Do you stop eating when you feel full?

refactored · January 14

I was wondering if people generally stop eating when they feel full or if they eat their total calorie allocation at each meal regardless of whether they feel full?

Have you tried one approach and have it fail in some way? Why do you think that approach failed?

If you eat only until you feel full, what are the cues that signal to you that you are full or satisfied?

csplatt · January 15

This never happens to me 😂

sollyn23l2 · January 15

I eat until I feel full. My stomach feels stretched and doesn't want more. Some people don't get this feeling though.

zebasschick · January 15

no, i don't eat till i feel full. that being said, i won't eat less than 1000 calories per day, and if i've worked out heavily, i might eat larger amounts of food than usual in a shorter period of time.

worth mentioning, perhaps, is that i break my food into 5 to 6 smaller meals per day, and i'm a 5'4" sedentary female. workouts and exercise calories are figured on top of my daily minimum.

tomcustombuilder · January 15

Stop when full. If you’re under your calories put the unused ones in the bank for when you go over some other time.

MsCzar · January 15

I almost never feel full. It would take an extraordinarily large amount of food to achieve a feeling of fullness... as in an entire extra large pizza or whole chicken. That feeling of fullness would quickly dissipate within an hour. For that reason, I don't gauge fullness as a sign of anything.

mtaratoot · January 15

I sometimes go under my goal. Lately it's been farther under than I'm really comfortable with, but I don't think that's permanent. Perhaps I just need to focus in on some higher calorie foods, but at the same time, I think it's OK.

I used to eat until full. I probably used to eat until MORE than full. Thus the need for a tool like MyFitnessPal.

I remember a few years ago on a dive boat after I had lost weight and was maintaining. I had developed pretty good habits. I didn't have a scale, and that was fine. For that trip, I logged my food as a "recipe" I created that I called "SCUBA Diver Rations." It consists of 700 grams of carbs, 130 grams of protein, and 130 grams of fat (total of 4490 calories). I have another recipe for river trips called "Rafter Rations" that's lower calorie. We eat a lot when diving.

Anyway, one night we had grilled tri-tip with broccoli and rice and I don't remember what else. I had a reasonable amount. I went back for some more broccoli and maybe some more rice. The galley crew asked if I wanted more meat. I didn't NEED it, but want? OK. It was delicious. Anyway, I ate it. As you know, it takes a little while for the full feeling to hit your brain. Well, I hadn't waited long enough, and pretty soon I felt over-full. It was actually uncomfortable. I remembered thinking, "Hmmm... I used to feel like this all the time, and I used to enjoy it." I didn't enjoy it anymore. I don't think I gained weight on that trip, and it taught me a lesson I already had learned. But it sure was tasty.

Some people "bank" calories by eating below goal for some days so they can have a high-calorie treat meal and still hitting their goal for the week.

If your goal is set correctly for the calorie level you "should" be eating, it's best to try to hit it on average over time.

So, I have to ask @refactored - do YOU eat until full and stop, or do you keep eating until you hit your goal? Do you stop eating at your goal even if you happen to NOT be full?

SafariGalNYC · January 15

I dislike the feeling of being “full” … I’ll eat enough or til satisfied.

Corina1143 · January 15

My calories are all over the place. I do try to keep protein constant. My hunger, or "satisfaction" is very much driven by protein. But calories? Whatever.

Theoldguy1 · January 15

Stop when you feel about 80-90% full.

refactored · January 15

mtaratoot wrote: »

I sometimes go under my goal. Lately it's been farther under than I'm really comfortable with, but I don't think that's permanent. Perhaps I just need to focus in on some higher calorie foods, but at the same time, I think it's OK.

I used to eat until full. I probably used to eat until MORE than full. Thus the need for a tool like MyFitnessPal.

I remember a few years ago on a dive boat after I had lost weight and was maintaining. I had developed pretty good habits. I didn't have a scale, and that was fine. For that trip, I logged my food as a "recipe" I created that I called "SCUBA Diver Rations." It consists of 700 grams of carbs, 130 grams of protein, and 130 grams of fat (total of 4490 calories). I have another recipe for river trips called "Rafter Rations" that's lower calorie. We eat a lot when diving.

Anyway, one night we had grilled tri-tip with broccoli and rice and I don't remember what else. I had a reasonable amount. I went back for some more broccoli and maybe some more rice. The galley crew asked if I wanted more meat. I didn't NEED it, but want? OK. It was delicious. Anyway, I ate it. As you know, it takes a little while for the full feeling to hit your brain. Well, I hadn't waited long enough, and pretty soon I felt over-full. It was actually uncomfortable. I remembered thinking, "Hmmm... I used to feel like this all the time, and I used to enjoy it." I didn't enjoy it anymore. I don't think I gained weight on that trip, and it taught me a lesson I already had learned. But it sure was tasty.

Some people "bank" calories by eating below goal for some days so they can have a high-calorie treat meal and still hitting their goal for the week.

If your goal is set correctly for the calorie level you "should" be eating, it's best to try to hit it on average over time.

So, I have to ask @refactored - do YOU eat until full and stop, or do you keep eating until you hit your goal? Do you stop eating at your goal even if you happen to NOT be full?

