So, having lost a few pounds over the past year, folks want know how to keep the weight off. After all, what good does it do to lose the weight, only to gain it all back or, worse yet, gain even more. The toughest part is unlearning behaviors from a different time.
“Clean your plate” was not a question. It meant that every morsel of food that found its way on the plate had to be completely and totally eaten. Admittedly, it was a way to force the consumption of unwanted vegetables. But, it was also a reflection of the worries of a generation that still remembered (and feared) the possibility that one day the plate might be empty.
The instruction was often accompanied by a hint of moral guilt if less than all of the food was eaten. After all, there were the people in the starving third world countries (the name of which varied depending on the news of the month) who were not so fortunate. At its height, extra biscuits were used to “sop up” (undoubtedly a foreign phrase to some readers) every speck of food so that the plate ended up cleaner than it began. But that was not all.
Then, there was the rule of the “last biscuit” - a concept that few under-30 folks have any reason to understand. Basically, for the person who had cleaned their plate first, there was the option to have the next (until the last) biscuit in the basket. (The same rule existed for the last piece of chicken/sausage/cake). Six biscuits - four people, the first two get an extra biscuit. (It is notable that mothers always seem to lose this contest - a reflection of a choice of a different kind for their children.) The result was the inevitable “speed eating.” Basically, there was a premium on “wolfing down” every piece of food as fast as possible in order to have the first option at the last biscuit. With those biscuits, it was no small thing.
Since then, the fast paced rapid-fire of the shot-clock generation on engrained speed eating is in the American lifestyle. Over time, the reflexes become automatic and the behaviors become habits. For one generation, the habits were grounded in a different time and failed to change when times did. For the next, it became sui generis - it is because it is.
Quantity was only a function of availability. The more there was - the more that had to be eaten. “It comes with the meal” meant “it is free extra food - take it.” After all, it was unconscionable to throw food away, especially when there were starving millions around the world.
Then came the all you-can-eat buffet and super sized value meals.
Rather than signal the possibility that the “clean your plate” idea and the “speed eating” challenge might have outlived their place, eating became a simple value proposition. “More food for the same price” meant simply eat more food - fast. For a generation that pinched the most out of every penny, the idea of more food for the same penny did not seem like a tricky one. Meanwhile, a whole generation (or two) grew up participating in the sport of food.
Worse yet, everyone got to choose exactly what they ate. So why eat filler foods like salad and fruit when it could be all steak (or fried chicken or pizza) - all the time.
Changing and staying changed involves three simple words - let it go. Just because it was, does not mean it has to be.
Three other words offer a practical application - eat less - slower. Try it. (One unintended, but potentially positive consequence could be that folks at the table with you can understand what you said - if you know what I mean.)