Always Eat Only Half Of What's On Your Plate--A Good Suggestion?

That's a great idea! You receive several days of enjoyment for one day of preparation. Sounds like a plan for busy people who don't always have time to cook.

Well, I started doing it b/c I'm diabetic and I control it with my eating pattern which means for now, no medications. To control it, I have to eat a small meal every 3 hours. I find that leftovers (like the lasagna) work perfectly. The servings I put them into are small enough to have every 3 hours and yet not enough to fill me up. !!HAPPY EASTER!! **AT PEACE WITHIN** ~~STAND STRONG IN YOUR BELIEFS~~

I'm not quite sure what you mean, but thanks for answering my question anyway, even though something got lost in your translating your Chinese into my English. That will often happen when somebody is trying to translate into another language word-for word.

That makes sense--but why do people do this who aren't overweight?

My "adopted" kid brother was like that when we were college age. He actually had to overeat just to maintain his weight. His daughter is the same way. I don't know how it will turn out for Karen, but, once Mark hit his thirties, things began to normalize. One day, he suddenly found himself eating normally for him and getting FAT while doing it. He's now 51 and still fat. He's well-proportioned but he's just larger than he once was, and he has a kind of chubby cherub face on him now. Mark's a very handsome guy at any weight. He loves to both eat and cook. Uncle Kermit--who remembers him as a skinny teenager--can't even picture what Mark would look like fat. More than that, he can't imagine him in a wheelchair. The wheelchair part came from back problems that were with him to a degree back before he had an ounce of fat on him--but there would, quite likely, be people out there who would shake their heads and say that being fat had put him into a wheelchair.

it then has to do with how fast your body burns calories, if you are very active or you have a high metabolism, then you need to eat more than other people just to stay a normal weight

The people who do this have this belief that they're being good, strong people and using their willpower. People, imo, actually do TOO many things in order to be "good" people and/or "strong" people--which will be the theme of the next discussion I start. And, no, I'm not suggesting that people start doing a bunch of stuff that isn't good for them. What I'm talking about is something entirely different. What? You'll be finding out very soon...

I have no idea why not! That's what I do. It's a superstition, imo, to think that you lose weight by wasting food. I could put three whole pieces of cake, sixteen ounces of mashed potatoes, a rack of ribs, and eight scoops of ice cream on my plate and have three half pieces of cake, eight ounces of mashed potatoes, four scoops of ice cream and half a rack of ribs going in my body and equal amounts going in the garbage, and, somehow, I don't think that this is going to cause the pounds to melt off of me. And you're right that most people don't work hard at preparing delicious dishes just to have them intentionally wasted.

Thanks for your precious answer! It really blesses me! I think we've bumped into each other around here before, because I remember your name--and, also, remember your helping the homeless. If you had left the pizza there to be thrown in the trash, the homeless man might have gotten it later, but he would have had to dig through a dumpster to find it, and it would probably have flies, other bugs, and the spattering of other food on it. I used to work in a restaurant, and had to take the kitchen-sized garbage bag out to this dumpster whenever it filled up. UGH! I could smell the stench even before I got there--and, when I got there and opened the lid. YEWWWWWW! So, I would hold my breath before opening the lid to put the garbage bag in. Imagine there being people who need to eat from these dumpsters or starve!?! Thanks for being part of the solution instead of part of the problem!

I looked to see where you were from! Ames, Iowa! My uncle taught there for one year (1973-74) in the Iowa State philosophy department. Uncle Kermit keeps a good watch on his weight. If he gets up to twenty pounds over, he'll watch things a little better (cut down on indulging a tad) to get back to his ideal weight. However, the only time I've ever seen any food go back to the kitchen when we eat out is if it's something that comes with a meal that he doesn't like and can't find anybody at the table with him to give it to. One example would be garnishes (e.g. parsley sprigs, lettuce beds, etc.)--and those definitely don't go back to the kitchen when he's eating with me because I love them.

Oh yes! The reason that I checked to see where you were from was to see if it were somewhere in the United States--and (no surprise to me) it was. I would have been very shocked to find out that you and your friends were from somewhere such as India.

