Day #18...Change Your Definition of Full...

Ideally, you would eat only when you're hungry and stop eating when you're almost full or mildly full..chances are, you're not naturally good at this skill. Most dieters don't know how to recognize when they are really hungry and when they aren't..When you rely on hunger signals to guide your eating, you invariably overeat.
Here's a way to determine if you've overeaten. Think about how easy it would be to take a walk at a moderate or brisk pace before you eat. You should be able to walk at the same pace just as easily AFTER a meal, too.. If you can't easily take a moderate to brisk walk after a meal, it means that your've eaten too much and you might have an unrealistic definition of fullness.
People without weight problems feel somewhat uncomfortable when they eat to the point when they can't comfortably take a walk after a meal. But when you eat to that point, you might not feel the same discomfort. The sensations you notice might feel normal to you. Your definition of fullness might be part of the reason you gained weight in the first place or have had difficulty losing weight.
You might eat beyond the point of normal fullness for several other reasons.
1. You might want to prolong the taste of the food (it's so good)
2. You might just have a hard time getting your attention away from food when you see it just there in your reach...(move it out of site)
3.You might think if you don't eat enough now...you just might be hungry before the next meal.....(I'm guilty of that one!!!)

Ok, everyone here is an exercise for you...Now...I know it's hot and it's summer but I know we can all do this... Everytime we eat...we NEED to pay real good attention to how full we are...We have to think about what we are eating. Just because it is on our plates...we DON'T have to eat ALL of it....I know for sure we won't starve if we don't finish it all....Do you remember the 15 minute rule..wait 15 minutes and see if you are still hungry...It is amazing...when I think I still want something more to eat..if I wait...I don't feel hungry anymore....Now if you want to walk after a meal and see if you can still walk as easily after a meal as you could before a meal, well good for you.....I'll be the first one to pat you on the backs.....

Ok, Day #19...will be next...STOP FOOLING YOURSELF....

Dear Patty,

As you and others already know this is another 'take' on the Comfort Zone that WW talks about (topic of two weeks ago). However I have to say that I really like the visual and sensory effect of reading whether or not I am full by being able to take a walk after I eat. This really hit home for me.
I can't not tell you how many times my WW walking buddy adn I have said "lets go now before we get hungry cuz I won't want to walk after I eat." And so we usually walk on an empty stomach only to eat our dinner at 1 am! (for those who do not know we wlak between 11 pm and 12 midnight).

However just having walked does motivate me to eat lighter than I probably would have otherwise.


Thanks for the great description of being full from BECK's.

JeanCat
PS just read the Stop Fooking Yourself! Great post!

JeanCat....I had never heard that either about being able to walk briskly after eating.....It stands to reason..if you overeat..the walking would be harder after a meal....