Five years ago I ate half a hamburger….

Annie42019 · July 2023

…instead of the whole thing ( half the fries too) and started my weight loss journey while on vacation. I was on a cruise and finally owned up to the fact that I was 65 pounds over a heathy weight. Did I want to be like all those people who could barely move? No. So I started cutting my meals in half. As soon as I got home I looked into weight loss programs. Tried Weight Watchers for a few days but was turned off by what I felt were the “ game the system” stuff I saw on the WW message boards. I turned to MFP and lost 70 pounds on 10 months and another 5 over the next few months. I have KEPT it off by calorie counting and portion control. And last night we went out to dinner and I had half a burger and half the fries….coming full circle!

lacylucy1935 · July 2023

Way to go, that is what I do. I also look at it and think am I really hungry, is it worth it, no one will take it away. I can come back later...just paying attention to your feeling... I have keep mine off too, just would like to shave off another 10!!

takinitalloff · July 2023

That is a beautiful story @Annie42019 and I bet your half burger & fries tasted and felt far better than the full thing would have. You know how the first bite is always the best? Then Diminishing Marginal Utility kicks in... I bet with pretty much every meal I've ever eaten, the last bites were not enjoyable at all, quite the opposite.

I was taught as a child to never leave any food unfinished... but I never learned how to properly size my portions to begin with, and once I got older and was responsible for making my own food, I never figured out when to stop! Pre-planning my meals in MFP is teaching me to weigh and measure everything, and I'm starting to get a feel for what I actually need to be eating (and how much of it). For my main meal today I had a 5-oz steak and asparagus, and man, every bite was amazing. Such a revelation.

@lacylucy1935

I also look at it and think am I really hungry, is it worth it, no one will take it away. I can come back later...just paying attention to your feeling...

This is insightful, thank you. No one will take it away. You remind me of a story I read a few years ago:

[...] Whatever he looked at, whatever he thought about, it all seemed to him bright, joyous, and happy. He thought about his farming, and thought that it was all going well, that the furnishing of his house was all the heart could desire—there was enough of everything and all of it good; he looked at his wife, and she seemed to him lovely, kind, and gentle. He was delighted by the glow in the east, and the young grass, and his squeaking chaise, and the kite. . . .

I have held on to this thought in the years since, and made it my motto in many areas of my life: There is enough of everything, and all of it good. Now I'm learning to apply this to food as well.

Have a great day everyone!

Victoryanrose · July 2023

Inspiring, keep going.

GigiDeborah · July 2023

takinitalloff wrote: »

Whatever he looked at, whatever he thought about, it all seemed to him bright, joyous, and happy. He thought about his farming, and thought that it was all going well, that the furnishing of his house was all the heart could desire—there was enough of everything and all of it good; he looked at his wife, and she seemed to him lovely, kind, and gentle. He was delighted by the glow in the east, and the young grass, and his squeaking chaise, and the kite. . . .

How beautiful. I checked out your link to the story and had a little cry. Absolutely wonderful to think of life this way rather than how a lot of us (me!) think. More more more. That's why I'm a fatty! Thank you so much for this.

elisa123gal · July 2023

what a great story.. and a visual.. easy for anyone to do what you did.. just eat half. So doable and eaiser than "don't eat it at all." ha!

ja20102004 · July 2023

I like that idea! Great job. Keep it up!

Five years ago I ate half a hamburger….

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