Anyone remember this. ..” Finish everything on that plate!”

That command was a reality for me. My parents were strict,  especially my father. When he said that I had to clean the plate,  I literally had to sit at the table until I finished everything,  including those terrible vegetables.

No judgment,  but I wonder if my parents ever thought that maybe,  just maybe,  they should have put smaller portions  on my plate. Especially,  since we went through the same issue every night.

And if you know the Vincents,  my extended family,  you know that we can pack food in,  even the children. I recall times when my sister, cousins and I would go to restaurants like Golden Corral. The joy wasn’t in enjoying the meal,  but the fun would be to gorge ourselves to see who could eat the most food. We literally would count plates in order to declare the winner.

Fast forward,  here I am, with a gastric sleeve surgery,  having gained back a lot of the weight that I’ve lost. And I’m still trying to finish my plate. The success of the surgery is to stop eating once you are full. I NEVER learned that lesson!

Someone made a plate for me recently,  and I struggled to finish it. I didn’t think to stop,  I just slowed down until I had more room.

I’m looking back at everything because I refuse to let food and weight to be a stronghold in my life. Now that I have recognized this behavior,  I’m doing everything I need to change it. Not just for now,  but forever.

Today,  I gained insight in my eating habits. I’m gaining it all back.

Ayoka

Ayoka Boyce is a published author (aka Nikki P. Serene), blogger, writing coach and Mentor. She is the founder of All Write RVA, a not for profit organization that promotes writing and literacy.