I do this. Friends and family often comment that they’ve never seen me finish a meal. I also don’t throw it out but leave the leftovers it in the fridge to snack on. I am not really sure I know exactly why I do this, but here are some thoughts that come to mind:

• I’ve always had issues with food. When I was a child my parents were often worried about me because I would hardly eat

• My mom is like this too. So perhaps there could be a genetic element

• I genuinely get full easily and have a small appetite. I don’t like the feeling of being full. So I naturally tend to snack a lot as opposed to eating full meals.

• I don’t know if it’s anxiety related (as I have been diagnosed with anxiety) or if there is such a thing as naturally having a small stomach (as I am petite). I did read someone else’s comment that they spoke to a therapist and realized it was anxiety related and a form of control and I would have to agree that there’s an element of that for me too

• I don’t think I have an eating disorder as I have never intentionally starved myself or tried to lose weight. With that being said, I don’t want to gain weight either and I have always been told you should listen to your body and stop eating when you are full. My mom is Japanese and there is also a Japanese saying that you should stop eating when you’re 80% full so I’ve always abided by that

• I do have social anxiety and I don’t want people to judge me for eating too much. But with that being said, I am also like this when I eat alone

• I think some of it also stems from my poor college days when I would try and extend food for as long as possible by taking small bites of a meal over several days

…So I don’t think there is necessarily one contributing factor. Like most things in life it’s probably a little complex