The [Actual] Cost 💸 of NOT Throwing Food Away…..or Leaving Bites Behind
Hi my friend,
When you’re at a restaurant, or enjoying a special meal, and you get to a point in the meal and feel the “sigh”, that signals to your body that you’ve had enough, it’s time to put down the fork and be done eating.
In that moment, you have a choice… you can:
throw the food away
ask for a doggie bag
Overeat it
Being able to leave bites behind is an essential skill to develop if you want to lose all your weight for good. How you talk to yourself in that moment is a key step in creating a lush relationship with yourself and food.
For so many of us, here are the automatic thoughts that go through our mind…..
“But it’s SO GOOD!”….”I paid for this food, and It’s wasteful not to eat it”..... “There are starving people in the world, I’m being irresponsible to leave it”…..”This is special, I don’t normally get this food”.
Why is this a problem?
You’re putting MORE fuel in your body than your body needs. Think of filling up a car with gas and it overflowing because you’re overfilling the tank. It’s just not useful.
Many of us haven’t been taught this skill. In fact, the opposite is true.
I grew up at a time where it was considered really bad form NOT to “clean your plate”.
When I think back on my childhood, I can still picture my little sister sitting at the table (IN THE DARK) because she refused to eat all her food. – Actually, she was wise enough to stop when she'd had enough. 😉
My parents were of the Greatest Generation, and had lived through the Great Depression, so there was no throwing away of food. If you’re around my age, (59) I’m sure you can relate. We were taught that it’s wasteful and irresponsible to throw food away.
Or if you grew up with very little, and a scarcity mindset, not knowing where your next meal was coming from, Of COURSE it makes sense why you’ve had that narrative of not wasting food.
However, for most, if you weigh more than you want, you’re most likely not in danger of starvation.
More likely you’re in danger of dealing with costly medical conditions or feelings of emotional scarcity.
Another reason you’re not throwing food away, or leaving bites behind, is FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out)
Thinking… “But this is special”... I’ll never be able to eat this again…. whether or not this is true, this thought when played out in your life is NOT serving you if your ultimate goal is to lose weight.
What about the OTHER FOMO?
Missing out on being able to sit comfortably in an airplane seat. Not going skiing because your legs are too big for the boots. Missing out while you’re watching others have the time of their life while you sit by because your body is too heavy to move freely and easily and you might injure yourself.
I have a few examples of how this showed up for me recently. We had a crazy year so far, and as a way to lighten up the atmosphere in our house, I decided to give my grown son and husband Easter Baskets.
I’d put candy on my plan, and enjoyed a reasonable amount.
Then I got the bright idea to get Ben some Asian trail mix. The flavors brought back memories of my childhood. It was out in the main part of our kitchen, and not on my plan. I chose to eat it. I was telling myself we don’t normally have this type of food in the house anymore…., so this is my only chance. (actually not true).
I also made a pie with leftover pie dough, butter, milk, flour, and cinnamon & sugar. It’s a “recipe” my mom used to make… called “milk pie” and it tastes SOOOOO GOOOD!!. (Think of cinnamon toast crunch in a flaky pie crust) I ate one piece with intention, and enjoyed it.
…..Then later, when no one else wanted it, and I was done eating for the day, I kept walking by it, and noticed I felt a strong urge each time..…. I was telling myself I can’t stop eating this. I remember thinking I just need to eat it ALL so I won’t be tempted any longer 🤦
that was the signal for me…. of course that makes NO logical sense, …so I threw it out… 🙌
What was the cost of that last piece of pie? maybe a few cents?
What was the upside to throwing the piece of pie away? - no more beat downs, a lower number on the scale than it would have been, and I kept my promise to myself which feels better than pie any day!! 🙂 And, (by the way) I can make it again, any time I want!
How often is it actually true that the food is so very dear or special?
Answer these questions….
Is it that the food is special? Or are the memories you attach to that particular food special?
Is it really true that you’ll never be able to get this food again?
If you don’t pause to question or challenge these thoughts, then it makes sense that you’ll feel scarcity and urgency to eat more than your body needs.
Weigh the Options
If you’re afraid of the COST of throwing food away, ask yourself the following Questions:
How do I talk to myself when I eat more than my body needs?
How does it FEEL in my body when I talk to myself that way?
How do I SHOW up in my life, after I’ve been feeling that way?
How does my body feel when my stomach is overly full?
How do my joints, feet, and knees feel about carrying around extra weight?
Consider the actual $ cost of leaving a few bites behind.
Does it cost $1.00, $5.00, $10.00? a few cents?
When you consider that actual cost, is it worth it?
REMINDER - YOU overeating is NOT going to help others who don’t have enough, no matter what our moms said!! 😂
Here’s a hard truth
Throwing food away may feel a little uncomfortable in the moment. Our nervous system is telling us this is a very bad idea. We’re convinced we’re missing out. We feel the discomfort of throwing good food away, or we feel annoyed by having to find a place to store leftover food.
But my friends, Here’s the trade off….. You can choose to feel uncomfortable in the moment, OR you can feel disappointed in yourself for not losing weight. Depleted because you're feeling less energetic, Frustrated at NOT being able to shop in any store…
You get to choose
When you choose to leave food behind, you may feel a little discomfort at the moment.
But here’s the great news! Learning to say no to an urge to overeat gets easier with practice. 🙂
If you’re feeling stuck and are convinced it’s too late to change, it’s time to prove to yourself what you’re capable of.
Be patient. This work takes practice, courage, and compassion.
You’ve got this!
Amy