I have been eating until I hit my calorie goal even though I feel full. I am finding the feeling uncomfortable though so I am mulling changing my strategy. I do try to stop eating if I have reached my calorie goal but chances are if I still feel hungry I am probably going to eat something else and go over my calories. I think I will try what @tomcustombuilder and you have suggested and if I feel full, bank the remaining calories for another time so that I average my calories over the week. I will work on trying to detect when I feel satisfied rather than when I feel full. I guess detecting when I am satisfied will be harder than detecting when I am uncomfortably full though because I eat on a schedule rather than eating when hungry.

AnnPT77 · January 15

That isn't really how I think of it. It's more about working out eating patterns that keep me contented (non-crave-y) the majority of my waking hours.

Generally I fix meals that I know are calorie appropriate and likely to be filling in a "stick with me" sense, then I eat them without much considering whether I feel full at the moment. I don't want to routinely eat way below my calorie target, or way over. I do want to feel satisfied, but it's not a focus every meal when it comes to how much to eat.

Part of the issue is that I know I eat fast, but it seems to take me longer than the reported 20 minutes-ish after eating to feel sated. If I eat amounts that I know are right and foods that suit me, at reasonable-for-me intervals, everything generally works out OK. If I feel hungry or crave-y when a meal isn't coming up soon, I'd generally have a snack to keep things on an even keel.

Yes, it took a bit of time when first losing weight to figure out the best eating patterns; and they needed a little adjustment (add-ons) when it was time for maintenance.

CrazyMermaid1 · January 15

I’m another one who never feels full. And if I’ve eaten white bread-forgetaboutit. I’m starving in 5 minutes. Don’t understand why.

Dreamroper · January 15

I seem to get full really fast, so I quit eating. Then, a couple hours later I'm hungry. This has been going on for the last couple of years. I'm 69 and it seems like this has happened as I've gotten older.

zebasschick · January 16

AnnPT77 wrote: »

That isn't really how I think of it. It's more about working out eating patterns that keep me contented (non-crave-y) the majority of my waking hours.

Generally I fix meals that I know are calorie appropriate and likely to be filling in a "stick with me" sense, then I eat them without much considering whether I feel full at the moment. I don't want to routinely eat way below my calorie target, or way over. I do want to feel satisfied, but it's not a focus every meal when it comes to how much to eat.

Part of the issue is that I know I eat fast, but it seems to take me longer than the reported 20 minutes-ish after eating to feel sated. If I eat amounts that I know are right and foods that suit me, at reasonable-for-me intervals, everything generally works out OK. If I feel hungry or crave-y when a meal isn't coming up soon, I'd generally have a snack to keep things on an even keel.

Yes, it took a bit of time when first losing weight to figure out the best eating patterns; and they needed a little adjustment (add-ons) when it was time for maintenance.

blood sugar doesn't instantly go up when you eat - it takes time, and that's part of what causes a feeling of satiation. i experimented, taking my blood sugar at a variety of times after eating, and at 20 minutes after the start of eating, it starts to climb. since i'm a fast eater, like you, at 20 minutes, i'm already done.

springlering62 · January 16

I come at this from a slightly different perspective. I pre-log meals and snacks out several days in advance.

Thanks to five or so years of careful logging and records, know how many calories I need to fuel myself.

If I’m not hungry, I generally try to eat it anyway. If I just can’t or still don’t want to, I’ll tag a larger or extra snack on after dinner. Maybe a small piece of chocolate or some jerky.

I feel so awful and run down and sofa-snoozy a day or two later, it’s not worth cutting too low.

You’ve got to learn the signs and listen to your body

Cutting really low for a jackrabbit start and thinking “Ooh! I’m getting ahead of calories” can come back to kick you in the bottom later on.

elisa123gal · January 16

I will continue eatng to get what i think i need into my diet. For example.. i just ate an all greens salad after my chicken and carrot main entree for lunch. I was more than full eating my chicken dish.. but i felt i needed some greens for nutrition in my system. and right now.. i feel i need to eat half of a grapefruit to get my vitamin C.
Ha.. i actually think this way when i eat.

springlering62 · January 16

elisa123gal wrote: »

Ha.. i actually think this way when i eat.

That’s the key, though, isn’t it? Thinking?

When I was obese, I have zero thought to what I was shoveling in my mouth, other than “my sugar buzz is going down, better have some more.” Shovel, shovel. 😬

kshama2001 · January 16

Like Ann and Spring (and perhaps others who were less specific) I know how many calories I want and put that on my plate. (Or if it's a new meal and I haven't worked out the calories in the recipe builder yet, I guess, and work it out after.)

I don't have seconds, but if I make something especially yummy, I struggle with not picking at that as I'm putting it away.

ddsb1111 · January 16

When I started dieting I absolutely could not trust my hunger signals. It’s my own fault, I ignored them most of my life so I wasn’t calibrated correctly.

The body is an amazing thing though, and can learn and change even after years of neglect or gluttony.

I started with teaching myself portion control. Whether I wanted more or not it didn’t matter, that’s what I got. Eventually my stomach adapted and learned that those portions really were enough. I had always thought of myself as someone who didn’t have an off switch. Turns out, I do. It just took consistency and some inner work to get there.

COGypsy · January 16

I try not to eat past full. I use a hunger scale to guide when and how much I eat. One is so hungry you're shaky and dizzy and ready to eat whatever you can touch and 10 is so full you can't even move and might even be sick. I wait until I'm at about a 3 to eat and eat until I'm at about a 7. Then I'm done and whatever is left gets put away.

Do you stop eating when you feel full?

Do you stop eating when you feel full? 23 votes

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