Clean your plate!?!?!

monica1515
monica1515 Posts: 65
edited October 2 in Health and Weight Loss
It was always engraved in my head to "clean your plate" as a kid - how do you undo this!?!?

If I go out to eat, I'm going to eat my entire plate of food usually. If I eat til I'm satisfied, there's usually not enough left to make another meal out of it, and I end up eatting it. It's a bad habit.

How do you undo this crap theory!?

Replies

  • 99Tinkerbell
    99Tinkerbell Posts: 384
    I'm not sure how have the same problem and also clean off my kids plates as well! i can't stand waste and was raised that way as well!
  • DuckyBelle
    DuckyBelle Posts: 5
    I ask for a separate plate or a to go box, and box up the food I don't want to eat. So you can still finish your plate :)
  • trilikeagirl
    trilikeagirl Posts: 218
    Restaurants are ridiculous in their food portions and calories! In order to save myself I ask them to bring me a to go box with my meal, then box up half immediately. Otherwise I'm sunk.
  • beach_bum_gurl
    beach_bum_gurl Posts: 200
    I grew up hearing the same thing...and I truly believe that this mindset contributed to my obesity...

    When going out to eat, my advice would be to get a to-go box first and put half of your portion in that before you start eating.

    When eating in, use a salad plate instead of a dinner plate.
  • nicothepotato
    nicothepotato Posts: 306 Member
    I always share with my fiance and ask for a separate plate to portion out what I'm eating and he can have the rest.
  • BBCTiffyB
    BBCTiffyB Posts: 114 Member
    It took REALLY portioning my food in the begining. We didn't go out to eat a lot because I had to change to a gluten free diet, but I always ate until I was stuffed, and then took another 10 bites! I am the same way, NOTHING left on the plate, it's a waste of money!

    But now, I can barely eat 1/2 of what I used to. And I don't feel guilty about not finishing my plate. I usually just make my own food now and portion everything before hand. Do this for a few weeks and before you know it, you won't be able to finish a "normal" plate of food. LOL

    Hope this helps!
  • BeverageTreats
    BeverageTreats Posts: 149 Member
    Divide it in half before you start eating. Half you will take with you. If you drink water and eat slow, it will be enough. If you don't think so, get a side green salad and eat the whole thing with dinner.

    I know a lot of people who have always done this, and they didn't even have particular nutrition goals, they are just thrifty. :)
  • allyfry
    allyfry Posts: 22 Member
    Ask for a to go box when you first get your meal. Put half of your meal in the to go box. If you are still hungry when you leave the restaurant grab a snack at home or carry some sort of healthy snack like an apple. But most of the time when I go out to eat the meals are quite large anyway and if I don't scarf my food down I'm fine with half.
  • dlovesjimma
    dlovesjimma Posts: 39 Member
    When you order ask them for a to go box upon delivery of the meal, put half in the box and set it aside to take home.
  • lizardlizzie
    lizardlizzie Posts: 7
    I ask for a separate plate or a to go box, and box up the food I don't want to eat. So you can still finish your plate :)

    Exactly what I was going to suggest, as many others have :) It's hard for me to muster that sort of will power normally, though :laugh:
  • HolleeERL
    HolleeERL Posts: 313 Member
    I'm undoing years of this mentality on my husband and it's finally getting through. Just remember, you didn't serve yourself the food - they just took it upon themselves to assume that's how much you wanted. Don't feel guilty about leaving food on your plate when eating out. And if you are at home, don't dish out very much. You can always go back for seconds if you didn't get enough.
  • Tonnina
    Tonnina Posts: 979 Member
    To go box it! when you order ask that a box be brought out and put half your meal in it. Or splitting it with another works too!
  • mursey
    mursey Posts: 191 Member
    Holy *kitten*, my mom used to say that too! Also, I remember eating huge bowls of ice cream and my mom never said anything about it. Then again, people complain they have issues when their moms told them they ate too much .. ha ha.

    I'm almost 37 and I feel like I just started to be able to stop eating when I'm out and just ask for a "doggie bag". It takes some practice .. .. to eat slower, and realize your food will still be there if you save it for later. I think it's like anything else .. practice, practice, practice, and listen to the voice in your head saying "slow it down, you are not starving".

    But .. after the gym I do feel like eating really fast. At least that is the best time to eat more, according to a lot of studies I've read.
  • bjohs
    bjohs Posts: 1,225 Member
    It was always engraved in my head to "clean your plate" as a kid - how do you undo this!?!?

    If I go out to eat, I'm going to eat my entire plate of food usually. If I eat til I'm satisfied, there's usually not enough left to make another meal out of it, and I end up eatting it. It's a bad habit.

    How do you undo this crap theory!?

    I cancelled my membership to the Clean Your Plate Club last year... and for good! I started by only putting small portions on my plate at home and using a smaller dinner plate instead of a large one. At restaurants, I would ask for a To-Go box when I ordered my food to be brought out right away. When they brought out my meal, I put half in the box immediately and enjoyed the other half. Not only did I clean my plate the right way, but I also had another meal portioned out to bring home. :)

    Edit to add: I do not force my own children to clean their plates. Instead, I encourage them to just take a little bit at a time. They can always have another serving if they're still hungry... but they aren't allowed to put anything back that they take. I hope by doing this, they learn about portion control from an early age.
  • NancySDA
    NancySDA Posts: 73 Member
    I used to clean my kids' plates too when they were wee. Then I realized what I ate off of their plates was going straight to my hips/belly/etc. I would envision them spitting on the food and then I could NOT bring myself to eat their leftovers. LOL all of the other suggestions above are what I do...bring half of the food order home for the next day...drink lots of water...eat slow. At home, measure...familiarize yourself with what a half cup size looks like. put it all close together in the middle of the dinner plate. it takes time to get a different mind set
  • SKP1986
    SKP1986 Posts: 392 Member
    I started composting so that I could put what wasn't eaten to good use elsewhere (fertilizer). I always took leftovers home from restaurants to add to the pile.
  • BigFatDan88
    BigFatDan88 Posts: 1
    Gazelle don't eat all the grass and the lions don't eat all the gazelle.
    I was raised the same way and I know it's hard, but if you try to stop when you're full and save leftovers that's a good start.
    I think it's wrong to waist food so I donate to the local food bank and 4 hours of my time a week. That helps me let go of that other half of the steak I don't really need.
    When I was single I ate only when I was hungry and I was thinner. My wife insisted we eat at regular times and I put on 40lb in 3 months. Ignore the clock and eat when you're body says so.
    I hope that was helpful. Good luck :-)
  • idiocracy
    idiocracy Posts: 275 Member
    Put the leftovers in the fridge and in the morning make a little frittata or omlet or wrap with them. Eat that for breakfast or lunch at work.
  • inlander
    inlander Posts: 339 Member
    When at restaurants, I REALLY try to only eat half and save the rest. I usually eat it in the car on the way home. I try not to eat out so much, subsequently.

    At home, I make sure that when I make a meal (or something like it) I put the ingredients into MFP's Recipe tool and figure out how many calories each portion has, that way I'm accountable for every morsel that I eat. Even if I eat TWO or THREE portions, it's cool, as long as I've held myself accountable.
  • krysydawn
    krysydawn Posts: 231 Member
    I wish I knew... honestly, I struggle with this.. and all I can really do is NOT do the same to my child. :/
  • megz4987
    megz4987 Posts: 1,008 Member
    When you order, ask for a box. Put half of your meal in the box before you start eating. 9 times out of 10, resturaunt portions are waaay bigger than a normal portion.
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