Last week I devoted myself to becoming an eternal member of the "Clean Plate Club," and, as far as I am concerned, it has been surprisingly easy to follow through on! By and large I have eaten all the food that I have taken onto my plate (and occasionally avoid using trays - thanks Rachael.)Admittedly there have been a few slip-ups...like when it was "Local Harvest Festival" night at Dewick and I was so overexcited about the abundance of local apple and squash-based foods that I overindulged. Nevertheless, even though I didn't end up finishing everything, I did try my best to put back as much as I could...By the end, rather than the normal food baby, I was feeling like Food Octomom.
It is hard to create specific reminders and strategies for avoiding the taking of too much food - it's not like I can leave a reminder at the stack of plates in Dewick or set a timer of sorts. Essentially, I have to use internally motivated self-restraint. The best tool that I can use when I am feeling like cutting corners is to get my friends on board. And they are happy to do so. I am regularly reminded by them to make sure I clean my plate. At the same time, they usually like to brag to me when they do so before myself. When they call my out for trying to cut corners, I feel almost embarrassed - I guess that would be the cognitive dissonance talking - and since there is no way for me to rationalize my cheating when they are there doing what I should be doing, I end up pushing through and putting back those last couple bites. That kills two birds with one stone: change my habits and begin to change theirs, too!
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"I conceive that the land belongs to a vast family of which many are dead, few are living, and countless numbers are still unborn." - Author Unknown
I think you just wanted an excuse to use that octomom picture :)
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