it’s your parents fault you’re fat

While our parents may have had good intentions, telling us, as children, to clean our plates, when we were no longer hungry, this set us up to be overweight adults. No one should be forced to eat if their body is telling them they are full.

By cleaning our plates, our stomachs expand, and our bodies get used to eating more food. When we go out to a restaurant, most people eat everything, except maybe the broccoli, that they are served, and then exclaim that they are full. Fullness is when you’ve eaten too much. Stop eating when you’re no longer hungry, not when you’re full.

Since we’ve been so accustomed to cleaning our plates, put an appropriated sized portion of food on a small plate, which looks like more food to our eyes. Our parents may have fed us unhealthy foods, and excessive portions, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t change our habits.

Healthy foods can be delicious, depending on the recipe, but don’t expect a vegan, gluten-free pizza to  taste anything like a cheese and pepperoni pizza. Instead of a pasta alfredo makeover, think instead, of shrimp tacos. If your healthy, lower calorie meals and snacks taste good, you’re more likely to stick to the plan.

You should be hungry when you’re eating fewer calories, that means you’re losing weight. You shouldn’t feel like you’re starving though. Drink more water and add cauliflower, broccoli and/or beans to your meals to fill you up.

Instead of dreading going on a diet, think about all the positive outcomes of weight loss: more energy, buying nicer clothes, reducing or eliminating medication, looking younger and fitter, sleeping better, having less aches and pains, feeling happier, getting compliments, and finally liking the reflection in the mirror.

Don’t feel obligated to clean your plate, no matter who served you, or how much that meal cost. You can always eat the leftovers later. And, don’t tell anyone they have to clean their plate.