Help me stop! I keep nibbling on my kids' food!

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Replies

  • conniemaxwell5
    conniemaxwell5 Posts: 943 Member
    How old are the kids? Are they old enough to pour their own Cheerios (or scoop them with a measuring cup, which helps teach them portion size) and bag up their own pretzels for snacks? If they're preparing their own food, you won't have the opportunity to piece on their food, as well as it gets them involved in the food process which is good for them.

    I also wouldn't cut the crusts off the bread. If they really don't like it, cut the sandwich in half and they can eat their way to the crust and then you won't want to eat the leftovers after they've eaten off of it.

    Other than that, will power. You have to be conscious of what you're doing and purpose to not do the things you don't want to do. "If it's important to you, you'll find a way. If it's not, you'll find an excuse."
  • AllonsYtotheTardis
    AllonsYtotheTardis Posts: 16,947 Member
    force yourself to LOG. EVERY. SINGLE. NIBBLE. before it passes your lips. EVERY TIME. Eventually, the nibbles won't be worth the effort, and you'll stop nibbling.
  • oceanblue6
    oceanblue6 Posts: 76 Member
    Hi all,
    Thank you so much for all of the wonderful ideas and support! I really appreciate it! Just to clarify, I'm pretty good about not eating the leftovers, but food prep is what I find it most difficult (I prepare all of the meals/snacks for our family). I think, as many of you have mentioned, that mindfulness is the key. While I can appreciate the "just don't do it" mentality, if it was that easy for me, I wouldn't be doing it! I am going to really work on the awareness and I am good about recording the calories of all these nibbles and bites. It just is frustrating at the end of the day when I see calories I have eaten that I haven't really enjoyed!
    Thanks again for the feedback.
  • oceanblue6
    oceanblue6 Posts: 76 Member
    Yes, I think mindfulness is so key-- need to work on this!
  • traceyfunk
    traceyfunk Posts: 86
    May I suggest a book? You could try any mind-body literature but here's a start. "Women Food and God" by Geneen Roth.
  • dominoid747
    dominoid747 Posts: 33 Member
    I eat while I'm cooking because I know that I'm not going to be able to stop myself anyway. It helps me to prepare the veg first, then I can have a little pot of pepper or carrot or something to munch on and it stops me munching on stuff that's higher in calories and wasting them.
  • His_Buttercup2015
    His_Buttercup2015 Posts: 114 Member
    I have issues nibbling while cooking, and since I have a concentration on less sodium and calories for my diet I have a separate meal than the kids most days (not always) so I eat first.
    As far as grabbing snacks like you said, maybe simply reminding yourself "this is for the kids" will help you not grab some for yourself.
  • oceanblue6
    oceanblue6 Posts: 76 Member
    Sorry-- I can't figure out how to reply to individual messages. I'm new here. So when I said "thank you" and "so many great ideas" in my general message-- just assume I was talking to you! :smile:
    p.s. if anyone wants to explain how to do this, that would be great, otherwise I'll head over to the tech forum to figure it out.
  • supplemama
    supplemama Posts: 1,956 Member
    Start composting then you won't feel bad about wasting food. Just immediately toss it in your compost bag to go outside, or better yet have them do it. This and all other kitchen scraps (except meat).
  • staceypunk
    staceypunk Posts: 924 Member
    I feel your pain hun! Finishing my kids plates was one of the reasons that I got to my heaviest weight. I just didn't realize how many calories all those bits here and there add up to. I hate wasting food. Do you have a dog? I do. When I am making their lunches my dog stands right at my feet (annoyingly!) and I cut the crusts and then feed them straight to her. I love peanut butter so much, and Jelly, well I could never fit jam into my MFP calories so those stupid PBJ crusts were a real challenge. Pathetic I know!

    Anyhoo, if you have a pup feed the food directly to him or her. If you don't have a dog I like waht someone said about running water over the plate immiediately- no turning back then!

    You will just have to battle yourself when it comes to grabbing a few pretzels or goldfish. It's hard I know.
  • SoDamnHungry
    SoDamnHungry Posts: 6,998 Member
    Chew gum so you have something in your mouth?
  • 1two3four
    1two3four Posts: 413 Member
    Sorry-- I can't figure out how to reply to individual messages. I'm new here.

    Hit "Quote" under the specific message you want to reply to and then start typing above [ quote ] or below [ / quote ].
  • GurleyGirl524
    GurleyGirl524 Posts: 578 Member
    I read this the other day, and I repeat it to myself when I want to turn to "mindless nibbling": "Discipline is deciding between what you want most and what you want right now."

    I've had the same issue in the past, it just takes discipline.
  • oceanblue6
    oceanblue6 Posts: 76 Member
    Sorry-- I can't figure out how to reply to individual messages. I'm new here.

    Hit "Quote" under the specific message you want to reply to and then start typing above [ quote ] or below [ / quote ].

    Thanks so much! I think I've got it! :smile:
  • mommiejohnsonof6
    mommiejohnsonof6 Posts: 208 Member
    I do the same thing we just need self control because it happens we just have to stop it good luck.
  • VorJoshigan
    VorJoshigan Posts: 1,106 Member
    I'll bet if you make yourself log those little handfuls, you will soon realize that it is a pain to log them, and that it is really not "worth" the extra calories for the amount of pleasure that you get out of them. Somewhere in the back of your head there is probably a little voice telling you that the calories don't "count" since you didn't eat much, or that you didn't really mean to eat them. NOT TRUE--they do count and you should be logging them if you eat them.

    Regarding those bread crusts--if you have a "thing" about wasting food, either throw them out for the birds, or keep a bag of crusts in the freezer and when you have a bunch, toast them and then put them through the food processor to use as bread crumbs.

    This. A lot. I say don't stop doing it, just start measuring it.

    Whip out or buy a food scale and weight everything. And I do mean everything.

    As for the wasting food thing, a friend told me last year - when you put it in your body, is it really being USED, or is it just a different form of waste?
  • FATJAKE5
    FATJAKE5 Posts: 162
    I do not know why you cut the crust, best part, off your kid's bread. But, I do have a suggestion which may help your browsing. Put an accurate scale which measures in grams and ounces, on your kitchen counter. Weigh and record evey single scrap you eat. Enter them in MFP under snacks, then at the end of the day see what it amounts to. Or let the kids enjoy their own crust.

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