Wasting Food

So stick it the freezer. You don't have to eat it instantaneously

I either cook in order to split into an equal number of servings to put into the freezer for other days, or I pack or re-purpose my leftovers so that I can get another meal out of them. I don't like to throw food away.

Work meals aren't mine, so I just ignore them.

Leftovers usually go to the fridge for a later date. Since I cook 90% of the time and plan the menu I rarely put more on my plate than I can eat.

I think there are always going to be people at work who will help eat the leftovers, if not then they need to go. At home putting extra portions in the freezer is a good habit to start.

jemhh wrote: »

Nope. Never.

I'd rather "waste" food than end up overweight and diabetic like so many of my relatives. The monetary and psychological costs of diabetes--meds, dialysis, amputation, etc. outweigh the cost of a few bites of food that I throw out.

This. As a diabetic who has my disease under control I'm not going to do anything to risk going backwards. I'll happily throw unwanted food in the bin. As far as free food goes, it's not my responsibility to worry about if it gets wasted or not. If I have calories to spare and I fancy something then I'll indulge a little. Otherwise I'll happily leave it alone.

Eating food in excess of my calorie needs is equally wasteful.

I had a mind set about having to clean my plate and having to use every food leftover from meals, preventing any wasting of food. I read a book on how to lose weight written in the 60's and one of the first 'excersizes' the writer gave to the readers was to throw a perfectly good plate of food on a paper plate in the garbage. You know, it gave me a freedom somehow.
I learned that when I was full I was under no obligation to keep eating. As an adult I get to make the sole choices in what I eat or don't eat.
This and her other 'excersizes' enabled me to lose 75 pounds and keep it off for 5 years. She didn't include any diet advice in her book at all. Unfortunately out of print now.

There is a miraculous invention called the refrigerator.

Passing on free food can be hard, but it's a false economy.

I have had to employ some tricks to circumvent some serious "wasting food" guilt issues. As kids we were definitely told to clear the plate. I was also a fat kid. Huh funny how that works?

Anyway, you come up with ways around it. Always serve yourself a small portion to begin you can always take more if you need but you're less likely to have excess on a plate you don't want to waste.
At work, even if the food is offered to you, it belongs to someone else. Begin to use this a lot. If you didn't directly buy it you don't own it, therefor should drop any feelings of obligation to have some.

Im a nanny and my boss often offers me parts of treats they buy or receive, such as taking a slice of a cake or offering me a few muffins. I don't even have to say no I just don't take it. It's not mine.

I have started leaving one bite on my plate. I'm almost always satisfied, I just like to taste it all. So denying myself just one bite is helping me let go of this compulsion to finish the plate. It's not waste, it's got hot sauce and my germs all over it - not going back in the pot and surely doesn't get a whole container in the fridge.

There was one year where a person at our work for some reason every friday was able to get everything and I mean EVERYTHING from the bakery part of panera bread and she would bring it in for us. OH GOD THE HUMANITY. Breads, Pastries, Cookies, Brownies the dieting HORROR. as I said I hate wasting so instead of that I would freeze it or take it to friends and family for a little treat.

Gamliela wrote: »

Freezing stuff seems to reduce or change its flavour and texture though. Having a dog, a goat and some chickens helps to deal with the leftovers.

I was gonna say a dog is great for this, just gotta be careful what you feed them.

I only put on my plate what I can eat for that meal, no more, no less. I package leftovers for future meals; they're great to grab and go.

Its called the sunk cost fallacy. Once you prepared the food you can't get a refund so it is a sunk cost. If your choices are only eat it or toss it, then the choice shouldn't be decided based on the sunk cost. The choice should be based on if you are going to benefit from eating it or tossing it.

If you are hungry and enjoy the food and have the calories, then eat it for maximum benefit. If you don't have the calories, or even just don't like the food, then toss it for maximum benefit. Eating the food when you really don't want to doesn't maximize your benefit in fact, it may cost you even more (more time spent trying to lose weight).

However, with food there are sometimes extra options like freezing/fridge or giving it to another person who does want to eat it.

So, while I hate wasting food, I focus on reducing the amount I prepare to the proper amount, not on making sure my plate is clean when I finish. For example, I'd rather serve my kids 2 small bowls of cereal than 1 large bowl and toss half of it.

OP I understand what you're saying. It's the "there's starving kids in Africa" mentality that those of us of a certain vintage had drilled into our heads. I have a hard time moving away from that mentality too, but I'm getting better. I find that weekly meal planning is very helpful. I've also moved away from one big grocery shop once a month, to one smaller shopping trip each week. At meal time, weight and measure out your plate so that you don't take too much.

ETA: I also feel less guilty since our city enacted new laws that ALL food scraps must go into the compost. At least I feel like the plants are getting yummy food instead of the landfill