Anyone else have to 'clean their plate' as a kid?

eric5150ii

I was skimming through the message boards, and noticed a saying which got me to thinking - 'setting up a pattern for future eating habits'. And I thought about being always told that "You need to clean your plate, there are (demographic age group) starving in (locale)".

I also noticed this is something I still have issues with as an adult. It bothers me to leave food on my plate. A lot. To the point that I would literally eat past the point of fullness to clean my plate. Now, don't get me wrong, I understand where my mother got this from. She grew up in WW2 Germany, and as everyone who has actually bothered to read history knows, they got bombed. A lot. So food was very scarce, and you HAD to eat what was there, and all of it, because who knew when the next time was you got to eat. So I do understand, intellectually, her frame of reference.

But what has this done to me? It has turned me into a plate-clearing monster. Have to leave a clean plate. Clear that bad boy!
And this is something I've fought, and here's how I deal with "clean-plate-syndrome":

At home - I use a smaller plate. Simple, really. Maile and I went to IKEA, picked up a bunch of smaller (8") plates for me to use.I can clean one of those, and not feel stuffed.

I also don't "load that thing to max capacity" at home, either. Measured portions, one plate, all good. No refills, unless it is just a bit more veggies.

Going out - This is where it gets more difficult. Restaurant portions today are hardly 'single serving size'. Plus many like to throw bread, chips and salsa, or other things your way. Plus the plates are HUGE.

Maile is my secret weapon, she has had WLS (RnY), so we usually split a plate. But there are times we don't, so here are some things that I do:
Take away that evil bread/chips/table filler. I don't want it, please make it go bye-bye. Have the waitress remove the temptation completely.
Sub in veggies for the large loaded potatoes, or whatever else the over-large starch may be.
Ask for the 'to-go' box up front, and put half of that meal into it BEFORE I start eating. This may be one of the best things I learned from my repeated trips through Weight Watchers. I'll give them credit for this one.
No desserts for me, thanks.

So, now my question is - how do YOU deal with your CPS (Clean Plate Syndrome)?

Flixie00

Funnily enough, had this discussion with my best friend when eating out at lunch today, and I am pleased to say that we did not clear our plates. I am not sure if this was just an English thing, but our parents used to shame us into finishing a meal with "people are starving in ..." line.

I live alone, so I either buy ready made foods (from Marks and Spencer which are of good quality) or just buy a piece of fish and veggies (I can cook but I am very lazy). Where I portion out foods (cereal for instance) I weigh out a portion size. Eating out is a struggle and UK restaurants rarely supply nutritional information.

anifani4

It has taken me a lot of years to overcome CPS. Cool to give it initials! For a while I purposely left a bite or 2 of food on my plate, just so I could get used to the idea. I had to keep telling myself it was perfectly ok. Later on I put my focus on my feelings around food. Eating only when I felt hungry, listening to what my body wanted, and eating slowly so I could actully feel when I was full. And then stop eating no matter what was left on my plate. Now I have a pretty good idea of the amount to take that will satisfy me without making me too full. I still have to work at being a conscious eater.

That idea of getting a "to go" box right at the beginning of a restuarant meal is an excellent strategy. Sometimes I would just push half the food to one side of the plate and leave it when the first half was gone. I don't eat out much anymore so it's no so much of an issue for me.
Ani

kareinlib

I have multiple friends with that problem. What I tell them is to save the rest - not throw it away. The main reason that people are told those sorts of things is because it's "wasteful" - it isn't wasteful if you're going to eat it later or the next day. Try putting it in that light!