Accepting that no, I don't need to eat the whole thing.

opalle
opalle Posts: 234 Member
in Motivation and Support
In addition to calories and exercise I am also working on bad habits and lifestyle changes for success.

Today I threw out the last quarter of my breakfast sandwich. I was just full. Even though I had a few bites left, instead of forcing those last bites down, I threw it out. May not seem like a big deal but the old me would have eat the rest anyway.

Last night I had a few bites left on my plate and scraped it into the garbage once I was full. The old me would have eaten it all.

I had (or hopefully had) such a hard time with not "wasting" food that I would continue eating well after my body told me I had enough just because it had it on my plate. (which was normally loaded with too much food anyway.)

Just a little victory but I'm OK with baby steps.

Replies

  • Muscleflex79
    Muscleflex79 Posts: 1,917 Member
    why not save leftovers for another time/meal instead of wasting half of what you buy??
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  • soriondee5
    soriondee5 Posts: 15 Member
    Congrats on the baby steps! This is something I really need to work on myself. I'm definitely a member of the Clean Your Plate club.
  • Ninkyou
    Ninkyou Posts: 6,666 Member
    Muscleflex79 wrote: »
    why not save leftovers for another time/meal instead of wasting half of what you buy??

    I agree with this.
  • burnsgene42
    burnsgene42 Posts: 102 Member
    Way to go! I've gone through the same thing. We were taught not to waste food. "Think of all those starving little _____________________ Children" I do save food if possible , put it in the ice box to eat later , but "cleaning my plate" is a thing of the past.
    Hang in there.
    D
  • tincanonastring
    tincanonastring Posts: 3,944 Member
    It's a good lesson to learn. I pre-log my food each day, so I avoid that situation entirely (both the overloaded plate and forcing myself to eat). By knowing exactly how much I need to eat, everything that goes on my plate gets eaten. Since I'm basing my intake on a deficit, I don't feel like I'm forcing anything down but, instead, reaching a goal.

    Great job!
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  • grandmothercharlie
    grandmothercharlie Posts: 1,356 Member
    Congrats on that! This is the hardest thing for me! I eat out a lot and I can't get myself to leave it on the plate (not crazy for leftovers either). I feel like I'm wasting money. Can't seem to convince myself that eating it or throwing it is the same cost and the cost to my waistline and health makes it more prudent to toss it! You have inspired me to work harder at this! Thanks!
  • tulips_and_tea
    tulips_and_tea Posts: 5,741 Member
    Muscleflex79 wrote: »
    why not save leftovers for another time/meal instead of wasting half of what you buy??

    I hate food waste as well, but since this is a recent development for the OP I'm guessing they will learn to not serve themselves the same size portions as in the past or they will start ordering smaller items and/or servings. It's a learning process.

    I absolutely cannot eat to "fullness". Comfortable is all I need, so I've learned to downsize portions and servings over the years.
  • StephK236
    StephK236 Posts: 1 Member
    As someone who was punished for not having a clean plate as a child, I totally appreciate this post. Congrats on baby steps. Here is an appropriate quote: "The habits that took years to build do not take a day to change" (Susan Powter). Good luck on your continued journey!
  • hoyalawya2003
    hoyalawya2003 Posts: 631 Member
    Congrats! It was eye-opening to me when I read that the food will go to waste either in the trash or in our bodies (by being turned to fat--which I certainly don't need more of!), so it is better to just throw it away. But I do still struggle with this at times.
  • opalle
    opalle Posts: 234 Member
    I see your point, my fridge is full of leftovers not from plates but from meals made. Thing is they don`t get eaten and I know a few bites wrapped up in the fridge will just stay there until it's time to throw them out. So I'm done with the guilt of throwing those bites out. Eventually I hope I will be able to just take what I know can eat.
  • Geege29
    Geege29 Posts: 13 Member
    I don't know about the OP, but after a lifetime of overeating I need to throw it away, I need to see myself reject overeating. Wrapping it up won't happen for me, I'll just eat it. Throwing it away is teaching me to dish up smaller portions.
  • ceebubbles
    ceebubbles Posts: 9 Member
    Congrats, OP. Learning to respond to fullness cues is a great development. :)
  • hannahdiaz35
    hannahdiaz35 Posts: 21 Member
    I struggle with this. I feel very guilty throwing away food, whether I'm full or my kids won't eat it. I call it 'guilt fat'