I think so, too. It's understandable when your eyes sometimes get too big for your tummy--though taking the smaller portions in the first place goes a long way in preventing this situation--but just to deliberately plan on wasting food. Yeah! I think that those Mommies & Daddies who have ended up burying their precious babies over in the Third World would like to give those wasters a piece of their minds--maybe even set up a meeting with them on Jerry Springer so they could REALLY have at them!

I agree that this is what is called "magical thinking." Taking more on your plate with the predetermined goal of only eating half will not make you lose weight. It will just waste food. Taking smaller portions with the predetermined goal of eating only half of that will probably make you lose weight--but so will taking only half of that in the first place and taking only half in the first place will cut out the part about wasting food.

I couldn't agree with you more! Wasting perfectly good food doesn't make people lose or maintain their body weight--it's what you put in your mouth in accordance with your metabolism speed. Leave what you don't want in the refrigerator or serving dish for somebody else to enjoy. Babies play with their food. If somebody wants to act like a baby, perhaps, he/she should sit in a high chair, wear a diaper, and give up adult privileges such as driving a car, dating, etc.

i know.. the number one cause of greenhouse gasses today is animal husbandry because of the methane gas produced.. and since we eat a lot of meat, lessening this is next to impossible.. but if you are going to waste something whose sole purpose was being raised and placed in your plate then you're not going to eat it, then hope karma will come and one day that person will go hungry..

I agree, too, with not force-feeding yourself because somebody who is starving would appreciate what you have left. However, I was talking about this thing of intentionally taking more than you planned on eating just so that you can leave some on your plate to show what willpower you have. Otherwords, wasting good food showing off. Better to leave it in the serving dish instead of doing this kind of ritual. Besides, this is not only wasting food but it's also a step away from having an eating disorder.

Some people think that doing this shows self-control, and, in a mixed-up way, it does. But what a waste! So unnecessary! I think it's wrong for somebody else (e.g. a parent or babysitter) to put food on a child's plate and tell that child to eat it all (even if he or she doesn't like the particular food) because starving Third World kids would be glad to have it. However, if you're the one serving yourself, you should only take what you plan to eat.

Very Good Point. Waste not Want not.

Back when somebody first came up with this idea, our economy was better--but, even back then, it was a horrible economic decision, imo. Even if you're Bill Gates, you shouldn't be doing something like this. Here's another thought, too, about my special friend, Russell. He's going to be 67 this May 14. When he was a young man, he had his first and only fillet mignon. He loved it! However, he isn't to the place economically where he he has thought much about it other than our talk. I sent him some money and told him that I wanted part of it to go for a fillet mignon. However, at the time, he felt more led to spend the entire amount on the homeless kids we were helping (part of what I'd sent was for them, but I told him that he deserved a fillet mignon dinner with all of the trimmings, so take that out first). This turned out to be a great decision on his part, because he went to the manager of a local McDonald's to find out what kind of food items he could get for this amount of money ($50) so that he would know how many kids he could treat. The manager told him that he would match his $50 with $50 of his own and that Russell should think about bringing in ten kids. When they arrived at the restaurant on the afternoon of Fathers Day, they were made to feel right at home. Not only did they end up being fed well in the restaurant, but word got around the restaurant what was going on, and customers began giving them money, references, etc. And the employees of the restaurant packed bags of non-perishable items for them so that they could take them with them and share them with their friends. This was the beginning of something very special in the life of Invisible Youth Network, because it was a big push forward towards getting help for our kids. Since that time, all ten of those kids plus six more have been placed in loving homes! And Russell still hasn't had his fillet mignon--and I have the feeling that he won't until we have our face time sometime next year, and, even then, he probably won't have a whole one but will split one with me. If that happens, each of us would be starting our meal planning only to eat half of what was served, but none would be wasted! When Russell keeps putting off having a fillet mignon because there are so many kids going without, it certainly is a contrast to somebody who might leave half of a fillet mignon behind to go into the trash because of some kind of dieting trend.

