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Why You Can’t Leave Food on Your Plate (And How to Change It) · FitMitTuro Fitness Podcast

• 1:10
  Turo Virta: Have you ever finished your plate, even when you were already full, not because you were hungry, but because it was there, or maybe because you thought I shouldn't waste food? I pay for this, or I just I can't just leave it. If that sounds familiar, this episode is for you, because this is not about food. This is about habits you have been carrying for years, and today I want to show you a very simple way to start changing that. I using my plate framework and little backstory about this story as I am one of those clean your plate club members like it is from my childhood. I have I have been taught, or my mom and my parents were teaching me always to clean my plate, eat everything empty.
• 2:10
  Turo Virta: And now I'm 44 and I'm still struggling with it. And it is I'm still I have to do exercises I'm talking about today sometimes, honestly, I forget it. I still do it, or I don't do it, but it's more often than not, it has been working. And this week, one of my clients Ingrid was sending me picture about just two pieces, little pieces in a plate, and that was a huge win for her. So from my backstory, where that is coming from, from my from my parents, and I'm not playing it, and I actually had conversation a while ago with my mum about this and and she was surprised. She didn't even think that. Wow. She have never thought, thought about it like, of course, she we all, we do our best. And I love my mom. She's amazing mom. But these are just the small things, what you are teaching to your children, and you don't know how that is impacting, and what, what kind of even with the good purpose is, because I'm, I'm sure nobody is doing this with the purpose for something, and it was just at the time in 80s, early 90s, was a time that there was a lot of hungry people In Africa, and there were, in all it was all over media how people were starving, and it was kind of wasting food if you left something behind. And often, like my mum used to say that if you you know there are people in Africa who are starving, and you have a food and you are leaving it behind, and that kind of story. I'm sure if you are one of those 80s, 90s, or even earlier, you have heard about these stories. And when we talked with my mum about this, this was, it was for her, also, she have got it from her mom, like my grandma. And it was at the time there was in Finland there was a war, like when my grandma was smaller. So there was really problem, because there was not food available.
• 4:33
  Turo Virta: You got the coupons where you could get bread or meat or something. There was not there was very limited sources of food, and all people didn't have it. And of course, then nobody didn't want to waste it. And that have passed now from generation to generation. And those are things that they are actually not doing good for us, none of us. And today we are going to talk about it and how you can actually stop it for good. So I want to say, talk a little bit about that. My framework. It's called P, L, A, T, E, framework. So plate in and it stands for p it stands for for programming where it all started. So most of us didn't learn this habit as an adult, so we learn it as kids like you know you like I mentioned earlier, your maybe your parents have told you, finish your plate there are starving children or don't waste food. And as a child, you did the right thing because you listened and you did exactly what your mom told you to do. But now the same habit is working against you, because your body is saying, I'm full, but still your programming is saying, finish it anyway. And guess which one usually wins. So this is it all from programming, how your brain is have been programmed, and this is not what you can we later talk little bit how to actually change it, but just to understand it, where it is coming from. So this is the p, then L is loss of awareness.
• 6:29
  Turo Virta: So when you always finish your plate, something important happens. So you are stop, you stop listening to your body, because you don't ask, Am I still hungry? Do I need more?
• 6:49
  Turo Virta: You just eat until and over time, you will lose awareness, you will lose control. You will lose connection to hunger. You nothing because you need it. You are eating because it's there.
• 7:06
  Turo Virta: And trust me, I can relate this so much like when I when I when I created this framework. And I just, I'm how many times if I think back now my last week or two eating, I'm just, I'm eating because it's there, because it's good, and it's not anymore to do connected with my hunger or awareness. It says definitely, most of the times I wouldn't probably need it, like, of course, like, in my case, I get relatively active, so, so it's even if it's if it's a, let's say good things like vegetables, good sources of carbs or protein, or fats, healthy fats.
