Tips and Tricks: Throw it Away!

One thing I've learned lately is that I tend to eat things just to avoid wasting food. When I really stopped to think about it, this is a silly thing to do. Because what I'm really doing is adding extra calories (and pounds) that I don't need.

When clearing my children's plates off the table, I used to eat the last few bites instead of throwing it away. Even if I wasn't hungry! It wasn't until I got serious about losing weight that I even noticed that I did that.

Maybe it's the way I was raised, but I still have the idea in my head that I should always finish the food on my plate. Even after the point when I'm full. It's polite, my mind says. But when it's just me and my kids, who am I trying to be polite TO? Certainly not my waistline. Because each bite I take beyond what I need to feel satisfied is just adding to the fat I'll have to burn off later.

And let me tell you, it's MUCH easier to burn those calories BEFORE they go into your mouth. Say, with a blow-torch, instead of an hour of sweat-inducing yoga.

Going to a restaurant is the worst. I don't eat out often, but when I do it's to be social. And when you socialize while you eat, you tend to get distracted and eat MORE. Not to mention the portions at restaurants are ENORMOUS!! No wonder I usually leave a restaurant feeling mildly sick from overeating.

Should have asked for a doggy bag about 37 bites ago, I'll think as I heft myself out the door.

Another thing I catch myself doing is eating something I don't even really like or enjoy. You know when you take a bite of cake/candy/donut/cookie and think, Hmmm, this really doesn't taste that good. But for some insane reason, you keep chewing and end up swallowing it anyway? And then, to make matters worse, you take ANOTHER bite and another until that piece is gone?! And then when it's gone, you think, Hmmm, why did I EAT that? It wasn't even all that good!

Can I tell you how OFTEN I've done that? And I'll sit there and think, Why? It wasn't even WORTH all those calories!

So what I'm trying to say is this: I've learned that it is better to just THROW IT AWAY!! Stop the insanity. Stop the mindless eating. Stop eating when you feel full, not when the food is gone. Save the rest for later. Throw away the last few bites that aren't worth saving. Spit food out that you don't like.

Follow the example of children. This is how THEY eat. If we ran around in circles all day and didn't clear our plates each time, WE'D be skinny, too.