one of my BIGGEST battles as a binge eater/compulsive eater. Going out to eat, I always eat normally....make fairly good choices, even have leftovers.....but that pesky take out container has always been my downfall. In the past, I've gotten home and in the privacy of my kitchen devoured my leftovers, and of course I'm not hungry because I've just eaten dinner or lunch or whatever it is, and the horrible part is I've made up some excuse to leave my friend(s) and go home so that I could eat my leftovers, always completely pre-meditated, and if its not, I'm obsessing about the leftovers until I can get home alone....horrible!

Well small victory for me, went out to dinner last night (around 4pm), and here I sit the next morning almost a full 12 hours later with the take out leftovers in my frige completely not obsessing about it......I actually have the strength to let it sit there until after work today. YAY me. It was really good too, and healthy, grilled trout w/steamed veggies!

Good for you, Mammasita!! That's a great victory!!
And the longer you leave that trout in the fridge, the less it will appeal to you.

Yay for you Mammasita! I know what you mean about leftovers! You don't wanna leave them at the restaurant to be thrown out, but then its so hard not to gobble them up as soon as you get home. Maybe if you freeze them. I do that with alot of my home cooked leftovers. Then it requires alot more effort to defrost and warm them up.

WOOHOO! Great NSV!

I have a couple of unsolicited suggestions on some possible ways to deal with the "leftovers".

1. Split the entree with someone. I've done that with dh. We tell them we will split it and ask for two plates. Usually we'll get an extra veggie each.

2. Ask if the restaurant serves smaller or lunch-sized portions.

3. Take a "doggie" bag and actually GIVE it to a doggie! Woof!

Yay for you.

I now leave the leftovers at the restaurant because I would come home and eat them. I found I focused on the food more than the friends. Just the act of leaving the food there changed my evening. I no longer wanted to rush home to finish the food. With leaving the food came a freedom of the bond of that food for the evening.

YAY mammasita!!!! Good for you!!!!

I know I never have any leftovers from restaurants, because I always finish my whole plate.

I usually never have left overs either but sometimes I do and I have gone so far as to be eating out with friends and we get togo boxes and I will never mention to them as they leave my car "hey get your food" I will eye it and go straight home and eat not only my left overs if any but theirs too!!!!!!!! Why in the world do I do this to myself

Good for you! I don't leave them either... but I would leave them if I knew I would not be able to resist eating them right away when I got home! It is far more wasteful to eat something I don't need and don't really want than to throw it out. BUT the discipline is MUCH better.

Thanks ladies - I really do hate wasting - especially at restaurants that I dont normally go to, but I'm happy to say that my leftovers lasted me two days

I hate wasting too... but I prefer it to waisting.

^^ Haha exactly

Besides... IMO bringing food home and shoving it down my throat when I don't really want it IS wasting it!! Far moreso than putting it in the trash.

I have learned to divide up my meal before I start eating and putting it into a little box first. That way I am a lot more fair about dividing up the portions because if I cheat that time I will not get as much next time LOL.