    When I was a young teen I was severely neglected by a parent. In Addition to have power constantly turned off and very poor conditions, there was rarely food in my house that I could make. It was usually boxed food you had to add stuff to make(stuff we didnt have), and often expired at that. If I wanted to eat, I'd have to eat at school or go to friends/relatives. When I had food, I would eat it all so I wouldn't be hungry later. Even if I was full, that food was eaten. Now, it's so hard for me to admit I'm full and throw away my uneaten portion. It's almost like I expect to not be able to eat again.

    Great job overcoming this obstacle. I'm still struggling, but I hope to beat the guilt and fear soon. :-)
  • jnv7594
    jnv7594 Posts: 983 Member
    Muscleflex79 wrote: »
    why not save leftovers for another time/meal instead of wasting half of what you buy??

    ^^This. I mean, congrats to you OP for taking this step, but wasted food is one of my big pet peeves. It might be because I've had several times during my life where I didn't have the money to buy food. One time in particular I didn't have any food to eat for four days. At that point, I would have killed for a few bites of a sandwich. You can always save those few bites and eat them for a snack later when you are hungry again. That's what I typically do.

  • chriscolh
    chriscolh Posts: 127 Member
    That's a big victory! I still struggle with this, although I am getting better. One of my biggest struggles is to not clean up my children's plates. I'm pretty sure half of my extra fat has come from eating my breakfast, then finishing what was left on my boys' plates instead of just scraping it into the garbage. I may or may not have, at one time, gone around the table after everyone was finished, and squirted windex on everyone's plates so that I could finish the dishes without eating their leftovers. (I'll only confess if you don't call me crazy.)
    Congratulations on your baby steps! They make a big difference in the end!
  • kittykaida
    kittykaida Posts: 12 Member
    Ugh, I have such a hard time with this, too! I can usually box up my own food, fine, no problem. What I find difficult is the amount of food my kids go through, they're little, and picky, and a great deal of it now ends up getting tossed. I had to stop eating their unsavable leftovers!
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    Good job, OP!

    I'm not a big fan of waste either but am I going to save 4 bites of mashed potatoes, a tablespoon of gravy, and 3 green beans if that's what's left on my plate and I don't feel like eating it? No. I'm not saving every uneaten item in order to cobble together some sort of Frankenstein meal.
  • opalle
    opalle Posts: 234 Member
    BZAH10 wrote: »
    Muscleflex79 wrote: »
    why not save leftovers for another time/meal instead of wasting half of what you buy??

    I hate food waste as well, but since this is a recent development for the OP I'm guessing they will learn to not serve themselves the same size portions as in the past or they will start ordering smaller items and/or servings. It's a learning process.

    That's exactly what my plan is.
  • mygnsac
    mygnsac Posts: 13,413 Member
    Great NSV OP! That was a big one for me too. I've learned to listen to the signals my body sends and not continue to eat just because it is in front of me. At home smaller portions are the norm now and eating out I typically wind up eating maybe half and taking the rest home for left overs. These baby steps sure add up over time.
  • stargirl85
    stargirl85 Posts: 50 Member
    Same for me in this first week but if food is left out Im tempted to eat it so got both ways really.
  • brynnsmom
    brynnsmom Posts: 945 Member
    BFDeal wrote: »
    I have mixed feelings on this strategy and the similar (don't clean your plate, always box up half, etc). If you're tracking your calories the real point here is that you CAN eat the whole thing if you want. Now, if you actually want to or not is your own business. Free country I guess.

    Yeah, I tend to clear my plate since I already told MFP I was going to. But seriously, saving a quarter of a breakfast sandwich for later? How about giving it to the dog instead.
  • 999tigger
    999tigger Posts: 5,235 Member
    I still dont like throwing awat food, so avoid it wherever possible. Portion control can work at the beginning so you cna eat 100% of whats on your plate.

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