Why...and more importantly - how???

vanillasugar

I joined this site in late Feb and have been THRILLED with it so far :happy: I am making healthier choices and have dropped almost 30 pounds. I see this as definitely something I can stick with long term.

My question - why do we continue to eat things that are so good even beyond when we feel satisfied and full??? I ask because on a couple of occasions I have come to just that point - eating my dinner or whatever and thoroughly enjoying it, realize I am actually already satisfied, but yet, feel the "need" to finish it - just because it tastes good. I don't think that is a good habit and how in the world do you get to the point where you can push away and be done?

Years ago when I was on weight watchers, I dropped about 50 pounds in 8 months and one of the things that really struck me and stuck in my mind was someone saying that, for instance, when you go to a buffet or out to dinner, you are paying for QUALITY, not necessarily QUANTITY, and you don't have to eat to feeling stuffed to have gotten what you paid for. And that has helped to a large degree. But I am concerned that a lot of times, I find myself still wanting to finish something just because it tastes so good, even though I am satisfied. How has any of you overcome that? I haven't eaten to the point of feeling over-stuffed or anything, just realized a few times that technically, I was definitely full and really shouldn't have continued to eat. Is it just a matter of willpower?

lilchino4af

Could have been how you were raised too. I know when growing up I was expected to finish everything on my plate. If I didn't, no dessert (worked more on my brother than me :laugh: ). I also know people who refuse to waste food because there are people all over the world, even in the city where they live, that don't get enough to eat so no food should go to waste.

It could just be that you're still adjusting to eating smaller portions and you eat beyond being full and saited because that's what you were used to doing before. It might take a while, but your body will eventually adjust. Took mine about 3 months, and I still occasionally do that, but I got there.

SylvieJacques

Hi,
There is probably the willpower but what I found is that it's a different mindset. This has always been my challenge and honestly this is still something I'm careful about but I've changed the way I think about food and if I go out and it's really good, I stop when I'm full and ask for a doggie bag and I know very well that I"m going to have a great lunch at work after. This is totally new to me and I'm not sure i quite trust myself yet to be consistent in my new thinking but so far, so good.

So there is awareness of when you are full and that you already seem to have (for my part, I didn't have that at all as I was continuing until I was feeling over full), and there is how you look at it (if it's good, it doesn't need to be eaten right now).

You're doing a great job !!!

sparkles321

I completely understand. I have a hard stopping, even if I'm full, if the food is particularly good. Even moreso if it's a food that never comes out the same twice (ie homemade chicken soup, some batches are horrible, some okay, others awesome -- and it's the same recipe everytime!!) One thing that has helped is that I put away leftovers (some packed into grab and go lunches for work) before I even dish up my dinner. This leaves less to build my current plate from in the first place. I also switched to smaller plates (8" instead of 10 or 12) to help with portion sizes. Smaller portion sizes means less work to "eat what's on your plate".

dinos

Like you mentioned, eating has become a matter of quality rather than quantity. My taste has become more demanding.
After putting so much effort to lose some weight I typically think "is it worth wasting my calories on this food or not", so if its something I'm really-really enjoying and I'm not exceeding my calorie limits, then I eat it (more often drink it especially if its a good wine).
This is the main reason that among other things, I quit drinking beer altogether. It's a lot of dead calories and its not worth it

courtney_love2001

It was how I was raised but mostly my feeling that I don't want to "waste" anything. It has been extremely hard to overcome, and I now have to take precautions. When I cook, I only make enough for one day or possibly enough for one of the next day's meals as well. No more than that. If I know I'm not going to eat my leftovers, I freeze them. That's why buying things like cakes or whole pizzas is so difficult...I feel like I have to finish them, every crumb (literally). What I have found is by freezing things, I feel so much better about not eating everything I have prepared. I am trying to get to the point where I can throw away things on my plate that I haven't eaten...but that's hard (cue my dog to clean the plate haha). I also can't stand leaving just a little bit on my plate because I have always though, why not just eat that little bit and not waste it. My health is more important than a few scraps left on my plate!!!

IrishChik

I struggle with this as well. I am trying to tell myself instead of eating it all now, I am going to save some and enjoy it again tomorrow. It does not always work, but it is a step in the right direction.

merguson

This is such a great question! Something I also struggle with. I appreaciate all the opinions here and have learned a few new tricks. Thanks!!!!

NaturalMom

It was how I was raised but mostly my feeling that I don't want to "waste" anything. It has been extremely hard to overcome, and I now have to take precautions. When I cook, I only make enough for one day or possibly enough for one of the next day's meals as well. No more than that. If I know I'm not going to eat my leftovers, I freeze them. That's why buying things like cakes or whole pizzas is so difficult...I feel like I have to finish them, every crumb (literally). What I have found is by freezing things, I feel so much better about not eating everything I have prepared. I am trying to get to the point where I can throw away things on my plate that I haven't eaten...but that's hard (cue my dog to clean the plate haha). I also can't stand leaving just a little bit on my plate because I have always though, why not just eat that little bit and not waste it. My health is more important than a few scraps left on my plate!!!

Me, too! I cook things in batch and freeze individual servings because it is cheaper and easier to re-heat for my family. I still struggle with throwing food away, though. I found the "Beck Diet Solution Workbook" very helpful in this regard, but I need a reminder every couple of months because I keep slipping into my old bad habits and mindset.
Best of luck! Keep up the good work!