Leftovers Are Known to Cause Weight Gain!!

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johnnylakis
johnnylakis Posts: 812 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
This is the single most detrimental thing to losing weight. Many of us were taught to clean our plates and not waste food. That somehow would benefit the starving children of the world. As a result, we feel obligated to finish meals, even if we are full. Something that worked for me was throwing away any food left after a meal. What did this accomplish?
1) I lost weight. Fact is, you eat less, you lose weight.
2) Taught me how to cook smaller meals and avoid unnecessary weight gain
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Replies

  • Iron_Feline
    Iron_Feline Posts: 10,750 Member
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    Nope, eating more calories than you burn causes weight gain.

    Either cook smaller meals as you have learnt or learn to fit leftovers in to your plan the next day.

    I never waste food if I can help it, and it's not hard to work out how to turn it into another meal or fit it into your days plan.

    Ridiculous statement is ridiculous. It is most certainly NOT the most detrimental thing to losing weight. :noway:
  • Sevendust912
    Sevendust912 Posts: 122 Member
    edited December 2014
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    I think the biggest factor of weight gain among Americans is that fact that so many people have zero idea about portion control and have zero idea about nutritional content of what they are eating, and many of them are clueless as to how to lose weight (half assing it for 20 minutes on the eliptical doesn't burn 1000 calories), cals in/out, etc. etc. etc.

    The information is out there, people just choose not to research the topic, and that is why Americans are so fat.

    Another huge factor is laziness and the ability of people to make excuses as to why they can't do something, but that's a whole different topic to discuss.
  • ItsJordanNicole
    ItsJordanNicole Posts: 110 Member
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    Leftovers do not cause weight gain. Measure the food that you put on your plate. Eat it, track it. Don't throw perfectly good food in the trash. Save it for later. Eat it, track it.
  • darrensurrey
    darrensurrey Posts: 3,942 Member
    edited December 2014
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    ItsJordanNicole wrote: »
    Leftovers do not cause weight gain. Measure the food that you put on your plate. Eat it, track it. Don't throw perfectly good food in the trash. Save it for later. Eat it, track it.

    Agreed. Eat it later. Or cook less (in the first place).
  • MakePeasNotWar
    MakePeasNotWar Posts: 1,329 Member
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    That's not leftovers, it's just overeating.

    Leftovers is having the remainder as another meal/snack, and there is nothing at all detrimental about that. I eat leftovers all the time, because i am too lazy to cook twice a day. Why throw it out if I can have it later and save myself the trouble/expense of preparing another meal?

    I certainly agree that overeating is a one way ticket to weight problems, but leftovers are the only thing that keeps me from eating microwave dinners and take out 5x a week.
  • auddii
    auddii Posts: 15,357 Member
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    If you have leftovers, you didn't clean your plate, and you're eating fewer calories and portioning your food. How does that make you gain weight?!
  • Serah87
    Serah87 Posts: 5,481 Member
    edited December 2014
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    LOL......yep leftovers made me fat!!! They put a gun to my head and made me eat it. *rolling eyes*
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
    edited December 2014
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    Leftovers are......... known.......to cause weight gain?

    choofed.gif

    Possible we may have a different definition of leftovers.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    edited December 2014
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    IF there were a single detrimental thing the obesity epidemic would be resolved by now!

    I cook for two, and most recipes are for four. So this is how we split it up. He has two portions, I have one. I package up the final portion (leftovers) for lunch the following day. No wastage, and no overeating!

    Chinese proverb, "Eat only until you are seven parts full" (i.e. 70%)

    I will say that with my smaller stomach, I eat slowly and I must push away the plate as soon as I am full. It is darned hard to push the plate away when there are two or three bites left. It seems like such a waste. But full is full.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    johnnylakis wrote: »
    This is the single most detrimental thing to losing weight.

    For me it's a very helpful thing. I make dinner intentionally to have leftovers, so there will be something to bring for lunch the next day. Also, if you think in terms of leftovers, it makes it easier to just cut a serving size in half when eating out (although I don't always bring those home). Some leftovers are more of an issue--I try to avoid them when I do pizza or Indian food, since one night in a week is fine, but I don't need three meals of it.

