Just wondering if anyone was like this growing up

sculley
sculley Posts: 2,012 Member
edited September 18 in Health and Weight Loss
Growing up my family really didn't have alot of money so we would have enough dinner for one serving a person, I later got my nickname scrappy because I would eat anyone's leftovers and also was taught to finish what was on my plate I never liked seeing food go to waste. As an adult I have struggle with eating big portions either my eyes are bigger than my stomach or it's just a mental thing. Now that I have started my diet I have been getting smaller portions for myself and when I eat out I will box half of it immediately so that I won't be forced to eat it all. Just been training myself to eat alittle less because I LOVE food. hehehe when I was a couple of years younger *when I had a metabolism lol* I would associate with a place I have been to to my favorite food from there...... I know....funny huh...I just thought I would share this personal information about myself and maybe someone else can relate. :smile:

Replies

  • sculley
    sculley Posts: 2,012 Member
    Growing up my family really didn't have alot of money so we would have enough dinner for one serving a person, I later got my nickname scrappy because I would eat anyone's leftovers and also was taught to finish what was on my plate I never liked seeing food go to waste. As an adult I have struggle with eating big portions either my eyes are bigger than my stomach or it's just a mental thing. Now that I have started my diet I have been getting smaller portions for myself and when I eat out I will box half of it immediately so that I won't be forced to eat it all. Just been training myself to eat alittle less because I LOVE food. hehehe when I was a couple of years younger *when I had a metabolism lol* I would associate with a place I have been to to my favorite food from there...... I know....funny huh...I just thought I would share this personal information about myself and maybe someone else can relate. :smile:
  • chrispchef1
    chrispchef1 Posts: 67
    Oh I can definitely relate...

    We were in a similar financial situation and that's where I developed a sincere appreciation for eating! :smile: When there was a big meal, or something special - i would just about lick my plate. Gross, I know... but having to think about "whether there is going to be food" definitely affects your attitude later in life!

    On the flip side, it sounds like it has given you the skills to be able to immediately portion your out-to-eat dinners and save some for later. I do the same thing... and knowing there 'will be something for later' is the subconscious motivation. It's kinda satisfying in a bizarre way. And to be honest, I'm every bit as full when I finish the Reasonably Sized Portion that I eat in the restaurant!!

    Keep up with the doggie bags and your metabolism will return!! :drinker:
  • memaw66
    memaw66 Posts: 2,558 Member
    I can so relate but for a different reason. My mother was the oldest of 7 kids and her father died when she was 14. So my grandmother had to raise these 7 children as a single mom with no government assistance. So they didn't have extra money and food was the very basics, bread, milk and eggs....
    Well for this reason, when I was growing up my mom and dad always had the shelves stocked full. Mom would reward our good grades or whatever by going out to eat, birthdays meant a big homemade fattening dinner and cake. So I associated doing good with eating. Let me tell y ou, I got GOOD grades!!! LOL!!!! We always had a big Sunday sit down dinner. Food has always been a comfort thing. So I can totally relate. So I know how hard it is to train your mind to think differently, especially after 41 years!! LOL.

    Memaw
  • bkrbabe57
    bkrbabe57 Posts: 395 Member
    While I was growing up all I remember hearing was "there are starving children in Africa" So you couldn't throw anything away. We had concerts to feed the starving in Bangladesh or Southeast Asia. and somehow my not finishing my food put in in moral danger. I was an uncaring person unless I ate my Big Mac.
    To this day I hear that voice in my head.
  • Erica92627
    Erica92627 Posts: 576
    I can relate too. I think as adults and more access (easy access) to food, I think our minds are trying to make up for the foods it thinks was deprived of. As a kid I really didn't have access to much junk food. My parents did supply it (to a point) for example a bag of chips. We were not told "you cannot eat that" we were just told to take a handful with our sandwiches or what ever we were eating or if we wanted a few chip. We were able to just get it, but once that bag was gone it wasn't until another week or two that we saw another bag in the house.

    As I wisened up, I actually starting thinking that they were doing that for our own good so we wouldn't become so obsesed with chips and nothing else. It works too, I really don't eat many chips even to this day. I get chips but they sit in my house long passed the week or two. Put those little bags in front of me and that might be different , lol jk... I'm not that bad. I still stick to a few chips with a sandwich. I don't count them out, I just take a small portion and enjoy.

    As for me, at home town for example, I will see all that food and my eyes go YUMMY! and when I fill my plate with all that food.. my stomach takes a step back.

