmmm....yes,of course! freezing food, great idea, i have only done that a few times, i will do it more often

    doesn't really work with left over fries though lol
  • skinyZ
    skinyZ Posts: 89 Member
    it is a thought, but if you live out in the country and do your own gardening.... you could start a compost bin, then your not wasting it, but instead preparing for a future meal with it

    i live on the 5 th floor of a flat in the city :laugh:
  • delikium
    delikium Posts: 196 Member
    yea same here, i don't like wasting food.... so i'll eat it.
    when my bf moved in i loved coocking for him and made big portions. then i'dd eat as much as he did.
    i find it hard too coock smal portions.
    i'm inproving tho....and my bf lost like 26lbs. great for him, but i need to do better then that to lose fat.
    same problem when shopping, we shop once a week for the whole week. and often we buy too much.
  • AlluringArtist
    AlluringArtist Posts: 1
    I was in an abusive relationship where food was a privilege and I couldn't store food in the fridge because my then husband would eat it all - everything, including my share. It's taken me years to convince myself that no one is going to take my food away from me and that I don't have to eat it all right now in order to feel like I got mine.

    My trouble now is that I have a roommate who like you, has anxiety about food waste. I can't make a meal where we both get our fill and then food gets stored in the fridge as leftovers. What could easily be 1-2 portions extra gets eaten within a few hours of us haven eaten the meal the first time. It drives me crazy... right back into that negative way of thinking and it's causing me to overeat too. :(
  • delikium
    delikium Posts: 196 Member
    just see it this way... eating it is wasting your health right? you are better of throwing it away....and then next time you will remind yourself to coock smaller portions when looking at your bin!
  • golferd
    golferd Posts: 400 Member
    Get smaller plates.
  • DonttrythatwithME
    DonttrythatwithME Posts: 214 Member
    completly get this, mum and dad used to make me sit at the table till my plate was empty, sometimes for hours on end was a drama looking back on this,

    however I waste nothing now, I work out exactly what i am eating for the week, and buy that and only that, food is ready and prepared for the week, some say its boring but i get everything i need, plus i save money and i mix it up so im happy :)
  • mcrowe1016
    mcrowe1016 Posts: 647 Member
    Leftovers really don't get eaten in my house. Just about any meal I make I customize so there is only just enough for me and my Husband. There are no second servings because there is no dinner left!

    That being said, I am not afraid to throw away food.....especially sweets
  • Fatbuster205
    Fatbuster205 Posts: 333 Member
    I sympathise - I too was told to clean my plate. Now I have two freezers and I batch cook and divide everything into small portions. I find that way I am not wasting food, I get variety (I live on my own and food can get boring!) and I save money.
  • tuppencehapenny
    tuppencehapenny Posts: 7
    Remind yourself that it's MORE wasteful to eat something you don't need. When you've already had enough to eat, to consume extra food is just as much of a waste as throwing it out or feeding it to the dog (or the neighbour's dog!).

    In future you could make an effort to work leftovers into the next meal - basically don't buy or plan additional 'lunch foods' when you have a slice of chicken pie leftover that you can make your lunch. An evening's roast chicken becomes chicken salad or sandwiches for lunch the next day. Leftover veg (even fries!) can be thrown into a stew or hotpot, or used in a pasta sauce (perhaps not the fries!). If there's a few tablespoons of leftover curry you can have it next day on a piece of naan bread for lunch. You can make a spanish omelette out of the leftovers from many meals.

    Or as someone else suggested, many foods freeze perfectly well (including chicken pie) - just stick it in the freezer and defrost it when you need it.
  • kneasles
    kneasles Posts: 23 Member
    I realized I was wasting a lot of food (still cooking for 4 instead of 2 since kids are away in college). Then I started using leftovers for stirfry, soup, salad, etc... With MFP I'm more aware of portions now, so I don't need to do this so much any more. Sometimes I'll freeze things and use them another time. It beats throwing away food or eating the same thing a few days in a row. If you have something you can't save for another day or use in another way, love yourself enough and remember you're not a human garbage disposal.
  • brattyworm
    brattyworm Posts: 2,137 Member
    i too was raised that way - since we didnt have a lot of money while i was growing up food was important.


    the way i deal with that is i dont bring it in the house. and yes that makes our house very unpopular with my stepdaughter and our friends kids as there's 'nothing to eat' in the house. No sodas, no chips...

    If there is a party I do bring those things in and send some of it home with the guests or freeze it for later so that its not sitting in my fridge needing to be eaten. Fortunately, the hubs is on board with this and keeps those things away as well, despite the fact that i know he does eat them while at work.

    Now that is not saying in anyway that i do not eat things i shouldnt or anything like that, but with the not being in the house, and planning out healthy meals, if i want something not so good for me its a conscious effort that requires a decision to actually be able to get whatever it is for consumption.
  • katejenkins1
    katejenkins1 Posts: 210 Member
    This was what they taught me growing up too.
    I've had to re-learn how to cook, cutting portions down to the right size.

    The food eating rule in my house is if you don't eat your dinner there is no snack. BUT I portion their food out on their plate, nothing sits on the table for seconds, if they have senconds they are not required to eat everything.
    (I do not restrict my kids food, if they are hungry they eat. And yes we do have unhealthy snacks in the house (pretty sure I found my husbands stash of candy the other day) the kids can have them in moderation)

    I remember these huge meals growing up, and the food was put on the table for everyone to just keep eating. I'm trying to work with my kids, (esp. since they are little), so they learn portions, healthy food and moderation so they don't struggle with this and have to figure it out later.

