"A bite here or there won't hurt...."
 

I think one of the major things that is helping me this time around is that I have stopped with the "oh a bite here won't hurt" attitude WHILE I am cooking.

I never tracked those bites. Now, I track everything. EVERYTHING. So since I dont' want to bother with it, I'm not taking those little bites anymore. I still go to, but I catch myself. It's almost unconscious. I've done it so long! Sometimes I don't even realize I've done it until it's in my mouth (and then I spit it out)

Anyone else do this?

I was probably adding a good 2-300 cals to my day with that. :(

Cooking bites are one thing that I can't give up (not because of craving, but because I have to test the taste of the dish), so I account for them and weigh/measure out a smaller portion. I know it's estimation to a degree--I can't weigh the little taste of sauce I tested, but I can use less on the plate to make up for what I've already had. I try to err on the side of caution and assume big tastes rather than little ones when I record them.

That's a nice change from my old attitude of "If I'm sampling it while standing and cooking, it doesn't count as calories." :D

I rarely cook with recipes and like to vary my repertoire of dishes often when I cook. If I didn't taste, I'd probably serve up some real abominations--but I absolutely agree, those tastes add up! Either we count 'em or we do away with 'em.

Oh! Now a taste of sauce or whatever would be the LEAST of my problems. I am not talking 'taste testing' ....by any stretch.

I'm talking about when I make a grilled cheese with mozzerella, and use one serving on the break then eat a half a handfull from the bag, then eat an extra slice of bread, usually with butter.....

when I make a salad, easily eating two servings of croutons BEFORE I've put any on my salad!

etc, etc...."Do not dig your grave with a knife and fork."

;)

My hard and fast rule of NO eating while standing has helped me with this. It's amazing once you start to keep track of the impulse to put food in your mouth standing, cooking, cleaning up food, putting food away etc - how often you could do it.

When I want to taste what I am cooking I take the spoon and sit down with it very often. (if I am being very conscience of not eating while standing)

Good point Lottie.

I have been really trying to be strict with myself about this! Now as far as cooking, I cook from scratch and often come up with my own recipes so I do taste test, but that isn't a big deal for me. My problem is that with 4 kids someone always wants a snack or something and it's those snacks that I find I want to pop a bite or two into my own mouth and well that isn't going to help me get to where I want to be, so I have to police myself hard!

I stopped baking because I still want to lick the bowl - a treat when I was a kid, a habit as an adult. Emotionally it takes me back to those happy times in the kitchen with my Mom. Its not always negative emotions that take me to an 'eating' place.

I used to be really bad about having a bowl of cereal while I was cooking dinner. I've also made quick sandwhiches, cheese and crackers, etc. Dinner would be another 10-15 minutes and I was hungry (yes I could have waited the 10-15 minutes, I was not going to starve), but I thought I needed a snack which I made dinner.

Ohh! Okay, those bites, I know what you're talking about now. :D

I've declared a moratorium on those bites, though it's been tough. I don't need to taste the mozzarella I'm grating or the pistachios I'm crushing up or the feta that's going on the salad. That isn't tasting, that's me snarfing up extras that I don't need. You're right, it's a hard habit to break because it's so much more pervasive than we might think.

The other day I intended to make myself a sandwich with a single slice of bread. Got all my stuff together for it as I was talking to folks, looked down and saw two slices of bread and the big mayo jar. I was clearly on autopilot and going through the "sandwich-making" routine.

It really does take vigilance, doesn't it?

Yes! I do not do this anymore, and it was something I did constantly. I'm sure I had more than even 2-300 calories worth - sometimes I could probably eat that much just while I was grating the cheese. I don't even lick my fingers off anymore. I just don't want to eat something I can't count, and I plan everything out, so there's no room for any of those little extras that can add up so easily.