    Small appetite but poofy belly.. Sit ups I hope can fix that.
  • lockedcj7
    lockedcj7 Posts: 257 Member
    My childhood was much like the OP's. I was the garbage disposal at home since we did not throw away food. Instead of putting a bite or two in a container to go in the 'fridge, I was asked to finish it. As a result, I've struggled with weight and body-image all my life. My grandparents used food as a reward, which didn't help. My mother wasn't a very good cook and bought a lot of prepared foods, frozen dinners, banquet chicken, etc. When she did cook, it was spaghetti or something made from bisquick.

    My son is fit and trim and an instinctive eater. He can eat half a cookie and say he's full. He's only 4 y.o. and I hope that he can keep that way of eating and that we don't screw him up too badly. I'm trying to use physical activity as a reward. Instead of giving him a cookie for eating his nutritious food, we go outside and play.
  • songbyrdsweet
    songbyrdsweet Posts: 5,691 Member
    Ugh, I was made to clean my plate, and I didn't even get to choose what, or how much, went on it. Children will eat until satisfied if they aren't taught to overeat. So I'd eat enough, feel sated, and then I'd have to sit at the table for the rest of the night until my plate was totally clean. My mom didn't seem to understand that she'd given me too much food and I was simply full; as a young kid, it's hard to eat a full adult-sized plate of food. No wonder I was overweight. Then as a teenager I found it difficult to determine whether I was full or not after years of being forced to eat past my comfort point. Now my sister is the same way, although she's a bit more picky, but at lease she's not being forcefed.
  • age1389
    age1389 Posts: 1,160 Member
    Yup I had to clean my plate too. Now I have to remind myself that I don't have to do that anymore. It's hard at first but once we retrain ourselves it'll be a change that will last forever.
  • catlover
    catlover Posts: 389
    My mother was the chief cook at our home and I never remember her asking us even once what we wanted and we were not allowed to help. My dad always said we were, "Just in the way." We were members of the clean plate club, which was very hard for me as I was a picky, picky, picky eater back then and was unable to eat things like soup, stew, casserole, etc because I could not stand my food to touch. I did not get out of that until I was 25.

    My own kids are asked to try something, sometimes more than once, do not eat it if you do not like it, take what one serving of each item, stop when you're done. I can tell the friends she has that have to finish everything at home because when I tell them to just throw it in the trash, they act as though I've just killed one of the starving kids in Africa. I don't like to waste things either, but I do not want anyone to be forced into eating what they do not like or finish what they do not want.
  • elliott062907
    elliott062907 Posts: 1,508 Member
    ditto ditto ditto all around.
    Or ever hear this? Starving kids in Africa would love to have that.....
  • memaw66
    memaw66 Posts: 2,558 Member
    My dad always made us take at least one bite of something if we never had it before. If we didn't like it, we didn't have to have any. But if we asked for something to be put on our plate, then we had to eat it. We too, got the starving children lecture but at least he didn't force us to eat something we didn't like. He did teach us not to waste though. Thanks Dad.
  • sophialittle
    sophialittle Posts: 344 Member
    i was used to cleaning my plate too! and as i got older and especially when i was spending my money on food, instead of living at mom and dad's or them paying when we went out, i would still tend to eat everything on my plate because i guess my rationale was that i paid for it so i better eat it lol i guess i was more willing, before counting cals, to sacrifice my body, rather than my wallet! lol :tongue: just like those last few bites of stuff, it's like i can't let them go to waste! haha

    also, as a kind-of side note, anyone else get sick when they eat lots now? when i started counting cals, i thought the worst part about the whole thing was going to be family get togethers and football game saturdays. i thought i would be really tempted and would feel like i was getting ripped off if i wasn't stuffing my face!:grumble: the two times we've had meals since, i've gotten sick both times! i've still logged all my cals and stayed under, but my body's not used to eating as much anymore, which is a good sign i guess! now it's really good motivation to not eat like i used to anymore because i end up paying for it! anyone else get sick when piggying out, like in the good 'ole days? :smile:
  • madkat67
    madkat67 Posts: 32
    I can also relate - we didn't have much money either. But the funny thing was, we ate a lot of fatty foods (we call them "comfort" foods). Living in Lancaster, PA I am used to potpie (big, thick noodles with a chicken like gravy), mashed potatoes with gravy, meatloaf with gravy,...etc. You get the message. I guess my biggest downfall was when I discovered I really could afford McDonald's!
    My biggest problem now is going out to eat and getting the salad with fat free dressing while the people I'm with are getting big, fat deli sandwiches with lots of chips! Uggh!
    So that's my story - I'm learning how to feel comfort through salads and not gravy:happy:
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