How to tell when you're full?!

Hybrice

This may sound like the dumbest question ever, but I've always been raised "clear your plate" "It's rude not to finish your meal", and I can't apply these ideals when dieting. I was today handed a huge plate of takeaway (albeit a healthy one - pad thai), I knew I shouldnt eat it all BUT had trouble being able to identify if I was still hungry or not. It's a weird feeling and I've never ended my meals on being full, but food being gone! I had to chalk it up to a guess and just leave half of the takeaway.

Any tips on actually realizing when you're sated?

bumblebreezy91

I was raised like that too.

I find eating slowly helps a lot and drinking water or diet soda in between bites also speeds up the process--I feel fuller faster and longer. I also plan out my meals just before I make them, to figure out the portions and if it fits my macros. I try to predict what I might be eating before I go out to eat, log it here, and then stick to it when I'm actually out because it's easy to get there and say "forget it, I'm going to order whatever I want" and eat significantly more than planned/needed. I know some people swear by ordering what they want and then boxing up half before they even have a bite, but I've never done this.

I was also really surprised to experience for myself that eating every 2-3 hours curbs my appetite. I also don't binge or want to binge when I eat so frequently. So my diary shows a lot of snacks, but I eat 1200-1400 calories per day, whereas before I tried eating 1200 calories with not many snacks in between and I was binging because I was too hungry by the time dinner came around. I'm very susceptible to nighttime binges, so planning out snacks has helped more than I can explain. I'm very happy about that and I highly recommend it.

kommodevaran

http://intuitive-eating.blogspot.no/2007/02/different-hunger-scales.html

WalkingAlong

If you keep doing what you did, use your eyes to pick a reasonable portion, and then stop eating and really focus on how you feel, you can relearn it. Eating slowly and without doing other things at the same time helps. Really focus on the food and chew a lot.

If between meals, your mind keeps going to food, ask yourself if vegetables or fruit sound good. If you're really hungry, they should, at least a little. If just the leftover pizza or ice cream sounds good, it's probably not actually hunger.

And experiencing some hunger while deficit eating is normal. They say try to keep yourself between a 3 and 7 or so on the 1-10 fullness scale.

ponycyndi

I was raised this way also. I go by portion size and macros. And like a PP, I eat regularly to maintain my blood sugar. If its meal time and I'm not hungry, I'll fix a light healthy snack that fits my macros. Conversely, if I'm hungry and its not meal time, or I've already eaten my meal, I'll try to have what us diabetics call a "free" food- something low carb and low calorie. Veggies, usually.

thatATLgirl

I'd suggest eating the correct portion, then wait 20 minutes. If you're still hungry, eat a bit more, but most likely you won't be hungry anymore after 20 minutes.

Wilhellmina

I eat slowly and chew properly these days. This way tells me when I am full and should stop eating.

Greytfish

Drink a glass of water before every meal (8-10 oz.) so hydration isnt a problem and to ease digestion.

Take any plate of take out or prepared food, ask for a box with it, and portion off what exceeds your current allotted portion.

Hybrice

If you keep doing what you did, use your eyes to pick a reasonable portion, and then stop eating and really focus on how you feel, you can relearn it. Eating slowly and without doing other things at the same time helps. Really focus on the food and chew a lot.

If between meals, your mind keeps going to food, ask yourself if vegetables or fruit sound good. If you're really hungry, they should, at least a little. If just the leftover pizza or ice cream sounds good, it's probably not actually hunger.

And experiencing some hunger while deficit eating is normal. They say try to keep yourself between a 3 and 7 or so on the 1-10 fullness scale.

That right there was the perfect tip, thank you very much! Something I can easily remember and do

lmhbuss

I can eat a house before I feel "full" so instead I try to just eat until I'm no longer hungry. Big difference.

scottyg70

Drink a glass of water before every meal (8-10 oz.) so hydration isnt a problem and to ease digestion.

Take any plate of take out or prepared food, ask for a box with it, and portion off what exceeds your current allotted portion.

Great advice on the water. Try doing that before every meal and snack, it works for me.

As everyone else seemed to say it's about portion control (amongst other great advice). You can have a plateful of healthy food, but it's still calories and if you take in more than you're burning then you're going to gain. Try using a smaller plate when you eat at home and load up on veggies.

morty1966

Try separating off what looks like a normal portion of food on the plate. Push the extra to the side, or even put it on a side plate if you can. Then eat slowly and think about how comfortable you are. When you get to comfortable, look at how much you have eaten. If you have finished your plate and you are still hungry then eat some more, again thinking about it, and stopping when you are comfortable. It doesn't take long to train yourself to know your full point, or as a previous poster said, your no longer hungry point.

katinedinburghuk

I always have a small plate of food, then go and do something else - watch a TV show, do some house jobs, do something for work. If 20-30 minutes later I think to myself, "Hey, I'm hungry" - I have another half-plate. I've barely ever gone back to do that, though!

strivingtobeaverage

I can eat a house before I feel "full" so instead I try to just eat until I'm no longer hungry. Big difference.

I LOVE this...makes sense...a good way to start thinking...never thought about it like this! Thanks!

spacelump

I struggle with this, also. I have been trying to drink a glass of water and then have a salad prior to eating my entree. (Remember to use low-cal dressing on that salad). I find it tends to help me feel more satisfied with normal sized portions.