Does anyone else feel wasteful sometimes?

I went to a buffet for the first time this past weekend, and while it's good that I can eat a variety of things and pick and choose, I feel that I pay too much for what I can eat and then feel wasteful for having to throw things away. I've had to pitch a lot of food over the past few months, and that was unheard of prior to my surgery! I ALWAYS cleaned my plate.

I tend to not do buffets except for really special cir****tances.  (For example, I did a brunch buffet with my mom last weekend because that's what her CCRC has for sunday and we'd heard that it was amazing.)  Otherwise?  I've been to one buffet type thing post-op and that was because my partner wanted to take his brother to Fogo to show off American excess :P  

Aside from buffets... I have gotten better about buying and ordering the appropriate amount of food so, as time has gone on, I feel that I'm throwing away less and less food.  

I avoid buffets like the plague.  It's a total waste of money.

I have had some luck asking certain low-end buffets (when family chose it and I had no control), if I could buy a to-go order by weight.  They give you a to-go box and weigh it.  -- I usually feign that I just had surgery and cannot eat much, etc.  -- and they've let me do that.

Overall though, I try to remember that I certainly got MORE than my money's worth in the past -- so I figure it's fair in the long run.  Overall, I just avoid buffets though.

Always cleaning my plate got me to 475 pounds. Not taking much food, and throwing away what I can't eat, has gotten me to 195 pounds.

I don't worry about waste. Eating that extra food was never, ever going to help a child starving halfway around the world.

As others have said, I don't do buffets anymore because I definitely feel like it's a waste of my money.  That being said, I went from never eating leftovers to eating them constantly.  When I'm out at a restaurant, I try to order smaller things, but sometimes it's just not on the menu, so I try to order things that I know will make good leftovers.  I've gotten the look from the server and the question of "Did you not like the food?"  I just tell them that I have tiny stomach and get on with things.  :D

Right now I have a filet medallion from a really good steakhouse in my fridge.  I will be reacquainting myself with it tonight.  :D

Jen

I was raised to clean my plate because children were starving in distant locales. However, eating beyond my body's needs is wasteful.

I have no trouble taking a doggie bag or putting away leftovers at home, but I do not go to buffets. If we go out to eat, I would rather go somewhere I can get a steak. If I don't eat all of it, no big deal.

I've taken lots of leftovers home since my surgery in 2008.  At times, will only order an appetizer and it's enough.  Love Sizzlers value meal - the pork chop, steak or malibu chicken comes with the salad bar.  Fill up on what I want from the salad bar - generally chicken wings, a little salad, soup and dessert and box up my dinner for another 1 or two meals.  I know most buffets around Sacramento, have to go box where you pay by the oz/lb.   If I'm not hurried, I can eat, talk 15-20min and eat more.  Sleeve empties pretty quickly.  But, my plate is generally filled with protein - meat, meat, meat...

I was told by a gym trainer once:

"You can pay for a meal one or twice.  You can pay and eat what you like -or- you can pay eat everything you can and pay for it a second time as fat collected on your body"

I always cleaned my plate and it earned me plenty of fat over the years.  More times than I care to admit I paid for meals twice.  If you eat out they'll serve you too much.  Once you pay for it, you can eat any amount of it but the question is will you pay for it again with weight gain.

I throw away food all the time and don't feel bad unless it's egregious waste.  I just give it away now, or ask them to bring me less for the same price.  We have hideous food waste here in the US, but most actually happens in grocery stores and from produce people don't use.

To be honest, I feel worse grocery shopping.  I've started buying protein in bulk and I wound up tossing fresh produce so I get what I cook raw from the salad bar or frozen.  Yeah I pay more per pound, but less waste.  I now rarely (if ever) toss produce. If I can find tiny apples (hard lately) that are 2oz I might get those, or super super small sweet potatoes for my treats, but even those I buy sparingly because I don't want them to waste.  

I get in too much trouble cleaning my plate.  It is still too easy to overeat and I would rather toss extra food than damage my stomach. The latter will cost a whole lot more to fix than that $10 of food at the restaurant I just tossed.

I don't do buffets anymore at all.  I started realizing that they were an enormous waste of money, even before surgery.  I either had to make myself eat more than I knew I should or wanted to, or had to pay for far more than I ate.   Since surgery, I have found that I asking a waitress really nicely, with a brief explanation, will get you a quick pass to a buffet to take a very small serving or sample of something without having to pay the price.