If you're the one deciding what goes on your plate, it's best to try to eat it unless it turns out to taste bad or you suddenly feel too sick to eat. There are times when all of us have taken out too much, but we should be careful not to make a habit of it. And deliberate planning to waste food makes my skin crawl. As I wrote a few posts up, I heard the story of this woman who bought hor de vors at this place and took them home to grind up in her garbage disposal just to prove that she had power over food. My mom brought me a tempting treat down last night (one of my favorite foods), and I considered eating it immediately but thought better of it. It's in my refrigerator now, and I'm not going to be eating it for at least an hour. That's how you get power over food. You can live in the same house with it and not buzz through it.

My thoughts exactly! What's the point--other than showing off that we have willpower--of taking out more than we intend to eat for the purpose of leaving it behind to be scraped off into the garbage?

The story of your friend reminds me of the story of Dumbo the elephant. Dumbo could fly, and the reason he could fly was because of his oversized ears. However, at the same time that he discovered he could fly, he had also inhaled a feather. From then on, he would fly for audiences--but never until inhaling his special feather. Then the day came that he was scheduled to fly and his feather was missing. Somehow, his buddy got him to see that it wasn't the "magical" feather that was making him fly but something that he already had: his oversized ears. Your friend already has what it takes to maintain his weight: portion control. That is, he stops eating before he feels completely full. He could do the same thing by taking out smaller portions of food and finishing them, repeating the process until he has that feeling of knowing he's eaten enough. You don't have to waste food to make a choice of how you want your stomach to feel after each meal. I will say that one or two bites left behind is far better than leaving a huge portion of food behind like some people do repeatedly. If he were to eat a huge, piled-up plate of food at a meal but always remember to leave a bite or two behind, I have the feeling that he would end up gaining weight--while, if he were to eat a full smaller plate of food that amounted to his usual plate of food minus two bites, he would maintain his weight.

Exactly! When I prepare food, I prepare it to be eaten. It's okay if somebody gets full and can't finish the plate, but it's another to plan to do this from the get-go.

That's a great idea--and I hope that today's parents are no longer doing that power trip of putting food on a child's plate and saying, "You have to eat all of this because there are kids who are starving in the world." The thing to do for picky eaters is to find out what they will eat and fix it for them. The parents might even want to put a few small bites of disliked foods on a small saucer in case the child decides in the course of eating them to try them and see if their tastes have changed. But this would be the parent's doing and no child should be forced to eat a single bite of anything.

Amen! Those women who went into that expensive restaurant with delicious food, got their dishes, each one taking a bite of each dish, and, then, sending everything back to the kitchen to be disposed of need to go into an area where homeless people congregate and watch them go through the garbage looking for something to eat. And, no, these women aren't doing the homeless people a favor. In the kitchen, their food was, likely, scraped into a garbage bag for a landfill or into a garbage disposal where it gets ground up and directed into a septic tank or sewer. Meanwhile, there might be other people coming into the restaurant who want to eat something only to find out that the restaurant has run out. This happens. I'm disappointed but okay with it, if I see it being thoroughly enjoyed by somebody else. However, if I see that favorite dish of that restaurant being given a nibble and sent back into the kitchen, it will be all I could do to keep from glaring at the person who pulled this!

Otherwords, UN-learning that other extreme that also makes my skin crawl where a parent will dish up his or her choice of food and portions for the child and then make the child feel as if he or she is causing kids in the Third World to starve if he or she doesn't eat it all. Fortunately, I never had to go through this kind of guilt-trip--which is why I've never felt the need to leave food behind in order to unlearn a poor pattern of eating imposed during childhood. It's time that parents quit using food as a power trip. If a child willfully takes a pig-size bunch of food from the serving dish, I think that child should be required to clean his/her plate--though not necesarily in one meal. But children should be asked what they want. If the parent thinks that having a small amount of a refused food placed on a child's plate has the possibility of changing his or her mind about eating it, he or she might say to the child, "I'm putting this here in case you change your mind and want to eat it, but you don't have to."