The Clean Plate Society

I grew up in what I like to call "the clean plate society". I'm sure many who grew up in the 60s & 70s share my experience. And I am married to someone who still believes every scrap of food should be eaten off every plate.
In my case, I believe this comes from my parents upbringing. Both my mother & father are children of immigrants. My father's family was well off, but my mother's family was not. She was the youngest of 5 children & in her family, every penny counted & had to s-t-r-e-t-c-h. Her fears of being 'without' have totally ruled her life. And ours. As a result, eating EVERYTHING served was the rule.
Of course, this, then, influences how I ate as an adult. I ate EVERYTHING. And I made sure the plate was clean even when I was already full. I can remember eating until I felt sick because I didn't want to miss out on any food item available. I ate my way to 187 pounds!
As I began losing weight, I was able to change my thinking. Instead of needing to eat everything, I told myself that I could eat it at another meal. Funny thing I learned though - I never want that food at another meal.
I can now leave food on my plate. In restaurants, I don't order much & I usually have them bag up quite a bit. I watch as others around me keep shoveling it in, but I no longer feel the need.
So there might be waste at my house...but there won't be too much 'waist' for my body!