Help with mindset please

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  • jnomadica
    jnomadica Posts: 280 Member
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    I’ve been trying to eat until I’m 80% full, as I understand certain long-lived populations in Japan do. It’s resetting my thinking about what satiety is. Basically, I’m eating slowly, until I’m no longer hungry, but still feel like I could eat more. Usually by 15 minutes later I feel totally content (if not, I eat more). Definitely a different way of thinking than the clean-your-plate I grew up with.
  • GOT_Obsessed
    GOT_Obsessed Posts: 817 Member
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    I grew up the same way. "There are people starving in this world."
    A few things I have tried:

    Chug a cup of water before eating. I mean chug chug like a frat boy at a keg party. Then sit down to eat your meal. My stomach seems to feel fuller after I have eaten my smaller portion. Perhaps it's in my head, but hey it seems to work.

    If at a restaurant you have eaten a reasonable amount and don't intend to take the leftovers home then dump pepper, sugar or salt over it so you don't pick at it. If it looks gross you won't be tempted by it.

    If you have emptied your plate (because it was a smaller portion) and you still want more food, only go for the veggies, not the meat. Or allow yourself a desert of fruit with light Cool Whip. (Or a lighter calories desert)
  • Kay_180
    Kay_180 Posts: 38 Member
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    I have also had a hard time remembering that it's okay to leave something on the plate! I try to practice leaving even just a mouthful at every meal, just to get in the habit of stopping before the plate is empty and considering whether I really want it. In the past, if it wasn't enough to save for another meal, I would always tell myself I should just eat it so it doesn't go to waste, even when I know I'm full. Now I practice telling myself it's okay to stop eating at any time. You can put down your fork with half a bite left on it, it doesn't matter.

    One thing I've learned is that this is easier to do if you're being more mindful when you eat (for instance, I just ate my lunch while working at my desk and the bowl was empty before I even noticed it :( )
  • HoneyBadger302
    HoneyBadger302 Posts: 1,978 Member
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    I grew up that way as well, plus, I was the super skinny kid with the crazy appetite, so it didn't matter - I ate all the things and then some.

    Now, that doesn't work so well LOL. If I'm preparing my own meals, I only cook one portion, or if I cook more, I immediately portion it out into bento containers and put them in the freezer in single meal sizes, and only dish up one meal's worth of food.

    Piles of veggies help me feel full and like I have a full plate without much in the way of calories.

    Eating out, I will sometimes ask for a to-go box to come out with my plate (or have them put half in a box before even bringing it out) and divide the meal right then. That way, I can empty my plate without feeling like I'm "wasting" the food.

    I'm getting better about accepting that eating more than I need isn't "wasting" food, anymore than putting it in my stomach is. It's either being turned to fat (which does nothing for me or anyone else) or it's extra. It's a slow process, but I'm getting better and I'm starting to realize that feeling satisfied is all I need - I don't need to feel "full."
  • stanmann571
    stanmann571 Posts: 5,728 Member
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    Alternately, you can embrace your mindset and eat fewer meals if that's an option.
  • dlm4mom
    dlm4mom Posts: 252 Member
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    I am never satisfied when I use a smaller plate. So I still use a normal sized plate but FILL it with lower calorie foods. I am eating as much, just different foods, and I feel completely satisfied.
  • faithrainbow1
    faithrainbow1 Posts: 54 Member
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    In order to feel like I'm not wasting food, I will pack extras up in a container to save for later, even if it's just a couple bites. Sometimes I eat the leftovers when I just need a few bites to tide me over, or I'll add them to another meal, but often they just sit in the fridge for a few days and then I throw them out. For some reason it's much easier for me to throw out old leftovers than it is to throw out new, warm, fresh leftovers. I don't mind the refrigerator real estate that I donate to this effort. Maybe some day I'll be able to scrape fresh food into the trash, but for now I'm just working on stopping when I'm satisfied, and packing up the rest.
  • mywayroche
    mywayroche Posts: 218 Member
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    Eat less for 2 weeks and your mind and stomach will adapt. Stop eating sugar because it screws with your bodies leptin

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