Time to stop eating... when am I full

Bunny19770

I am good at cooking healthy meals and exercise BUT I find it hard to know 'when' I am full, there is no 'off' switch and I still feel hungry after eating a large meal. If I had more will power to stop I know that I wouldn't have to try so hard.
Any tips?
Tried the drinking a pint of water before a meal etc.

It is just after I finish a meal, I want something else: pudding, chocolate etc

47Jacqueline

Eat slower. It akes our bofies about 20 minutes to recognize we are full. If you drink a glass of water, give yourself the same 20 minutes before eating, otherwise youre body doesn't know you did anything, but if you're really hungy, the water won't do much anyway.

NoelFigart1

After years of yo-yo dieting, I'm just accepting that my appetite is broken in terms of judging what I need. That's more or less why I endure the pain in the *kitten* of counting calories, much like I endure the pain in the *kitten* of wearing glasses.

Sued0nim

Eat slowly
Concentrate on your food rather than the tv or internet or newspaper
Put your knife and fork down between every mouthful and only get the next food on your fork after you've swallowed

When you've finished your meal, go away and do something else for 20 mins to half hour - if you're still hungry then eat something else, or if you know you've eaten sufficient wait it out until you're really hungry and analyse your hunger pains

it's all about re-learning hunger cues I think

(PS I do none of the above apart from at the start I re-learned hunger cues and thought if I've just eaten that much this is just an interesting sensation.. I need to get back to doing that because my volume of food has gone up, although not my calories)

Sued0nim

by the way, I've just eaten lunch.. home-made butternut squash risotto and salad, I know it's enough to fill me up but I'm still feeling hungry at the last mouthful

5 minutes later I'm not feeling as hungry

in 15 minutes I might go make a cup of coffee

hunger is weird.. the less attention you give it the more it fades (if you've just eaten)

xcalygrl

It may take some time to get used to eating less. When you make your plate, weigh everything out, eat what you put on your plate, then wait. I know it stinks at first, but it will help your body catch up to what you've just eaten.

It also sounds like maybe you're wanting to eat a "dessert" after your meals before feeling satisfied. I'm like this too. I will eat a mint, some gum, a Hershey's kiss, drink some tea, or something else that satifies my "dessert" craving, but it is low on the calorie side.

SoulOfRusalka

Sort of an aside, but my mother always taught us to stop eating when we were 80% full, or "not hungry". As someone else said, there's a delay, so you'll end up feeling full but not uncomfortable. Maybe decide how much you're going to eat for a certain meal and log it beforehand so that you have an incentive to stick with it, and then once you can trust your body again you can start to be more spontaneous?

prettygirlstorm1

I brush my teeth after eating a meal. It helps curb that need for something sweet. I also chew gum. Sometimes I just want that chewing sensation.

Sued0nim

vada44 wrote: »

I brush my teeth after eating a meal. It helps curb that need for something sweet. I also chew gum. Sometimes I just want that chewing sensation.

you shouldn't brush your teeth within 30 minutes of eating, especially if you've eaten anything acidic, as it is bad for the enamel on your teeth - if you must then eat a piece of cheese to help lower the mouth acid

futuresize8

I noticed that the "something else" you want seems to be a sweet. What about incorporating a serving of fruit to enjoy at the end of your meal?

feisty_bucket

NoelFigart1 wrote: »

After years of yo-yo dieting, I'm just accepting that my appetite is broken in terms of judging what I need. That's more or less why I endure the pain in the *kitten* of counting calories, much like I endure the pain in the *kitten* of wearing glasses.

^I agree, this is how I think of it. I don't trust my own signalling; it's affected by blood sugar spikes/crashes and all sorts of kooky variables I'll probably never understand.
Especially after experimenting with fasting, when you get familiar with real extended hunger and the way it comes and goes in waves. It's very strange and interesting.

When people say, "Oh, I trust my own body, it tells me what it needs" - I think they're making a mistake.

Anyways, so my solution: I eat my allotted amount of calories (while considering macros) and then stop. Also more recently, within a time window (the Intermittent Fasting approach) which has the happy side effect of feeling full for quite a while, and then later not feeling full. And then hungry.

aylajane

Letting your stomach tell you when you are "Full" is why most people become overweight in the first place. Let your brain take over for awhile. Decide how much food you should have, eat it and stop. No emotions, no "but I am still hungry" - you already made the decision on what to eat, there is no decision to make at that point so dont pretend there is by entertaining it.
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- If you are eating with others, focus on conversation - get one of those card games or things where it poses an interesting or leading question and leave them on the table. Once you are done eating and waiting on others (or better yet, during the meal to slow you down), pick a random question and have a great and fun time debating or finding out more about each other. As people finish, everyone helps clean the table off and get the dishes done, etc.
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- Say out loud "No thanks, I am not hungry" (if you practice saying this as an immediate default response to being offered food, it starts to actually be true). Get up from the table, make sure all food is put away, wash your dishes, walk around the block while drinking from a cold water bottle (this actually helps me) a few times, put a puzzle on the table to work on, clean the oven, whatever you have to do to distract yourself until the feeling goes away or its the time you decided you would eat again.
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- Brain, not stomach, makes all the decisions from now on. Think it through at a time when you are NOT hungry, then just do as you are told (by yourself). No decisions while hungry.

