What does "satisfied" mean to you?

kommodevaran · November 2017

"Eat until you're satisfied, not until you're full". Good advice, but I just discovered that I haven't really had a good understanding of this concept. When am I really satisfied? I have used to think that's when I don't want any more. But that's not how it works for me - when I don't want anymore, I'm fed up, stuffed, nauseus, and what I just ate, feels a bit disgusting too. I'm happy and feel in control when I stop while I still want more. Is that what satisfied means?

Let's hear some opinions!

81Katz · November 2017

For me, I'd say not stuffed or immediately wanting more food right after eating. Having a decent portion that satisfies me physically (and even emotionally at times.)

It's like when people say they eat one little square of chocolate and feel satisfied. Yeah, that's not me.

kommodevaran · November 2017

I think the distinction between physical and emotional/mental satisfaction is what's confusing me. Or rather, that there really is no distinction? Or is it? I'm working on it now, going to pay better attention when I eat. Very exciting. Thanks for sharing

Duck_Puddle · November 2017

I think “satisfied” involves the whole eating experience (to some degree). Taste, smell, texture, “mouth feel”, setting, social cues, emotions, etc. At the most basic level, yeah eat until you feel “satisfied” but not full, but it goes beyond that for me.

If I’m craving pretzels like you’d eat at a bar, what am I really after? The crunch? The salt? The dry, pasty? The fact that I only eat bar pretzels at a bar when I’m with friends and surrounded by good company and lots of laughs? Am I really wanting a beer?

This probably sounds absurd, but I’ve found that when I really inventory what it is that I’m trying to get with eating, and focusing on all my senses and the entire experience of eating, I’m finding that I’m “satisfied” much more often than not. In my example, if I’m realky craving the time with friends, then no amount of pretzels will satisfy me. If I’m after salty crunch, then I’m good with having a few pretzels.

nvmomketo · November 2017

Satisfied is when I no longer feel the urge to eat. That varies with food. bacon and eggs will leave me feeling satisfied much sooner, and with lower calories, than a meal of just costco muffins or cake for dessert following any meal. YMMV

Full is when my stomach feels filled. I am uncomfortable. More of a volume thing. This happens on holidays. Or after too much cake or something.

MelanieCN77 · November 2017

I imagine it's a neutral feeling that's balanced between brain and belly but I rarely find it just after I've eaten. I've taken to setting a timer on my watch for 30 minutes after I've eaten a meal I know perfectly well was a good size, because I just generally want to eat till it hurts. If after 30 minutes and some water I still want more, well then I'll find something else, but usually the RAWR feeling has gone by then.

cwolfman13 · November 2017

I'm neither full (as in stuffed), nor am I hungry...I'm just comfortable and content. Simply wanting more just because usually means I need to go do something.

evilpoptart63 · November 2017

My husband keeps me "satisfied!" Haha! Ok, but really, it helps to really slow down when you eat and drink plenty of water with your meals. I used to eat until I was stuffed and nauseous because all my focus was on the sensation of food in my mouth and I "wanted" more. It helps to measure and log your food before you eat it and keep the serving size smaller. Personally, if there is more on my plate I want to eat more! The goal is to eat enough that the hunger sensation is gone, not so much that you feel like you are going to burst

amusedmonkey · November 2017

You know, I've never thought about it meaning anything other than physically not hungry, but it makes sense for it to be this general feeling of wellbeing where the amount eaten feels "enough" emotionally. I'm "satisfied" with one serving of ice cream. It's not exactly something I eat because I'm hungry, so the "no longer hungry" meaning does not apply here. I'm greedy in that I can have more ice cream if I choose, but I don't eat the last bite with a sense of "mourning" because I can't have more within my calories like I feel if I try to have a handful of nuts. I eat it feeling like a need has been met and I'm happy. In terms of mental hunger, "full" is when I'm no longer enjoying the taste like I did at first, when all I can taste of the ice cream is the sugar and the coldness, and at this point I'm eating for the sake of eating.

As for hunger and fullness, I personally can't trust that. I can eat 1800+ calories of plain kebab and find my head in the fridge an hour later, but only about 200-300 calories of plain potatoes. In one case I would be overeating and in another I would be undereating. I think physical and mental fullness are closely tied in my case. Plain kebab doesn't feel like a full meal without bread, so in my mind I'm not done eating even more than a thousand calories later. The meal is not complete until it is. Potatoes don't need anything extra to feel like a meal, and they're high on both "heartiness" and how well they satisfy my physical hunger.

I find this advice dangerous to dieting for those who haven't yet learned how to identify hunger, how their hunger (both mental and physical) reacts to certain foods, or how to balance the different aspects of it. They may end up either overeating, or confusing the feeling of "not exactly starving" with "satisfied" and undereat. I know for a fact if I apply "eat until satisfied" to nuts I'm looking at several thousands of calories to satisfy either mental or physical hunger, so I resort to tricks like eating nuts in things that are inherently satisfying to me (like a slice of sweet nut bread with a cup of milk) where my satisfaction with that feels pleasant and takes over, and makes me happy and satisfied with the nuts in there by proxy, something I'm not able to achieve within calories with plain nuts.

The "eating for the sake of eating" has an unexplained pull that I find hard to control sometimes. I'm capable of eating way beyond physical fullness without feeling sick, even capable of eating after I start feeling sick. I'm also capable of eating beyond mental fullness where food loses all taste and I can't even recognize what I'm shoveling into my mouth. Mindfully and deliberately stopping where I need to stop has been a constant conscious effort. I wonder if I'll ever just spontaneously stop after being satisfied without having to think about it.

JoLightensUp · November 2017

At main meals, I am satisfied when I don't want any more. I very rarely eat to the feeling of being overstuffed. I naturally can't eat big meals and I am also a very slow eater. My mum is exactly the same - when we are eating with others, we are nearly always the last to finish. And we don't try to eat small and slow; it's just the way we are.

One exception for me was for a short while when I was pregnant. I felt like I had turned into a different person - I could suddenly demolish large portions quickly. And I never quite felt satisfied. Eating to try to satiate that hunger was not particularly enjoyable and I was relieved when it passed.

The other exception is snack foods like chips, chocolate, cookies, crackers and nuts. I can eat these past the point of satisfaction just because they are there. Because I don't find them filling, I want more even though I am not enjoying them as much. That's how I put on weight.

What does "satisfied" mean to you?

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