How Do I Avoid Second Servings At Dinner Time?

for reals I always cook extra too! my trick is to measure out and plate and store the leftovers! then i sit and slowly eat! if I’m hungry still I drink my water! there is evidence that proves drinking soda or juice even if diet increases your hunger! so only water!!

it is less tempting for me to dig into the fridge to find and serve. and heat up food!

I also eliminated a lot of starchy foods and sugars and found my hunger decreases!

I have the same problem! I can often feel so tired and hungry by the end of the day, but I have found that, in addition to tracking everything as best as I can on MFP, I do these types of things:

a. Use a small plate. I know, it seems stupid, but if you use a smaller plate, the food "looks" like it is actually greater quantity than it is.

b. Use a small fork, like the kind you might get in a confectionery to eat a slice of cake with your coffee. It kind of forces you to eat slower.

c. Drink a liter of water before, during, or after dinner. I find it helps me feel fuller, and who knows, maybe part of my hunger is just thirst.

d. This one is maybe a bit compulsive, but I will often consciously decide to eat half of my plate and put the rest back in the kitchen. Then, I wait for around 30-40 minutes to see if I am still hungry, drinking water or tea. If after some time I find that I still have some hunger, I will take a couple bites and put the rest in a container for tomorrow. If I feel like I don't really need it, the whole half-dinner goes into the fridge. I think that this works for me, because often, while I am cooking for example, I take a couple bites of something here and something there, and I don't track that. Then, if I don't eat my entire dinner, I think it tends to balance out roughly.

e. Ultimately, though, the only way to avoid seconds or overeating is simply NOT to do it. I have to tell myself that my weight loss goal is the reason why I am doing all this work, NOT to eat seconds today, tomorrow, the next day, and derail all my progress. It is hard to tell yourself no, but if you decide to just go cold turkey like that, find an activity to do after eating, like reading or drawing or something, that will take your mind off of the seconds that you're not getting.

Eat more during the day, if it's because you're letting yourself get too hungry later and it catches up with you- you won't feel as hungry or care as much. It's like shopping for food when you're hungry.

I cook extra food also. Its what the kids take for lunch the next day. I found putting leftovers away immediately helped keep everyone from mindlessly getting seconds.

What happens after you go over your number? Do you log it?

How much are you over your calorie target by the end of the week due to the second helpings? What is your long term trend on the scale week to week?

Use a smaller fork/spoon, there's some psychology behind it - do a quick Google and read up on it

Everything posted here already are super helpful comments.

From my own experience, I do want seconds after finishing my meal but it is purely in my head. If I walk away I realize I"m not actually still hungry, my mouth just wants more tasty food. I am perfectly full for the rest of the night (awake about 3 and a half hours after dinner) on one serving.

To help me break the bad habit I did the following (mostly stated above but repeating to show it works):

1. Only cook one serving, or pack up any leftovers BEFORE I sit down to eat.
2. Have an after dinner mint. As long as you have a small one, preferably one you can suck on for a bit instead of soft and chewy. One mint is less calories than a second serving of dinner, and taking the time to savor it will let you get past the immediate "I want some more" instinct.
3. If you frequent buffets: Take some time between plates to make sure you are actually still hungry, and don't pick up multiple plates at once. It is very easy to go through multiple servings quickly if you chain them together, and before you know it you have eaten way too many calories. If with company, take some time to chat about a subject. If alone, finish your drink and pause to think "do i want more food or am i satisfied?"

tmpecus78 wrote: »

Whats the deal with people now a days not having any self control when it comes to food?

If you feel like I just have to have more food, cut back on your earlier meals.

It's just not that easy for everyone. Some people struggle with this mental aspect of losing or maintaining weight, for various reasons (general lifestyle, habit, hormones, hunger pains, childhood relationship with food, etc....).

I don’t know if you’re the main cook at home for dinner but I typically only cook enough for my husband and I to eat that evening. We rarely have leftovers. I am trying to reduce my food waste overall so it’s a good practice.