Ending a Meal

robingmurphy

I have a tendency to eat an appropriate portion amount at a meal and feel comfortably full ... and then just keep on eating. What is a way to end a meal definitively, so I don't keep eating at that point?

cwolfman13

I put on my plate only what I'm going to eat.

L1zardQueen

I put the food away, then clean the dishes. Kitchen is closed. Find an alternative thing to do, like pick up a book or go for a walk. That’s what I do anyway.

qhob_89

Dinner is where I tend to overeat, because I love food!! Lol And it’s my big, round meal of the day. I usual only put the appropriate portion on my plate and have had to tell myself A LOT that I don’t get seconds. For me, if it’s something I tend to overeat, I try to log before I eat. That way I don’t just tell myself no seconds, I can also tell myself bank is empty! Want more of this food? Leftovers for lunch tomorrow when there’s calories back in the bank!

cmriverside

^^Yep. What they said.

I do understand your behavior though, I WANT to keep eating after I'm already full. Sometimes I'll set a timer for 20 minutes, that's how long it supposedly takes for the brain to get the "full" signal after a meal. When the timer goes off I'm almost always okay and don't want more food.

I also usually plan my day's food in the morning right before I eat my first meal. I know how many calories are in my budget, I plan my meals to fit that.

Some days I'll over-eat, but not regularly and it's usually just so I can have something sweet as a dessert. Generally I have fruit and yogurt but some days it's just got to be ice cream and cookies, ya know?

LisaGetsMoving

In many cultures it's customary to go for a walk between courses or after a meal. That is probably an excellent habit for health. Something else to try, train your mind to associate something with "the end". For instance, sipping a cup of mint tea or using a flavored toothpick, to signify the end of eating and then intentionally redirecting the mind to something else, whether it be a minute of meditation or preparation for the next day or plans for a summer get-away. My dad, a very wise man, used to say, "change your mind, and watch your life change".

chocolate_owl

At home, almost every meal I cook has four servings. Two served up for dinner for me and husband that night, two for lunch tomorrow. If I go back for seconds, I don't get lunch. I want lunch. We also meal plan, only buy what we need for the week, and don't stock very many "snacks" or "basics" - there's no whipping up a sandwich the next day if I overeat my dinner.

If we order takeout and the portion is large, I serve half on a plate and immediately put the other half away. I don't eat out of the containers.

At restaurants (in pre-pandemic times), if I was planning on taking home leftovers, I'd kinda split the plate in half and ask for a box when I was close to being done. I know some people ask for a to-go box to be delivered with their meal. If I ate 3/4 of my plate but knew I shouldn't finish the rest, I'd put my napkin on my plate once I was done. A good visual cue that I'm finished (and a waiter would usually clear the plate quickly), and a strong deterrent to keep me from picking at my food.

kenyonhaff

Brush your teeth. It really signals a feeling of "all done". And good for dental health. A 2nd best would be a mint or breath strip....that mint taste gives a sense that the meal is complete.

kshama2001

I slow my eating down to give the fullness signal time to get to my brain by eating half the meal, doing clean up or something else, and then finishing.

Poobah1972

I have a plan in my mind and stick to it.

For instance, If I'm roasting chicken legs for dinner... I cut the drum stick off and remove it from my plate and sequester it for lunch the next day. This usually mean's tossing my drumstick back on the pan (that sits in the middle of our supper table). If I leave it on my plate, I may accidently pull the crispy skin off of it or take a bite out of it without thinking.

Same with steak or pork chops... First thing i do is cut it half, and the other half is removed from my plate before i start eating.

janejellyroll

I plate my food and immediately put leftovers away.

If I'm truly hungry after a meal, I'll sometimes have something else (typically low calories, like a couple of carrots) but my hardfast rule is "no seconds" because I have a tendency to keep wanting to eat if my dinner tastes good.

callsitlikeiseeit

i only make what i will eat. so hubby and son have their portions (and sometimes a bit extra in case one of them wants more) and I have mine and that's the end of that story. leftovers tend to get tossed out for the chickens (we live on a farm, so..... LOL)

Rocketman98

Usually I will try and slow down during eating. My nutritionist calls it mindful eating. At times I will put my utensil down and ask my wife a question to slow me down from eating too fast. After dinner, if I am still hungry later on, I will eat some carrots with homemade yogurt ranch.

singer201

I live alone, so it's easier, but even when my elderly mother lived with me, I would prepare our plates and put any "planned overs" in the refrigerator immediately. It's more difficult if you eat with others and serve family style with extra available on the table. You could still try plating your own (weighed and measured) food and just resist adding more to your plate. Maybe save your tea/coffee/drink to the end of the meal and savor that while others finish.

Speakeasy76

This may not be highly recommended on a weight loss site, but I have either one of those cinnamon fireball candies, a peppermint disc and/or a piece of gum. That typically does it for me. Those candies are 20 calories a piece and I fit them into my budget without a problem. The fireballs also take a long time to eat, so that helps as well. By the time I"m done with it, I don't want anything else.

elisa123gal

I'm so friggin tired of meal prepping.. I much rather squeeze a lunch out of my dinner for the next day. So, my laziness keeps me from going back for seconds.