Leaving food?

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wiggawaggle
wiggawaggle Posts: 50 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Is it good practice to always leave a small amount of your meal on your plate to teach yourself that it's okay to leave food? Sometimes i'll think okay i'm satisfied now, i could finish here and leave the rest. But then i end up eating the rest of it anyway because the plates not empty.

I put the calories in before i eat so i've logged the whole plate, but what do you do / how do you make yourself leave the rest if you're satisfied? Won't you just be hungry soon anyway if you leave some of your meal?
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  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,575 Member
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    I don't really understand the question. You already logged the whole plate. Eat it if you want. If you're not hungry enough for it all...eat it later.
  • strong_curves
    strong_curves Posts: 2,229 Member
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    wiggawaggle wrote: »
    Is it good practice to always leave a small amount of your meal on your plate to teach yourself that it's okay to leave food? Sometimes i'll think okay i'm satisfied now, i could finish here and leave the rest. But then i end up eating the rest of it anyway because the plates not empty.

    I put the calories in before i eat so i've logged the whole plate, but what do you do / how do you make yourself leave the rest if you're satisfied? Won't you just be hungry soon anyway if you leave some of your meal?

    If you've logged it and it fits into your goal I don't fully understand the why of it.

  • wiggawaggle
    wiggawaggle Posts: 50 Member
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    arditarose wrote: »
    I don't really understand the question. You already logged the whole plate. Eat it if you want. If you're not hungry enough for it all...eat it later.

    I feel like i've had enough to eat before the plate is empty, but keep eating because i logged it all and there is still food on the plate
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,575 Member
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    wiggawaggle wrote: »
    arditarose wrote: »
    I don't really understand the question. You already logged the whole plate. Eat it if you want. If you're not hungry enough for it all...eat it later.

    I feel like i've had enough to eat before the plate is empty, but keep eating because i logged it all and there is still food on the plate

    Okay. Then practice putting it in a container for left overs if that is the case. Sorry I'm a high volume eater so I don't really get it lol.
  • Mycophilia
    Mycophilia Posts: 1,225 Member
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    I wish I had this issue while dieting lol.
  • wiggawaggle
    wiggawaggle Posts: 50 Member
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    strong_curves wrote: »
    wiggawaggle wrote: »
    Is it good practice to always leave a small amount of your meal on your plate to teach yourself that it's okay to leave food? Sometimes i'll think okay i'm satisfied now, i could finish here and leave the rest. But then i end up eating the rest of it anyway because the plates not empty.

    I put the calories in before i eat so i've logged the whole plate, but what do you do / how do you make yourself leave the rest if you're satisfied? Won't you just be hungry soon anyway if you leave some of your meal?

    If you've logged it and it fits into your goal I don't fully understand the why of it.

    Because many people always finish what is on their plate even if they have had enough to eat before the plate is empty, so wondered if some people make sure they leave something to retrain this?
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,575 Member
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    Mycophilia wrote: »
    I wish I had this issue while dieting lol.

    Right? I'm like...do not...comprehend.
  • Diana_GettingFit
    Diana_GettingFit Posts: 458 Member
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    Listen to your body. If you feel satisfied then stop, There's no need to clean the plate just because the food is there. Especially when you're eating out. Portion sizes in diners and restaurants are too big anyway. I've learned to stop eating when I feel I've had enough. That way you avoid that stuffed bloated feeling.
  • strong_curves
    strong_curves Posts: 2,229 Member
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    wiggawaggle wrote: »
    strong_curves wrote: »
    wiggawaggle wrote: »
    Is it good practice to always leave a small amount of your meal on your plate to teach yourself that it's okay to leave food? Sometimes i'll think okay i'm satisfied now, i could finish here and leave the rest. But then i end up eating the rest of it anyway because the plates not empty.

    I put the calories in before i eat so i've logged the whole plate, but what do you do / how do you make yourself leave the rest if you're satisfied? Won't you just be hungry soon anyway if you leave some of your meal?

    If you've logged it and it fits into your goal I don't fully understand the why of it.

    Because many people always finish what is on their plate even if they have had enough to eat before the plate is empty, so wondered if some people make sure they leave something to retrain this?

    If a person is full then yeah this makes sense. But if they're doing this to "retrain" and still feel hungry afterwards it makes no sense to me.

