I know it sounds like common sense, but I think a lot of us grew up with parents that made us finish our food even if we weren’t hungry. So eating more than we needed was normalized, and it became difficult to just stop mid meal.
this post was submitted on 20 Oct 2023
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Growing up with not much also conditioned you to eat everything on the off chance you can get a full meal. This has been a point of contention with my SO several times. They came from a well off family and they have no problem not finishing their food or not using some ingredients in the fridge whereas I've been conditioned to finish all meals no matter what and to be able to use up everything (not letting stuff expire) stored in the fridge.
Strong "you can't let good food go to waste" in the post-war generation, including in my own family. It's so ingrained even in the next generations that many of us will just "finish their plate" even though there's no necessity there. Some of us are quite well off now, but attitudes around food haven't changed. You have to finish your plate. You can't let good food go to waste. People elsewhere are starving. People worked hard so you could have this food. You don't know when you'll be able to have a nice meal like this again.
Like you, I realized the difference when I met people from different, well off, culturally food-secure backgrounds. They'd just stop eating, and throw the uneaten leftovers in the trash. Doesn't matter how good the food was. Doesn't matter how expensive the food was. Doesn't matter that you could eat the leftovers later.
I had a really hard time landing on some reasonable middle ground (you can save leftovers, but you're allowed to stop eating when you're full, etc.). Made me realize that it's so much more cultural than personal. Also raises questions about what we're going to pass down to the next generations, intentionally or not.
It's also not rocket science to figure out, how much you need to eat and plan your groceries accordingly. I seldom throw away food or let it go to waste and I really dislike, if others do.
Same. I also don't get the people saying it's because they're conditioned to clean their plate. Why are you putting so much on your plate in the first place? I get if you're 7 and your mom's doing it but an adult should be able to manage their portion sizes.
Because a LOT of people, parents included- have disordered eating habits and pass those on to their children.
The great depression shit again? Still is a factor in this? It cannot happen again, it factually cannot. We are more efficient at growing food than we've ever been.
Definitely could happen again, and will eventually happen again. All civilizations fall eventually. Current food production, transportation, and preservation is almost entirely ran on fossil fuels (fertilizer, pesticides, machinery, refrigeration, etc). Climate change will eventually make a significant proportion of current productive land unproductive. Climate change, topsoil loss, super-bugs, super-weeds, etc are also already causing problems; and many experts think the current way of doing agriculture are unsustainable.
Yeah, seems obvious but when your entire childhood is filled with shame because "there are starving kids in Africa so finish your plate", it's not so simple. Or when you realize that eating is the basically the only joy you have in life, it's not so simple. Or when you have to take medications for your mental health and the side effects are that you over eat, it's not so simple. Or when you have no time to exercise bc both you and your wife have to work to afford anything in this stupid economy, it's not so simple.
Simple doesn't mean easy. Running a marathon is simple, you just keep running until you get there. Yet the majority can't do it.
For each of the scenarios you presented, there is a simple solution:
- "there are starving kids in Africa so finish your plate" - put less food on your plate
- eating is the basically the only joy you have - expand your hobbies to find meaning elsewhere
- medication... side effects - count calories
- no time to exercise bc both you and your wife have to work - make exercise part of your commute
Each of those are simple solutions, but they aren't easy to implement. I get it, I don't do the above nearly as much as I should; I know what I should do, but actually doing them is another story.
Keep it up, you can do it. :)
Don't stop when you're full. Stop when you no longer feel hungry.
I like this a lot. The stopping when full thing has helped, but your recommendation seems better. It may require a higher level of mindfulness and self control, but so be it.
For me it requires self control to eat.
I have ADHD and can't remember shit. Regularly forget to eat, hate making food, eating is usually a chore I seek to finish quickly so I can get back to doing other things.
Kept me very skinny so far at 30 years old!
You eat for hunger/appetite
I eat for dopamine
We are not the same
Time to find such dopamine from other activities. Food is fuel, nothing more, nothing less.
Easy to say but very hard to do when you don't enjoy doing anything, even things you used to love.
I'm a 100 pound they who's always - always - had trouble eating past the full feeling.
Like to me. Eating 'one more bite' past being full is worse then going to the gym and putting 20 extra pounds on.
Exceptions happen for holidays where we graze all day on many different foods. Variety being the spice of life n all.
But if it's a 3 course meal. I'll eat until I'm full. Pack it away. And eat later.
All you can eat places are completely wasted on me.
Sometimes with North America potions I get meals out of a 20/40$ take out.
Quantity of food: weight. Quality of food: health. Remember you can still get diabetes being slim. Also I guess health can be quantity if you become morbidly obese.
Artificial sweeteners and highly processed foods can shut off your "I'm full" safety valve.
Read the labels on the foods you eat, educate yourself.
Corporations want you to eat to excess, it's profitable.
Which artificial sweeteners do that? Sounds interesting
I have never heard this before and I'm pretty sure it's nonsense.
I'm pretty sure it's nonsense
Maybe, maybe not. More research is needed.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7817779/
Nevertheless, human studies investigating the effect of artificial sweeteners on hunger-satiety cycle, via SCFA, are currently lacking.
Figured the same lol, so much misinformation on sweeteners
I figure they're probably safe and certainly not more harmful than sugar.
They just taste wank.
Heard from sci show that they make you crave sugar more since they are stronger than real sugar. Also, they make your intestines absorb more sugar since the sugar receptors get clogged trying to absorb the artificial stuff and they pull more. That second one probably doesn't affect you very much though.
they are stronger than real sugar
This is only true on a per-weight basis - which is why they use a lot less of it to obtain the same degree of sweetness.
they make your intestines absorb more sugar since the sugar receptors get clogged trying to absorb the artificial stuff
This is an amazing chunk of nonsense you should actually be congratulated for.
That second one probably doesn’t affect you very much though
Because it's nonsense.
Fat people hate this one simple trick.
I got down voted to fuck in another thread for saying this lol
The amount of excuses fatties come up with is actually depressing. You don't have to swap every meal for a boring salad, you don't have to run ten miles a day, you don't have to meticulously count every calorie or commit to fad diets etc etc etc.
All you have to do is eat less. It's simple, it's easy. No one gives a fuck that you're busy, or a super taster or that you comfort eat, or that you feel super hungry before bed time. None of that is stopping you from eating just a bit less.
There are a minority of fat people who have significant mental or health issues of which I empathise, but for most, it's a combination of greed and the inability to delay gratification.
You need only two things to achieve and maintain a healthy weight;
- Be honest with yourself
- The will power to not consistently over eat
Edit: and here come the downvotes again lol you know I'm right, it's just that the truth hurts.
I downvote you, as a thin person, because you are an asshole. And this is kinda stupid:
There are a minority of fat people who have significant mental or health issues of which I empathise, but for most, it’s a combination of greed and the inability to delay gratification.
Perhaps think about it more. Or don't comment on other people's bodies.