CarrieCans

My daughter will snack on candy and "junk food" all day long if i let her. A while ago i began including a fruit with dinner and she hasn't been snacking as much. We also have snack time in the evening and she looks forward to it all day. Sometimes it's another fruit, chips, ice cream or whatever it is she is craving that day. Doing this also stopped the after school snacks since dinner time is now a tad earlier to make time for the evening snack.

If you make room for a treat later in the day, you may look forward to it and wait for it. This works in my house but i have seen where it doesn't work for others, hopefully it helps.

BoxerBrawler

Most people don't mention the fact that cravings or feeling like you want to eat more has little to do with actually feeling hungry. Think about why you want more... focus on your body, mind and stomach. Does your stomach actually feel hungry e.g., growling, etc.? does your body feel empty? or does eating more just make you feel comfortable? I like the suggestions of waiting around 30 minutes and focus on other things. If you are still truly hungry then eat. If it's just a craving or a need to eat due to something other than physically needing food... fight it. I have come to appreciate feeling just slightly hungry. Not starving but not full. After over a year of doing this successfully I've created new habits.

dawnmcneil10

Before you eat take a few minutes to think about what you want, salty, sweet, a mix of the two. Often times we eat a healthy meal and if we're not satisfied and we mistake the wanting something else as hunger. Sometimes tweaking the meal itself will give you that satisfied feeling and it's as simple as adding a little salty crunch to a salad like tortilla strips or adding a little sweet like cranberries. I'm not saying you need to always eat salad, that was just an example. Don't be afraid to use spices, they can often times be just what you need.

feisty_bucket

aylajane wrote: »

Letting your stomach tell you when you are "Full" is why most people become overweight in the first place. Let your brain take over for awhile. Decide how much food you should have, eat it and stop. No emotions, no "but I am still hungry" - you already made the decision on what to eat, there is no decision to make at that point so dont pretend there is by entertaining it.

YES! QFT! This is great.

Your stomach is full of crap; it doesn't know anything. It would eat ice cream and cookies all day long if you let it. It's like a bratty toddler. Eat your goal-food and tell it to shut up.
There's nothing wrong with being "hungry."

gothchiq

I can't really tell either! I simply measure out my allotted portions and then eat them. When they're gone, they're gone. If half an hour later I still feel super unsatisfied I make a garden salad with low cal dressing and eat that, or else eat a bowl of steamed nonstarchy vegetables.

astrose00

Years ago, I read that the feeling I should be going for is this: "I would like to have some more but I know I don't need it."

I practiced this for a while and started to detest feeling full. So I measure out my food and eat that and nothing more. In fact, I only make enough for that meal. In order to overeat, I would have to actually cook more. I usually have marinated, raw chicken strips in the fridge and pan sear or stir fry it and eat with veggies and/or yams. I eat smaller meals 5x day and it's really worked for me. Even when I gained weight, it wasn't because I was stuffing myself, because I seriously can't stand feeling full. It was because I was eating a bunch of candy and other high calorie, nonfilling foods out of boredom. But that's always been my issue, lol...

enterdanger

I remind myself that there is a difference between being "full" and being "not hungry" I've gotten to the point where I actually feel better not being "full" Like gothchiq, if I'm actually hungry like an hour later, I eat something.

RoxieDawn

I still don't know when I am full. My food is put on the plate (in moderation) and that is all I get! It is sooooo hard.

I do allow the sweet thing after the meal. So when I stop eating I know I have a small sweet thing to look forward to and top off my day..

MB_Positif

The best thing I ever read during my weight loss was from Michael Pollan's book, "Food Rules," something about a phrase in French that means "I have no more hunger." This is so much simpler to me than gauging fullness or satisfaction. I learned to pause and say, "Do I still feel hunger?" If the answer was no, I stopped eating. I've been maintaining nearly 3 years now.

beamer0821

give yourself a test. most of us who've been overweight for a long time don't even know what it feels like to actually be hungry. go one time without eating until you feel the grumbling. and then eat slowly. paying attention and practicing this a few times will get you back in tune to TRUE stomach hunger not emotional "head" hunger.

_lyndseybrooke_

Must watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPSPs1k42wg

"The meal is over when I hate myself."

Real answer: I don't get what I'd call "full" until I've eaten WAYYY too much. If I ate until I was full for every meal, I'd weigh 300 lbs. I just prelog my days so I reach my calorie goal and eat what I've logged. I'm usually never hungry, but I don't typically get full either.

aylajane

Think of your stomach as a balloon... Fill it with water and it will be full but still the same size. BUT if you keep putting more water in there, it will stretch to accommodate. Stomachs are not one "Size" - they are adjustable or you would explode if you overate. Your goal is to fill it but not stretch it.
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- "The size of the stomach varies from person to person, but on average it can comfortably contain 1-2 liters of food and liquid during a meal. When stretched to its maximum capacity by a large meal or overeating, the stomach may hold up to 3-4 liters. Distention of the stomach to its maximum size makes digestion difficult, as the stomach cannot easily contract to mix food properly and leads to feelings of discomfort."
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- Think about that - "comfortably" hold 1-2 liters, but will stretch to hold DOUBLE that. Overweight people who have consistently overeaten for a long time will associate that "distention" feeling with a "full" feeling, when really it means you overdid it. Your historical idea of "full" is probably faulty, so dont rely on it!!