  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,575 Member
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    Eh. That's backwards thinking to me. I would benefit more from buying a whole bag of chips or jar of peanut butter (my happy foods), and practicing moderation and weighing the appropriate portion out of the container, rather than selecting a portion and training myself to leave some behind.
  • wildrosewood
    wildrosewood Posts: 63 Member
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    I understand completely! Growing up, we never left food on the plate, even if it meant stuffing ourselves. Since joining MFP, I`ve just been eating smaller portions in general, so I haven`t really run into this problem recently, but I`d say the best thing to do is to stop eating when you feel full. My advice is to either save the extra for another meal, or maybe go back and change your entry if you prelogged it. I don`t feel good when I know I overeat, even if it fits into my calories. Plus, when I do leave a little after I`m full, it helps me learn to recognize the feeling of being full and helps me have the self discipline to say no. Mostly it`s a mental thing for me, knowing that I`m not just eating it because it`s there.
  • Queenmunchy
    Queenmunchy Posts: 3,380 Member
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    arditarose wrote: »
    Eh. That's backwards thinking to me. I would benefit more from buying a whole bag of chips or jar of peanut butter (my happy foods), and practicing moderation and weighing the appropriate portion out of the container, rather than selecting a portion and training myself to leave some behind.

    Same here. I also cook and portion foods based on the amount that satisfies me.
  • mewilliams11
    mewilliams11 Posts: 139 Member
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    I understand what you're saying & have questioned myself about this in the past. You've accounted for the calories & you have enough in your allowance, but while eating you realize that you're satisfied & no longer hungry so you question yourself, "why keep eating if I'm full?"

    Part of the reason I'm overweight is because of portion control issues. Years of eating past the point of no longer being hungry has most certainly contributed to my weight gain.

    I think it's important to pay attention to your body & the hunger/fullness cues. I say that if you're truly full, then there's no reason to keep eating. Save the food for later in case you get hungry, or subtract some calories from your diary for the food you didn't eat & save them for later in case you get hungry later.
  • conqueringsquidlette
    conqueringsquidlette Posts: 383 Member
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    Part of overeating is blowing through the "not hungry anymore" feelings to the "gorged" state. I do have to relearn what that signal to stop stuffing my face is, so I get it. I don't know that I would intentionally leave it behind so much as eat mindfully and learn to be ok without eating everything on my plate all the time.
  • glovepuppet
    glovepuppet Posts: 1,713 Member
    edited August 2015
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    you should stop eating once you're sated. it's a good habit to get into.
    my leftovers almost always end up in the dog & cat, so I don't feel wasteful.
    <- suzycat tucking into cauliflower. but maybe start making smaller portions.
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,626 Member
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    I try not to waste food, so I don't put more on the plate than I'm going to eat.

    If you're just cutting back on food, then it would make sense to stop eating when you're no longer hungry. It just seems so wasteful to send food down the drain, KWIM?
  • AlabasterVerve
    AlabasterVerve Posts: 3,171 Member
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    It wouldn't be worthwhile for me. I decide how much I'm going to eat before I plate (or even cook my food) so there's no value in it for me as far as dieting is concerned. I also enjoy eating and feeling full and satiated -- it makes me happy -- so again, no value in leaving food behind for me.

    But if you feel there's a benefit to not "cleaning your plate" or it's just a habit you'd like to cultivate, do it. In order to maintain your weight loss something has to change about the way you used to eat and maybe this is one of those things. Experiment and see how you make out.
  • wiggawaggle
    wiggawaggle Posts: 50 Member
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    It is a good point about it being silly to leave food on plate if it fits in calories and you are still hungry. I have switched to using a smaller plate instead of a dinner plate. I think i struggle with the "just stop eating if you are full" part, so maybe i need to practice listening to my body instead of practicing setting up some ritual of "always leave a crumb or two on the plate"
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,372 Member
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    Well if you eat 5 extra bites, you'll just be full longer... I don't see the problem with that.

    Personally, I just try to learn to put less food on my plate instead.
  • SaffronSunrise
    SaffronSunrise Posts: 182 Member
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    I make my plate with what I think I'm going to eat. If I'm still hungry & it fits into my calories, I go back for more. If I'm full before I finish my plate, I subtract what I didn't eat & it goes into the fridge for lunch or dinner the next day.

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