How do you stop yourself from eating after you're full?

hahaha. Its so funny that you posted this. I swear Friday I found myself at Wendy's. I got a hamburger and fries. When I got it home, I was so mad at myself for getting it instead of the grilled chicken sandwich. I had a good day all day. I literally, not joking, split the fries in half. I got some Resolve Carpet Cleaner and sprayed it all over the other half so I wouldn't eat them.

LMAO

Willpower?
I don't really have this problem 'cause I've learned to stop eating when I'm not hungry anymore. I seldom eat until I'm full.

For me, far more than half the battle of eating too much is a mental one--rather than a physical one. Here's somethings that help me:

1.) I think about "gluttony" or "being a glutton" often. Being a glutton vs. being/acting/carrying myself like the gorgeous, ladylike, proper, and mentally, physically,spiritually in control of myself woman that I am and strive to be. When/as I think of being a glutton, I think of animals of all things---a piggish, dog-ish, hyena type of woman, looking and acting, eating like a sloppy, greedy and unattractive animal (a.k.a. fat & sloppy) vs. being "cat" like or like a beautiful gracious animal...like a cat, deer, sparrow or some other graceful and cool animal. Also being grateful for what food I have and eating until I'm satisfied--not stuffed and not still hungry...but satisfied. Helps me not to be a glutton (a.k.a. eating AFTER you are full). I find that calling actions like eating after you're full an ugly and piggish, wild animal like behavior name like "glutton-gluttony-piggish" helps me tremendously. The mental pic of a fat and ugly wild animal does wonders to help my self-control.

2.) When eating...concentrate and focus on eating. Not watching a movie, on the computer, nor doing anything else but focusing on my food and family conversation at the table. Also...after taking a nice bite from my food, putting my fork down and chewing my food thoroughly and not picking up my fork again until the previous bite is dissolved helps me tremendously not over-eat, because chewing my food until it turns to mush, gets me full faster, because I get tired of chewing. Again, not eating like an ugly wild wolfish animal but thinking and eating like a gorgeous proper woman or queen or something helps me tremendously.

3.) Drinking a bottle/glass of water before and afterwards helps fill me up too--especially when eating out.

4.) Looking at your gut and butt and remembering how unhealthy, unattractive being overweight/obese/morbidly obese truly is and how hard it is to get slim and trim will help too...it does me!

Interesting thread. What if you were raised to clean your plate and not to waste food?

That is my problem. I hate to throw it away and sometimes my eyes are bigger then my stomach.

You have some good tips in your post. Thanks for sharing.

One fabulous way to handle not wanting to "waste" food is to ask for a "doggy bag/take away plate" before or when your meal is set before you, then put half of your food in it and give it to a homeless person (or if there are no "homeless/needy people in your area) you can have it for lunch or dinner the next day. Giving away extra food to folks in need is a tremendous way to not waste food. I have done this many many, MANY times...I'll see a homeless person and say "hi" and tell them I just came from a terrific restaurant and put half of my meal up/in this take away box before I ate from it and ask them if they want it...I've NEVER had one person tell me no....they ALWAYS say YES, and thank you...ALWAYS!

The only time I've had this problem since starting this journey of healthier eating is when I let myself have a cheat meal this past Friday.

It was Mexican which is my ultimate favorite and I went balls to the wall with the eating! I didn't get to the point where I felt like I was going to be sick I was so full like I used to, but close enough.

I ended up dumping salsa and queso cheese we had ordered for our chips at the beginning all over my plate and basically just ruined my entire plate so I literally COULDN'T eat any more.

Hopefully further down the road I'll have more self control when it comes to eating my favorites during my rare cheat meals.

Interesting thread. What if you were raised to clean your plate and not to waste food?

That is my problem. I hate to throw it away and sometimes my eyes are bigger then my stomach.

You have some good tips in your post. Thanks for sharing.

I was raised the exact same way. To this day I experience terrible guilt at wasting food, and feel pressured to eat everything on my plate.

Ways to get around it are:

Eat off a salad plate, not a full-sized dinner "trough". Smaller plates means smaller servings, and you still get the satisfaction of eating everything on the plate. It's a lot more effective than you might think.

At home, only make enough for one serving per person. You can't eat what's not there.

If you order at a restaurant, especially one that has infamously huge servings, ask the server to bring out half on the plate, and the other half in a to-go box. That way you don't even see the other half, and it's a lot easier to resist eating it. Plus, you get a delicious pre-packaged meal for lunch the next day.

Drink a large, full glass of water before, in the middle of, and right after your meal. It forces you to slow down a little, and fills up your stomach, curbing the craving to keep eating even when you know you're full.

Also another weird thing I heard: The color blue is supposed to psychologically decrease appetite, and red and yellow (McDonald's anyone?) is supposed to increase it. So paint you kitchen blue and eat off blue plates! (I can't confirm the accuracy of these color claims, but it certainly wouldn't hurt to try, would it?)

Everyone has some good tips here, maybe not smoking after a meal if you are trying to get healthy. If you are at home make your plate as if you are going to have seconds, put about half of the size portions you would normally have. Then before you sit down put any extra in the fridge. After you have eaten your meal clean up the dishes from the table and go do something else. Putting the food away before the meal, cleaning the dishes up and doing something else all will keep your mind thinking the meal is over and you not on wanting more. My wife has a habit of leaving the food out while we eat and that just leads to me getting seconds or picking after the meal is done.

This is a GREAT idea...I do have an issue that when I'm putting food away....I put it away in my belly, lol. Excellent!

As my daddy says to me, "Use your willpower" That's all I got.

Yep. That and I use the smaller "salad" plates instead of a full-sized plate at home. And I weigh everything dilligently so what is on my plate is what I get.

This weekend's cinnamon roll issue is another story altogether.....

On a Jillian Michaels DVD, she says put salt all over it so it tastes disgusting.