Updated: December 12, 2023
Episode 217: Leaving Food Behind When You Eat Out
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Hate wasting food at a restaurant? Me too, but we gotta stop feeling wasteful if we’re going to lose weight.
I grew up poor, eating at buffets, and my momma saying, “Eat all you can because I don’t know when the next meal will be.”
This led to a lifelong problem of overeating. I’d go out to eat. A big ass heaping of food would arrive that’s tasty AF.
As I ate and hit the point where I’ve had just enough knowing anymore and it’s time to unbutton the pants, my brain lights up like a firecracker thinking…
“I don’t want to waste it. I need to get my money’s worth.”
Sure I can get a to-go box but in the moment I don’t want a damn box. I want another fork load of steak dipped in mashed potatoes.
Then I was losing my 100lbs. I knew had to solve this. I had to learn how to stop eating and actually WANT to do it.
I didn’t want to just learn how to stop eating and feel bad about it. I wanted to stop eating and feel GOOD about it.
I was ready to stop wasting my LIFE overeating food.
Today’s podcast is FOR YOU if you are ready to learn…
The self-talk you need in the moment food tastes so good and you don’t want to stop.
How to quit wasting time in regret, shame, and quitting on your weightloss goals over a few more bites of food.
What it takes to leave food behind AND still have a good time (instead of sitting there feeling punished or wasteful).
P.S. Today’s podcast came from a recording in the new app Clubhouse. You can catch me every Friday at 7:30am CST LIVE answering questions. Follow Corinne Crabtree and the Losing 100 Pounds Club.
Listen to this episode of Losing 100 Pounds with Corinne on Apple Podcasts by clicking here.
Get the Free Course here:
Transcript
Speaker 1:
Good morning, Joan, what’s your question?
Joan:
Good morning. Sorry about that. I’m a newbie. I’m loving the program and I know I should have this answer, but I want to hear it from [Corinne 00:00:09]. How do I change this feeling that I’m at a restaurant, I eat half of it to satisfy, enough, I can’t take the food home I’m away. How do I deal with that, I feel bad wasting food?
Corinne:
Well, first of all, Joan, I’m glad you wanted me to speak on this. I feel like a rock star.
Joan:
You are.
Corinne:
And welcome to being a newbie. First of all, I just want to say that’s normal. It’s very normal. And this is why we attribute the amount of money that we’re paying for the food as if that’s getting the value from it or getting our worth it from it. When you go to a restaurant, you are not paying for volume of food. You’re going to a restaurant for taste, experience. You’re going to enjoy it and to eat enough to where your body is no longer hungry. That’s what we’re doing when we’re going out to eat. We’re not going out to see if we can get a 16 ounce T-bone for $10 and make sure that we eat all 16 ounces of them. I don’t think most people go and say like, “You know what? I’m going to go out to eat, and I hope I get $21 worth of food in my belly.” Is that why you go?
Joan:
No.
Corinne:
No, but when we’re sitting there, what do we tell ourselves? Oh my God, I can’t take this home. What a waste. Here’s what I should do. I should waste all my time and energy in the next three days with regret and sorrow that I overate, and once again, fucked up my plan. That’s pretty wasteful. That’s called waste. This is the thing, guys. I’m not advocating you guys wasting money, but when you go out to eat and when you’re traveling, this is a very small occurrence in your life. You leaving some food behind, you may leave a few dollars on the table if you want to think of it that way. But I want you guys to quit wasting your time with self-loathing and struggling and denying yourself your dreams.
Corinne:
Because the one thing, you can make more money, but you are not going to make more time in this life. So every minute that you spend when regret and guilt and shame over over eating is a minute of your life that costs way more than that five bucks you’re leaving on the table at a restaurant. You’re not getting that time back. And I guarantee you, when you die, you’re not going to be on your death bed going, “Well, I sure do regret all those meals when we ate out that I left some food on the table.” No one is. Do you know what we always do on our death bed? We regret every moment of our life that we wasted because we know we’re done.
Corinne:
And none of us should go to the grave full. No one’s going to say like, “I’m so glad I dieted my entire life. I’m so glad I struggled with my weight.” That’s the waste. So in those moments, Joan, you need to, here’s what I would do. I would journal now about how here’s all the things I’m no longer willing to waste in my life. And here are the things when it comes to food that I keep thinking, this is wasteful. And then I want you to tell yourself, but here’s the real truth, Joan, it’s not wasteful for these reasons, because I’m tired of feeling these things and I’m ready to start feeling these things.
Corinne:
And you do that work in your journal, guys, and I’m going to keep talking about this. When we say journal and do the work. That’s what we mean. You have to write out these new truths. You have to write about these new truths and the things that you’re telling yourself, you have to convince your brain that this is a lie. This is a lie, and here’s why. And you do all that work away from going out to eat.
Corinne:
Then Joan, we are all going on a road trip and you’re going to go to the world’s best nacho joint. And they’re going to bring a platter the size of like my ass. And you’re going to think that you need to eat all that because like, “Oh my God, we can’t take these to go. We don’t even have a microwave or refrigerator or nothing.” And in that moment is where you practice what you’ve been writing. And you’re like, “Take a deep breath, Joan. This is nachos. Here’s the things I’ve been writing about. It’s going to feel uncomfortable because I’m going to be having my old shitty thought of this is wasteful. And I’m going to practice my new thoughts too. And it’s my job to be uncomfortable doing the new thing a few times until I prove to myself how much better life’s going to be when I quit doing these old behaviors that I know when I’m in my right mind and I’m away from the moment, never feel good.” And that’s the practice part of doing it.
Speaker 1:
How does that sound?
Joan:
Okay, I am ready to go. And I love that journaling. Like I said, I’ve been doing it a month. Never thought I would, but thank you so much.
Corinne:
You’re welcome. And you keep enjoying the membership.
Joan:
Oh, I will. Thanks.
Corinne:
All right. Bye-bye.