• 8:02
  Turo Virta: It's I get out of it, but it's still, it's often too much. And that is, that is not the point of of just eating because it's just there, just and or eat it until it's gone or it's it's plate is empty. And this is a real struggle, what many of you and myself included, are struggling. So then my next one is a and that is automatic behavior. So this becomes automatic, so like, this is at least what is happening to me. I don't think about it. I don't decide. I just finish it because, and this is what happens for most of the people.
• 8:55
  Turo Virta: It's automatic behavior. What is underlying there? You don't think about it. It's just it is the way you are. And this week, like I said, mentioned earlier, one of my clients Ingrid, she told me something very simple, but very powerful, powerful, because she said, and she actually, she sent me a picture of from her plate I posted in my Instagram story, quick story about it, because she she told me that for the first time, a long, long time, I didn't keep eating. I left something on the plate. And for many people, if you are not struggling with this, this sounds very small because, but if you have been always finishing your plate, this is actually a huge step, because you interrupt the automatic pattern. And this is like, if this is, this is an it requires a lot of practice to interrupt that automatic pattern would have been programmed into your brain, into your behaviors, and to interrupt it, it takes a lot of effort. It's not easy. It might sound for someone who is not struggling, that this is simple thing to do, but you will forget it like, trust me, I struggle myself with this exactly, and I forget it so often, and, and it's, it's very, very challenging to get out of that automatic pattern. But it's still, it's, it's, it's a practice. It's like doing your workouts. You start learning some new exercise or or movement pattern, what you are trying to improve in the beginning, it might sound so this is almost impossible. Maybe you end up quitting. Maybe you end up forgetting about it. But it's, it's with the food, like with the practices. It's little bit different practices. You they happen to three times per week, but with the food, your next possibility to improve is in within, most likely, within couple hours, because that is your chance for your that is when you eat next time. So this is always because it is. It would be unrealistic to expect that you remember doing it every single time, but more often you practice it better. You become at it more automatic. And this is, this is, this was huge, like for me, like I it made, literally, it was the best message of the whole week from my all of my clients and and this kind of win, this is amazing, as a coach, to hear like it might sound for someone.
• 11:57
  Turo Virta: It's very small thing, but I rather celebrate this kind of wins than giving fist bumps for working out or something. It's, it's, it's, they are equally important for me. So then for my framework, next one is tea, and that stands for thought shift.
• 12:18
  Turo Virta: So So to change this habit, and this might be the only thing, what you need to do. You don't, you don't need a diet. It's for many, many people this if you are able to change this habit to not cleaning your plate and and it's it. You don't need to worry about some getting into some new diet or or following whatever stupid thing you don't need. You don't need to do it. What you need is new way of thinking. And here is the shift. This is my one of my favorite phrases, what I like to tell myself that you are not a trascan because your job is not to clean the plate.
• 13:05
  Turo Virta: Your job is to take care of your body. Because think about it, if you eat food your body doesn't need that is also based just in a different place. Because the question becomes, is this helping me, or am I just finishing it out of habit? And often, when you just pause, ask this question question, tell it to yourself like that's what I love to do. When I remember to do it, I tell myself, I'm am I?
• 13:40
  Turo Virta: Am I still hungry? Am I feeling to starting to feel full, and then you make another decision.
• 13:51
  Turo Virta: So in my, in my if I start like it happens more often than not.
• 13:57
  Turo Virta: It's automatic behavior. I don't think about it. I forget about it. But if you, if you eat, and this is when it comes from your childhood, you think that, oh, this is a waste. I don't want to waste the food. It's, it's, it's not to waste. It's waste. Also, if your body doesn't need it, and if you are able to ask yourself these questions, is this helping me, or am I just finishing it out of habit and answer? There is no right or wrong answer, because it could be helping you. Maybe, maybe you had a hard workout. You were having 30,000 steps. You really need it. But is it helping you?
