I'm the only one that eats in public.

The media is to blame for women's poor body image and has resulted in a lot of eating disorders. That compulsion to not eat is not healthy. Continue eating. Your friends may not be all that healthy. Also, slow down and enjoy what you eat.

When I was not doing anything about my weight. I would feel embarrassed to be seen eating a hamburger or a packet of chips.. now that I have lost weight and that I know that I am not eating the wrong things most of the time... I feel comfortable eating in public. Even with people who don't eat

I would feel awkward, too, being around people who deliberately waste food. It's one thing to accidentally have too much and not get fat off it by being a member of the clean plate club, it's another to sit around and make a show of not eating what is in front of you. They should bring their own food from home, in appropriate portion sizes. Sounds like they're just playing silly social status games with their food.

OP--you just keep doing you okay....okay. Eat until you feel full

My daughter is in theater (she's an aspiring actress and has been in a few professional productions), and now that she has started socializing with other women in theater and the arts, she said she has noticed that most of them are on diets and when they eat in restaurants, don't eat bread, order only salads and leave most of the meals on the plate. All of them talk about not eating carbs, gluten, sugar, etc. She's 5'9" and around 150-160 and said she felt like a total pig the first time she ate out with them and couldn't understand it because to eat out on a limited budget is a big deal, so she would eat the bread and order a good-sized meal. But apparently, eating very little publicly is very much a trend among young women, especially in professions that are more appearance-oriented.

Here's what my BFA in Theatre has to say about this: eating disorders among young, female actors are SO COMMON. So much emphasis is placed on being thin (fat actresses have fewer casting options, trust me) that the environment encourages disordered thoughts about food and body image. Everyone is on a diet and obsessing about their appearance, all the time. Add the hormones and inexperience of youth, and most of these women are a mess. I was one of them.

Reading the OP's description of her friends reminded me of my theatre friends in college. Only a bite or two of this and that, humblebragging about it the whole time. It was almost a point of pride to show others how little you cared for food, or how good your discipline was.

My favorite breakfast used to be what I called my Supermodel Breakfast: cup of coffee, cigarette, and an altoid mint after. Of course, as another poster commented, later in secret I would binge on vending machine chips and candy, hating myself for sabotaging my goals.

OP, you keep doing you, and don't get bogged down in other people's weirdness. Those young women are busy sorting out their issues with food. You keep giving them a healthy model, and enjoy your lunch.

I ABSOLUTELY LOVE ALL OF YOU WHO HATE TO WASTE FOOD. It's crazy... especially if you ordered the food and are paying WAY more than normal grocery store price... off the main topic.. but so happy, I'm not alone in this crazy world.

I probably wouldn't notice as I would be too busy munching

I hate food waste. I made baked potato and tuna salads for me and 2 other yesterday. They didn't fancy it, so I made them steak instead. However my lunch today was baked potato, salad and tuna. Tomorrows lunch will also be the same.

If anything, it's your co-workers that should be embarrassed and uncomfortable for wasting food and money - not to mention that it makes them seem like they're running an anorexics-anonymous meeting.

Enjoy your lunch and be confident that you've chosen something healthy to eat.

I see plenty of women who could actually lose a few pounds only eat a few bites and then say they're stuffed. In that instance, I'm sure it's because they're self-conscious about eating, which is ridiculous. I'm also sure they're eating later, when no one is looking.

Restaurant food is notoriously high in calories, so I can see only eating a little bit of it. It's pretty hard to find a restaurant meal under 800 calories. But just a few bites? That's taking it a little far.

Within certain constraints (famine, poverty and cannibalism come to mind) you get to put whatever you want into your mouth.

While the consensus seems to be that it is wrong (wasteful, mental, etc...) eating slower and leaving food on your plate aren't, IMO, bad habits.

I don't take home leftovers (except pizza). And I don't feel obligated to eat whatever portion of food that a restaurant chooses to place in front of me (except pizza - and maybe carrot cake).

I would just assume that they ate a large breakfast or are planning to eat a large dinner and appreciate that they still wanted to enjoy the social aspect of lunch with me.

Either I am oblivious or I have truly never seen anyone do this. Maybe I just don't pay attention to what someone else is eating. If I'm hungry (always), I eat. I order what I want, scarf it all down to the last drop (or take it home), eat more than most men I know, and pretty proud of it... I know someone morbidly obese who eats like a bird in public. She has no unusual medical diagnosis. I KNOW she did not get to be that way without going home and having at it from being starved during the day...... If she ate what she was hungry for, she might not have health issues she has by pretending to not eat when she is in public. Eat as you please and set the example for your friends. Healthy fit people eat.