Yes, it used to be. Lost my job and could no longer afford my habbit. Figured out I was “addicted” to junk food. At one point I was 180lbs. The only thing that kept me from being huge is my metabolism.
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Yes… I have done much better since February? I was eating four packets of Little Debbie mini powdered doughnuts a day. Four times 360 is 1440 calories? Quite a supplementation program. I have wrestled with hydros due to a back issue. Those Little God damn Debbie doughnuts that are powdered, I wrestled with those as well.
Amen. If it is not in the house, it is out of mind.
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My wife came up with a brilliant reframe on this.
What is wasting food? It’s wasting money. That food costs us money: if we throw it away, we throw away money.
Alright, cool. So check this: when we eat excess food, we get fatter. What do a lot of folks do to resolve fatness? They spend money! They hire trainers, buy books, sign up for new expensive diets, etc.
My wife looked at this and said “I’d gladly spend MORE than the amount of money I spent on the food to lose the extra fat I’d gain from EATING the food. I’m not saving any money by eating this food: I’m wasting it. By NOT eating the food, I save money”
That’s been so liberating.
The other alternative: buy a vacuum sealer. I vacuum sealer our leftovers. I then freeze them and have them ready to go whenever I’m in a hurry.
My kid never finishes their scrambled eggs in the morning, so I gather up the leftovers in a freezer ziplock. After enough time, I have enough leftover that I can throw them in my weekly meal prep.
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Ha! To quote some comedian I’ve forgotten the name of: “Do you know how hard I have to work to look this average?”
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Good question. I wonder if it’s a sodium/salt thing, maybe to help with body-perceived dehydration?
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Good strategy. “If it’s in the house, you’ll eat it,” as they say. Not necessarily true, but having to drive to buy a “off limits” food creates friction, usually enough to avoid the binge food. No friction when the food is right there in the house… beckoning… seductively.
When my kid was young, she had some kid-foods in the house. I kept them in a separate cabinet so I didn’t have to see them. (Still had some control issues way back then.)
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I never really had problem with intense craving and overeating but since our baby is born at the end of February, all of that changed. Waking up multiple times at night has increase my appetite so much it is ridiculous. Even if I train less right now, I tend to eat more or at least crave salty, fatty or sugary food. (Burgers and ice cream are what I crave the most)
After only a few weeks after the baby was born, I decided to keep some shaker bottles ready with 2 scoops of protein powder in them. So if I am hungry (especially in the middle of the night after feeding the baby), I just pour some water in one of those bottle, blend and chug. Sometimes I eat a banana real quick after. It takes 2 minutes, it is cheap, and I sleep better after that. Also I tend to have less craving since doing that.
Thanks to that strategy, my weight has remain unchanged. Which would have not happend if I had continue to indulge with ice cream and chips at night like the first few weeks with the baby.
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It never has been for me. I’ve always been a small eater. Co-workers and people I eat out with get surprised at the portions I eat because they have this idea in their head that I’m some monstrous calorie ravager based on the FREQUENCY I eat meals at (funny, because that’s why I don’t need to eat huge meals to begin with). I also just eat less in general these days now that I’m no longer a beanpole trying desperately to gain a few pounds.
I’ve definitely had moments where I get sugar cravings at night and allow myself to indulge in a big meal, but when the same thing happens the next night or week, I think about how it wasn’t worth it the last time and I don’t have an issue shutting that desire down if I put my mind to it. I also find that protein shakes kill any sweet cravings.
I think it’s so interesting how different people’s bodies are on this topic.
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I have always been a “clean your plate” kind of person like a lot of us were probably raised. I typically still don’t leave anything but am better now about taking smaller portions.
The one thing I can’t stand seeing thrown out is protein. The thought that an animal gave up its life for what is sitting on that plate makes me want to make sure we put it to good use. I often take everyone’s “leftovers” and try to make a dish out of it. Only so far you can take that approach though and maintain cleanliness…don’t want to eat off of some random persons burger. But as far as my kids leftovers are concerned it’s all the same germs (or at least what I tell myself).
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I’ve had a number of failed gardening attempts (of course, also some successes), and I feel very similarly about plants going to waste. It can take a lot of effort to grow things. If it was picked, it should be eaten.
But I’m generally more along the lines of “I didn’t need to waste my money buying it, and the fridge space storing it”.
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Smothered, covered hash browns, a pecan pancake, and 9 scrambled eggs from the guy ashing his cigarette on the flat top while he cooked them.
I dated a waffle house waitress once. She had all her teeth, so jackpot.
Kind of. I started out skinny and went into bulking, which required some effort. Got a little fluffy, but it worked.
Being around food all day kind of makes me lose my appetite. It starts to look like manufacturing widgets at some point. You have to taste everything, so you’re never “mouth hungry.” But after a shift, oh my god, the adrenaline and cortisol evaporate and you get 4 double-doubles animal style when you get “stomach hungry.”
The saying “Never trust a skinny Chef” is bullshit. All the good ones look like starving wolves and are unintentionally doing intermittent fasting and taking 80,000 steps a day.
Now that I control my schedule better, I kind of bookend my days. Healthy breakfast with most of my fruit and carbs, budgeting about 600 calories for tasting all the butter, wine, and sugar while working, then a meat and veggie dinner.
And a charcuterie board in bed watching tv or reading, but it’s low-carb too and I like making them. Shut up, I can be fancy.
I know some guys who are special forces/park rangers/night shift workers, and they all say food can substitute for sleep.
Dad mode activated.
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I’ll sometimes take a different look at the “if it’s in the house, I’ll eat it” concept. I’m sure I won’t explain this well, as I’m having trouble narrating the thought in my own brain, but here goes:
Sometimes when I used to diet relatively hard, I’d have a bag of chips or cookies or whatever in easy reach, on purpose, to remind myself I was in control. I had remembered reading a story about an alcoholic that left a bottle of scotch on his desk, without touching it, for that purpose and it resonated with me. So I’d leave a sleeve of Oreos on my desk knowing I could have them whenever I wanted. That served to remind me that the diet itself was my choice and I actually leaned into it a little harder.
Glancing in the mirror, I should probably start that habit again…
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Yeah, that doesn’t work for me at home
i can be disciplined at work though when someone brings in donuts…i stay away
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You did a great job to look that hench with no appetite. Nice
I read and understood all of that, but all I could think of was I should eat some Oreos
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It’s not an insane concept. I hate tequila - so I don’t want to drink it. I know I can in a pinch, but if I have nothing to look at and go “Nah,” I feel like the drive to the store is my workout and I have to finish my PWO shake.
For desserts, we have a rule that you can have as much as you want, but you have to make it yourself.
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I have oreos in the kitchen right now!
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Is that a double entendre for something else ?
Uhmm… not really. I’m just thinking about the cookies. 
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