Does anyone else have issues with the economy vs. quantity - like how it's much more economical to get the biggest size of something (anything) even though you know you don't need (or want) that much - and then end up eating much more of it simply because it was there and because you could not bring
yourself to pay much more for the smaller size? A few specifics come to mind... Upsizing on fast food (only veggie burger or grilled chicken combos for me, now) I can pass on, but put me in the freezer section and I always, always, always have to get the 2 litre carton of ice cream that only costs $2.50 even though I know I should just get the itsy bitsy tiny half litre carton of the higher priced brand. Are we programed from birth to do things like this??? How do you reconcile the need to be economical and keep on budget with trying not to go overboard on quantities?
I used to. I haven't found this business of weight loss to be all that easy on the pocketbook, frankly. For me, I think it costs more to eat well, particularly if I focus on buying good fruits and vegetables, leaner cuts of meat, etc. Of course, there are economical and healthful meals we can prepare, but by and large I think it costs more per serving to eat well. I think you have to reach a point with your weight loss program where you have to prioritize what is the most important thing to you. There's nothing wrong with having ice cream, but if it's a red light food for you then STOP buying the economy sized container. If you've got to have it, go out to an ice cream shop and pay a couple of dollars for a serving of really good ice cream. Enjoy it, and go home. Yes, you probably could have bought an entire container for that price. But it's worth it to not have the temptation.
Last week I was craving Doritos-hadn't had them in eons. I asked my DH to pick up a SMALL bag. He came home with the JUMBO bag. Guess who ate most of them? Yes, I'm at goal, but I still have an overweight mind that needs to be reminded on occasion that bigger isn't better.
Yes, this is certainly something that I have also struggled with. Also, throwing out leftovers. I've just had to decide that I AM worth it, truly and in my heart. I hate the desperate, almost panicky feeling that I sometimes experience when I know there is something in the house that I want to eat but don't want to for the sake of my program at the same time. I don't think it has actually gotten much easier for me to say no to things once there are available in my house. But it has gotten much easier to buy the proper serving sizes. It just has to become a new habit I guess. Another thing is going to a nicer restaurant and paying more for smaller portions of better quality food.
Good luck!
Flib
292.6/170.8/169(WW goal-almost there!)
Here is something I've learned to do in the 2+ years I've been struggling. If you buy the economy size of something or even a normal size box. Pack it up in ziplock bags for 1 serving. Mark the bag with the points. For example Ritz came out with these snack size Smore cracker/cookie things. I weigh out 1 serving and put it in a snack size baggie and mark the baggie. I do this until the whole box is empty. Then I place all those little baggies back in the box and put it on the shelf. I do this with Chips, cookies, candy, snack foods, etc.
I've done it before for ice cream too. I use those gladware/ziplock ware small containers for this and use a dry erase marker for the points.
Kelly, Glad that approach works for you. If I were to do that (like with my Doritos), I'd just be sitting there making a mountain of ziploc baggies on my lap at night. I always thought that once I made goal I'd magically learn self-control over my red-light foods, but unfortunately I haven't.
I shop at Costco a lot and do buy many snack foods in bulk for the kids and the kids lunches. My trick is to buy the big boxes of the snack size. I find if I want I have it already portined and i don't have to smell it as I portion it out. But the biggest bonous has been that the kids are learning portion size and they never ask for more than one package. My hubbie who is a big snacker will eat 2 bags sometimes but he too could eat a super size bag of doritos if we had them. I think it does cost more per serving, but I have far less wast and far less to throw away if the kids are not in the mood to eat a whole box of ritz bits in 3 day. It also allows for more variety.
Thanks everyone for your input on this... I knew I wasn't the only one who'd ever been faced with this, but it's still nice to see how others have handled - or try to handle - it.
Kelly... thanks for the idea about the individual servings. I do that already for 'dry' snacks like chips (12 lite pringles = 3 pts!), but never thought to do it for things like ice cream! If I ever feel the need to get a large container again, I think I will give this a try!
This is such a tricky situation and I think we all face it to one degree or another. A tough thing for me is to go to a place where dessert is included, I'm full, and feel like I'm throwing money away if I don't get everything I'm entitled to. So.......I try to think it through and be logical. Sure, I'm entitled, but I'll throw off my weight loss, give up a week of eating well, have to pay my weekly WW fee and probably not see a weight loss, etc.
In the long run, those inexpensive sizes of foods we shouldn't be eating in large quantities can do us in. I look at food differently now. I try to realize that the small amount of food I really want is worth the extra money because I can stay on program buying that size. The funny thing is that per serving size, the larger amt.
is cheaper, but in real money outlay, the smaller size is cheaper.
So--what do you really want? A little bit of ice cream--buy it and don't worry so much about the serving size.
It can be a little expensive to buy good fruit and fresh veggies, but then I remember that I would easily throw away $8-10 on a midnight run to 7-11 or another convenience store for "goodies" that were not adding to my health at all.
This is a good topic and we all have to figure out how to balance our budget with what is most important to our food intake. Good luck!
Hee hee. Time and patience, of course. But also a knowledge of one's own limitations. I've lost over 120 lbs. That took time and patience. I've learned that I can have a tub of ice cream in my freezer and ignore it. Cake can go stale on my counter (in theory, hardly ever happens cause DH loves cake). I can measure out cheese when I feel like having some. Bread I can handle with ease. Chocolate easter bunnies last for months. All these things I enjoy as part of my life in moderation. However, I KNOW what a hard time I have with certain types of chips or cheesies. I know they literally call out for me to eat them. I don't care if they are in neat little packages or not. If they are in my house, they are available and it's almost torture to ignore them. So I don't buy them in bigger than serving size bags. I buy them when I want them and have planned for them and enjoy them thoroughly. Then they're GONE. That's what I have learned through time and patience and I'm good with that.
Good luck to everyone on this continuous learning experience!
Itryharder - This might sound kind of weird, but in those situations where I'm being fed a full course meal, I really get a lot of pleasure out of turning down a particular course or just taking a little bite out of it and ignoring the rest on the plate. I make it into a game, and find it to be almost fun to feel smug and superior that *I* managed to navigate a difficult meal. (It's even better when everyone else at the table starts groaning about how stuffed they are. lol. ) Of course, I don't always have the resolve to do this, but I try. And I think that if I hit my target 90% of the time then I'm doing pretty well.
Flib - WOW!! 120 pounds is amazing, and I'm so impressed. It sounds like you've found your formula for success. Great job.
Economy of Size
