As I child I was raised to clean my plate and not to waste food (because there were starving kids in Africa...)

As an adult, I have always felt it was a waste of my hard earned money to waste food. My surgery is November 5th. I don't think food that has been frozen tastes very good. Other than taking smaller portions, how have you changed your mindset about not having to clean your plate? Looking for tips or advice. Thank you!

first I use a smaller plate. It is a learning curve to eat not only less, but to stop when you need to stop. it takes practice. I also set aside food just for me, in portions that work for me. it makes it easier. If the portion is too small and you need more, that's an easy fix. Easier than finding out you ate too much, too late. Take your time and you'll learn what works.

4 minutes ago, Red Alicia said:

As I child I was raised to clean my plate and not to waste food (because there were starving kids in Africa...)

As an adult, I have always felt it was a waste of my hard earned money to waste food. My surgery is November 5th. I don't think food that has been frozen tastes very good. Other than taking smaller portions, how have you changed your mindset about not having to clean your plate? Looking for tips or advice. Thank you!

Like you I was raised with the mentality you must clean your plate. It's hard sometimes, but it requires a conscious decision to leave food behind, everyday / every meal

As you go through the surgery you're going to have to learn to alter your cooking style if you cook for more than 1 person. I eat my meal off a bread plate and it measure 2 oz or 1/4 cup. And that is filling and there are leftovers from that. Your body will tell you when you're full and trust me, if you over eat, your body WILL tell you. So unless you want leftovers for days or aren't willing to freeze some things, you will have to definitely alter your way of thinking.

To this day at almost 7months, I'm a member of the Clean Plate Club. I have never knowingly or willingly sent food to the starving kids in China. Even post RNY. LOLOLOLOL. I do hate unintentional leftovers cuz I'm sick to death of them. But I "plan" strategic foods that can be repurposed and disguised as a different kind of meal entirely. And then I'm all like, "Cool beans!"

I do the following and part of this comes from now knowing and understanding my tool. But you can ask any intermediate post op here how grueling that was for me to learn those lessons and calm the fu*k down with life. LOL!

I now know:

1. How much volume and/or weight in grams to serve on my plates.

2. I use tiny appetizer plates or bread plates for meals and tiny bowls for anything runny.

3. I ALWAYS weigh and measure my foods--especially for new meals--so I know how much to serve myself next time. I rarely get full (unless it's high fat meals), so I take my portion only.

4. NO SECONDS. Never.

5. No meals closer than 3-6 hours together and no snack closer than 2-3 hours of a meal. No continual snack buffet.

6. Make half the amount you expect to need.

7. Plan your meals.

8. Make simple meats/protein and meat/protein bases bases and keep fresh and frozen veggies on hand to make all sorts of things. Also keep strategic and choice low calorie, low fat, low carb, no/low sugar sauces in the pantry to disguise things.

9. Don't start counting on shredded cheese to "cover" up leftover tastes!!! Avoid cheese bombs. You will go to The Hell if you don't.

10. Start small--work slowly--progress only at YOUR pace and that of your doc/RD. Don't wing it.

Great advice! Thank you! But what is a cheese bomb?

54 minutes ago, laurileet said:

first I use a smaller plate. It is a learning curve to eat not only less, but to stop when you need to stop. it takes practice. I also set aside food just for me, in portions that work for me. it makes it easier. If the portion is too small and you need more, that's an easy fix. Easier than finding out you ate too much, too late. Take your time and you'll learn what works.

Putting buy small plates on my to do list

50 minutes ago, MargoCL said:

Like you I was raised with the mentality you must clean your plate. It's hard sometimes, but it requires a conscious decision to leave food behind, everyday / every meal

As you go through the surgery you're going to have to learn to alter your cooking style if you cook for more than 1 person. I eat my meal off a bread plate and it measure 2 oz or 1/4 cup. And that is filling and there are leftovers from that. Your body will tell you when you're full and trust me, if you over eat, your body WILL tell you. So unless you want leftovers for days or aren't willing to freeze some things, you will have to definitely alter your way of thinking.

Trying. Thank you

Couple of small things I do ...

I eat really simple meals that are sized for 1 serving, lunch meat roll ups, quesadilla, etc. Sometimes it's just some jerky or some cheese.

If I do cook for myself, I make sure it is something I will enjoy multiple meals of and will reheat well.

If I have people over, I try to send all the food home with them.

I split meals at restaurants if it is close family or friends, and they take the leftovers.

Mostly though, I just accept food waste. It's sunk money, it's already been spent. So there is no "value" in overeating. It is more worthwhile to me to lose the weight, then to clean my plate, or eat all the leftovers, etc.

4 minutes ago, Red Alicia said:

Great advice! Thank you! But what is a cheese bomb?

Succulent and delicious, calorie dense recipes that use a crapton of cheese in the recipe to make it ooey, gooey, delicious nonsense!

3 minutes ago, sillykitty said:

Couple of small things I do ...

I eat really simple meals that are sized for 1 serving, lunch meat roll ups, quesadilla, etc. Sometimes it's just some Jerky or some cheese.

If I do cook for myself, I make sure it is something I will enjoy multiple meals of and will reheat well.

If I have people over, I try to send all the food home with them.

I split meals at restaurants if it is close family or friends, and they take the leftovers.

Mostly though, I just accept food waste. It's sunk money, it's already been spent. So there is no "value" in overeating. It is more worthwhile to me to lose the weight, then to clean my plate, or eat all the leftovers, etc.

That is what I am going to lean how to deal with. Accepting waste.

I think that if I don't eat everything on my plate, it'll go in the rubbish bin. So if I do eat it, I'm treating myself like a rubbish bin...and that's what made me fat.

i find it hard in the puree stage. because my family isn't eating any of the things I get. I buy the smallest quantity of smallest container of things, then I have to put it in a glass container for the next day. Avocados are hard to use up being my family doesn't eat, so that went to a waste. anything after 3 days in the fridge I have to toss. So don't go crazy buying a lot.

13 minutes ago, FluffyChix said:

Succulent and delicious, calorie dense recipes that use a crapton of cheese in the recipe to make it ooey, gooey, delicious nonsense!

Yum. LOL

Change of subject but how do I add a profile pic?

Essentially what these surgeries do is limit capacity, intake, absorption. You won't want I eat everything all the time. If you work to unlearn some bad habits, learn some good ones, have a decent balance / good momentum you'll do great.

And what everyone else said is gold.

3 hours ago, FluffyChix said:

9. Don't start counting on shredded cheese to "cover" up leftover tastes!!! Avoid cheese bombs. You will go to The Hell if you don't.

This mad my day! You will go to The Hell!!!!