    If someone has trouble not finishing everything on the plate, the trick is to put less food on it to start (if at home) or think of it as "for later/leftovers" even when on the plate.
  • JazzFischer1989
    JazzFischer1989 Posts: 531 Member
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    What a waste. Why not just take a reasonable portion that you know you'll be able to finish? I mean, we're all adults now, we can decide what does or doesn't go on our plates.

    I like to cook in bulk but I always make sure the amount of food I prepare can be divided into portions that I can finish within a few days.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
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    Leftovers lead me to EAT LESS when I eat out. I eat what I need to eat. I eat the rest at another meal. Voila.
    Leftovers lead me to EAT LESS and eat more healthfully when I eat at home. I cook enough for a few meals. I eat home cooked, nutritious meals for several days. Voila.
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
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    I'd say the opposite is more true than the claim you're making, OP.

    For restaurant food, eating less than the serving size and taking some home (rather than wasting it which is silly) is likely to lead to better weight management.

    Additionally, preparing food in bulk to intentionally create leftovers is a very smart move because it allows you greater convenience throughout the week. This is especially important for people who tend to make poor food choices when they are stressed out and pressed for time. Think about the times you get home from work, or you are on the way home from work and you think "crap I don't have time to make something "healthy" so I'll just hit the drive through" or order a pizza or whatever. Preparing food in bulk (or having leftovers) is a great thing in this circumstance.
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
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    Womp womp.
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
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    Throwing away leftovers is wasteful. You can use it as lunch or even dinner the following day if you don't feel like cooking again. And if you're logging it accurately, how would that make you fat unless you're going over your maintenance calories?
  • esjones12
    esjones12 Posts: 1,363 Member
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    I always cook extra to save time later! Throw on an extra fish fillet and some extra brown rice and a veggie. Bam - lunch the next day! If you are measuring your portions then leftovers will not be an issue with weight management.
  • hortensehildegarde
    hortensehildegarde Posts: 592 Member
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    Agreed on the points made in the replies, but I will say that for me for a long time not letting things go to waste often lead to eating things I didn't want (and didn't need the calories from). I did need to change that habit.

    Now I just freeze a crap ton of stuff. I think I have 2 loaves of bread in the freezer from months ago. I still hate throwing food away, I just learned I don't have to eat it and how to work around my preference to not waste food without turning myself into a trashcan.

    And I just ate about 1000 calories of leftover yams from Thanksgiving (they were made with what must have been the guts of a pecan pie on top), but it fit within my daily calories!
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    johnnylakis wrote: »
    This is the single most detrimental thing to losing weight. Many of us were taught to clean our plates and not waste food. That somehow would benefit the starving children of the world. As a result, we feel obligated to finish meals, even if we are full. Something that worked for me was throwing away any food left after a meal. What did this accomplish?
    1) I lost weight. Fact is, you eat less, you lose weight.
    2) Taught me how to cook smaller meals and avoid unnecessary weight gain

    How about making yourself a more reasonable plate of food that is consistent with appropriate serving sizes for you. How about instead of being wasteful with your money and your food you repack that food for later rather than throwing it out.

    I always cook extra so that I can have leftovers for lunches and whatnot later in the week...somehow, magically, I lost 40 Lbs eating leftovers.

    It would seem the issue is portion control, not leftovers. And yes...I always clean my plate..because my plate contains an appropriate amount of food on it.

  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,626 Member
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    Did you mean "seconds", like going back for a second plate during the same meal or within a short period of time?

    Or did you really mean "leftovers", like "I cannot eat an entire potato, so I'll put the rest into Tupperware containers and have some for dinner tomorrow and the next day?

    I eat a lot of leftovers. It hasn't hindered my weight loss in any noticeable way.
  • rbfdac
    rbfdac Posts: 1,057 Member
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    Perhaps our definitions of leftovers are different. I actually LOSE weight eating leftovers. Make a healthy meal, eat a portion, then eat the leftovers the next day.

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