“The key to weight loss isn’t to eat as much less as possible, it’s understanding your appetite. Learn to listen to your body, and the pounds will take care of themselves.” Appetite control is the cornerstone of successful weight loss and to control appetite, you need to identify the feeling of satisfaction and contentment that occurs when you have eaten enough to meet your body’s needs to avoid overeating – it’s called “comfortable fullness.” It’s the point at which you feel pleasantly full and no longer hungry. That’s why achieving comfortable fullness is essential for maintaining a healthy relationship with food and to reach weight loss goals. By listening to your body’s hunger and fullness cues, you can avoid overeating and unnecessary calories at the end of the day. Eating to the point of comfortable fullness allows you to eat enough, without starvation, while nourishing your body adequately while still creating a calorie deficit necessary for weight loss. In this article, we list down 5 Strategies for Knowing When you are full.
1. Mindful Eating:
Mindful eating is a practice that involves being fully attentive while consuming food. It involves avoiding distractions such as watching TV, scrolling on phone, etc., while having food and engaging all senses – taste, smell, sight, touch, to connect with the body’s hunger and fullness cues.
2. Eat Slowly:
Chewing slowly is a simple yet powerful strategy for weight loss because it allows you to break down food into smaller particles, which makes it easier for your digestive system to process and absorb nutrients effectively. This initial stage of digestion in the mouth helps kickstart the digestive process and prepare your body to efficiently extract nutrients from the food you consume. Moreover, chewing slowly gives your brain more time to receive signals from your stomach and gut hormones, signaling feelings of fullness and satiety. It takes approximately 20 minutes for these signals to reach your brain and register that you’ve eaten enough, regardless of the actual quantity of food consumed. By eating slowly, you give your body the opportunity to communicate its fullness cues, which can help prevent overeating and unnecessary calorie consumption. Also read: “How Chewing Food Slowly Can Help you Lose Weight?”
3. Check-In Between Meals:
“Checking in” during meals involves pausing periodically while having the meal to assess your hunger and fullness levels. To do this, put your spoon and fork down after every bite. Firstly, pausing to check in allows you to tune into your body’s hunger signals. During the pause, assess your level of hunger on a scale from 1 to 10, with 1 being extremely hungry and 10 being overly full, stop when you reach 8 – by doing this assessment, you become more aware of your body’s needs and can respond accordingly. This awareness helps prevent mindless eating and overconsumption of calories.
4. Pay Attention To Physical Cues:
Tune into physical cues like stomach fullness, feelings of satisfaction, and a decrease in hunger. Learning to differentiate between genuine physical hunger and emotional trigger is the key. By paying attention to these cues, individuals can make more informed food choices, avoid unnecessary eating, and foster a healthier relationship with food, supporting long-term weight management goals.
5. Portion Control:
Portion control is a dietary strategy focused on managing the size and quantity of food consumed during meals and snacks. By practicing portion control, individuals can control their calorie intake, ensuring they consume an appropriate amount of energy for their needs without overeating. This approach helps create a calorie deficit, which is essential for weight loss, while still allowing for a balanced and satisfying diet. Portion control can be achieved through various methods, such as measuring food portions, using smaller plates and bowls, and paying attention to internal hunger and fullness cues to stop eating when comfortably satisfied. Also read: “5 Ways To Stop Yourself From Going For Seconds After Dinner.”
Apart from these strategies mentioned above, do remember to hydrate yourself well because sometimes thirst can be mistaken for hunger. Drink water throughout the day and before meals to control your appetite. Also do remember to keep a food journal to track your meals, snacks, and hunger levels to identify patterns and better understand your eating habits. This can help you become more aware of your satiety cues over time. Most importantly, seek support and check out the Rati Beauty app for more info on how to eat the right food and lose weight without feeling hungry all through the day.
How Chewing Food Slowly Can Help you Lose Weight?5 Ways To Stop Yourself From Going For Seconds After Dinner