    The best part of teaching the kids about healthy food and food that's not as healthy is they are beginning to make really good decisions -
    Asking for a string cheese or apples and peanut butter as a snack instead of something like a cupcake. They have even gone after my husband a little bit. Every now and again they tell Daddy that his snack is not good for me lol

    You have to actively change the way your mind thinks of waste, change how much you cook and sometimeseven what you're making.
    I think it's one of the biggest challenges of making this lifestyle change.
    Good luck!:drinker:
  • steadk
    steadk Posts: 334 Member
    whilst pondering over the reasons i gain weight i have realized that I have a serious problem with wasting food! i was raised to finish every single thing on my plate, and now it is embedded in my head not to waste.....even when i see people not finishing their food it drives me insane...its not good because now i have a slice of chicken pie in my fridge that i could just throw out but in my mind im going to have to eat it today or it will go bad therefore be wasted...this problem is partly the reason i struggle with my weight but because i cant deal with the anxiety i am leaving space for it in my food diary, i just wish it wasn't carby fatty pastry, booo! but mmmm

    anyway just thought i would share :smile:

    I too was raised this way, and I don't like wasting either.. my budget is strained enough, i don't need to add to the cost of food!!! But i totally understand.. I would just make smaller portions.. and freeze to save for later!! :)
  • kneasles
    kneasles Posts: 23 Member
    I was in an abusive relationship where food was a privilege and I couldn't store food in the fridge because my then husband would eat it all - everything, including my share. It's taken me years to convince myself that no one is going to take my food away from me and that I don't have to eat it all right now in order to feel like I got mine.

    My trouble now is that I have a roommate who like you, has anxiety about food waste. I can't make a meal where we both get our fill and then food gets stored in the fridge as leftovers. What could easily be 1-2 portions extra gets eaten within a few hours of us haven eaten the meal the first time. It drives me crazy... right back into that negative way of thinking and it's causing me to overeat too. :(

    Maybe freeze the leftovers?
  • skinyZ
    skinyZ Posts: 89 Member
    just see it this way... eating it is wasting your health right? you are better of throwing it away....and then next time you will remind yourself to coock smaller portions when looking at your bin!

    i like this ^^
  • Butterflybe
    Butterflybe Posts: 13
    and if you're feeling a bit guilty do a little extra exercise today as your penance!
    NO. Food should not be associated with guilt. You should not look at exercise as "penance". Don't punish yourself for eating. Terrible, terrible idea.

    I agree with Elisabeth, one should feel guilty about eating and then try and compencate it with exercose
  • Stacebob85
    Stacebob85 Posts: 95
    Extra food will always go to 'waste'; either wasted in the bin or wasted in your body when you don't want/need it. Therefore, if it's a food you don't feel you can consume as part of a balanced meal before it goes bad, or you don't want to/can't freeze it for some reason, bin it. It'll only go to waste in your body too, and will probably make you feel bad for eating it anyway.
  • skinyZ
    skinyZ Posts: 89 Member
    Extra food will always go to 'waste'; either wasted in the bin or wasted in your body when you don't want/need it. Therefore, if it's a food you don't feel you can consume as part of a balanced meal before it goes bad, or you don't want to/can't freeze it for some reason, bin it. It'll only go to waste in your body too, and will probably make you feel bad for eating it anyway.

    very true, i will defo do the freezing thing from now on
  • jfrog123
    jfrog123 Posts: 432 Member
    I have issues with wasting food too. I am working on my mindset. All the time I tell myself that I would rather have the extra food go to waste than have the extra calories go to my waist. I still struggle, but sometimes saying that to myself helps.
  • K1mmer
    K1mmer Posts: 43 Member
    Extra food will always go to 'waste'; either wasted in the bin or wasted in your body when you don't want/need it. Therefore, if it's a food you don't feel you can consume as part of a balanced meal before it goes bad, or you don't want to/can't freeze it for some reason, bin it. It'll only go to waste in your body too, and will probably make you feel bad for eating it anyway.

    Exactly this. Well said.
  • Beth720
    Beth720 Posts: 661 Member
    it is a thought, but if you live out in the country and do your own gardening.... you could start a compost bin, then your not wasting it, but instead preparing for a future meal with it

    i live on the 5 th floor of a flat in the city :laugh:

    Do some investigation - many cities have community gardens around where there is public composting and anyone can take stuff for composting. Yes, you might have to travel a little to get there (and keep the food in the fridge or freezer), but if you could build that into even a once-a-week trip you'd be helping yourself, the community, and if you can walk to the community area you'll get some extra exercise as well.
  • CynthiaAnnGA
    CynthiaAnnGA Posts: 95
    throw all the food you must not eat OUT!! My Mom had this problem too & it caused her a lifetime of weight issues & diabetes! Throw it out, you will be happy you did.
  • LCBinGA
    LCBinGA Posts: 102 Member
    Don't WASTE food on your WAIST!! Freeze it for later, or make a plate and walk it over to a neighbor, friend, stranger you'd like to meet :smile:

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