How Hoarding Can Lead to Weight Gain

One of the things I blame weight gain on is hoarding.

People who hoard tend to save things either because they have an emotional attachment to the items, or they think they may need them.

But with food, my tendency is to eat the item before it goes bad. I'll do so even if I'm not hungry.

I may have picked this habit up at an early age. My father was "the human garbage." Mom scraped onto his plate anything we didn't eat each supper. If dad wasn't around, it would go into the garbage if there wasn't enough to make another meal from. The other thing dad would do is cut himself a piece of brownie "just to even it off" as he'd say. And eat just the broken cookies.

Well, the nut doesn't fall far from the tree. Most days, I'll finish what my daughter leaves in her plate (or in the yogurt cup). Sometimes I think I can live off what gets throw out. And I have actually reached into the garbage, mimicking George Costanza to pull out something special to eat. But I've recognized this as a bad habit, and I'm starting to change.

Today my wife complained that the dark chocolate I bought was too bitter (it has cacao nibs). So I wrapped up the unused portion and placed it in the treat drawer. Later she offered the last bit of chocolate ice cream that she was eating out of the container. I took the container away and threw it out.

What eating habits did you pick up from your parents? What habits are you passing on to your children?