• 14:43
  Turo Virta: You don't need to starve, nothing like that. But if you are just able to pause, ask these questions about from yourself, and then making another decision, sometimes it is you will finish it. Sometimes you leave behind. And then that last 1e, it's it stands for experiment. And here you have to start small, so you don't need to change everything. And like I said, Trust me, I know this is a very, very, very big challenge to change, and because realistically, you will forget it. Sometimes, there will be weeks, months, you don't think about it, you forget it, and then you start it. You may remember to do it every once in a while, and then you go back to your old habits. It is reality, it's it's, it would be unrealistic to expect, or me, even if I would say that or tell you some story here that you know, I did this and now I'm not. I never, ever struggled with that anymore. No, this is so deep inside that it's, it's very challenge, huge challenge, to change it so you are definitely, if you still struggle with this, you are definitely not alone. And I'm one of these clean your plate club members and not proud about it. But it is what it is, and we still can work for it. So start small. When you start changing this, start then start really small, because it's it's to expect that, oh, I just changed it like this from 30 years behavior, what you have been doing your whole life, it it won't happen. It just won't happen. And but I want to give you few examples, like what we did, for example, with Ingrid.
• 16:54
  Turo Virta: So you just leave one bite and not have half the plate, just one bite, so it's not it's not too much waste, if you it's just, it's just a practice, like you practice a workout or running or whatever you are practicing. It's just a practice to change the way your automatic and stop that automatic behavior. And then pause. You have to pause before the last bites. So and you ask yourself, Am I still hungry? And plan to you should plan to leave something and, and that is kind of third strategy. So you are planning, actually ahead to leave something so it's it's decide before the meal that I don't have to finish this. You can save it for later, so you don't have to waste it. You just don't force it now. And this is like, if you go out, like I remember we talked with in my previous podcast episode. It was one of my guests who said that this value like especially if you go out and you are eating in restaurants and they have huge portions, and if you are one of these clean to plate, club members ask before they bring it that, please bring half of the portion in, already packed into some plastic box, so you can take it with you, so there is not even the temptation to finish everything, so You don't have to fight against that your inner competitor, who want to finish the plate, but you are already, you take only half of it, and if you for some reason, you still hungry, you can eat it later at home, or even take from your plastic box away. So So before, like usually, most people are doing it. Then after, you know, if there is some leftovers, you take it home. But for clean your tape, plate members, it's it's hard, it's hard, it's hard to leave something behind if it's there, you know, you are not quite full yet, but if you do that decision before and not after. And you, you have increased your chances for success. So and I'm sure you, you know this like that.
• 19:37
  Turo Virta: You know, if you don't like wasting food, put it into your freezer, eat it tomorrow or or later on, today, whenever. So it, it's not the waste and that goes to waste. It's not the waste if you, if you are not finishing everything, and it's not a waste because it's, it's, it's also waste if you, if you eat it, when you don't need it, it's just in a different place.
• 20:04
  Turo Virta: And it's more this. It is this old thing is all about awareness and breaking this pattern. So this is this habit. It's not about food. It's about control, awareness, listening to your body, and when you start changing this, everything else becomes easier, because you are no longer reacting, you are choosing. And here is something simple I want you to try today.
• 20:45
  Turo Virta: Leave one bite, if nothing else, leave one bite, and that's it, because this is just breaking this pattern, your automatic behavior. And it's not more you don't need to do. It's not perfect dealing. It's not the perfect plan. It's just one small action, breaking this automatic behavior pattern, what you have had for most likely years. So that's with one with this one action, it's all starts there, because that's how you change your habits, not by doing everything differently, but by doing them one thing little bit different than usually. And if this episode made you think of someone who always has to finish their plate, send it to them. I really, really would appreciate that all shares. Share it in your social media. Or I don't if you think that this is valuable, but I know most of you know at least one person who struggle with this. So send it. Send it them. Hopefully it helps them be a good friend. And if there is anything I can help you with, you can always email me. If this episode was resonating you what you found valuable? Any tips to improve for my podcast? Shoot me email or Turo at fit me turo.com or shoot me DM in my Instagram, that's probably the best place at the moment, where I always try to reply when I can. And thank you so much for listening.
• 22:35
  Turo Virta: I really, really appreciate you being here. Thank you so much for listening and talk to you in the next episode.