stop eating the moment you are full

Don't blunt that feeling. It is truly great. It draws a line between eating and not eating.

Start to eat when you are genuinely hungry. Pay attention while you are eating. Stop as soon as you are full. It is much easier to notice when you are full if you stay alert while you are eating. If you savour every mouthful, you won't feel cheated. The sense of fullness won't come too soon and you will be ready to stop eating. Your body will send you a message that it is satisfied. If you don't concentrate while you eat, your body may be telling you it's full but you may still be wanting more taste sensations in your mouth. You will be tempted to override the feelings of fullness because you have missed part of the enjoyment of the food. You can't afford to do that is you are trying to get your hunger and satisfaction signals to work accurately. If you start to eat when you aren't hungry, there was never a biological reason to start and there won't be a biological signal to help you stop. If you discover that you aren't hungry for very much, don't worry. You will be hungry again soon. Promise yourself that you will eat when you are next hungry.

Do not use a small hunger to see how long you can go without food. Eat when your body lets you know that you are hungry. If you eat when you are hungry your body rewards you: It uses your food properly. Your metabolism works correctly. You digest well what you put in your body. You will know when you need to next eat again. If you know you will be away from a source of healthy food, discover and think about the foods you can take with you that will really please your body. Carry a small selection of healthy food with you.

hints

Eating when you are hungry and paying attention to the pleasure of the foods lets you know when you are full. If you have no idea how to sense that you are full, take the following steps to learn:

eat just what you estimate might be the right amount; then take a pause

get away from where you are eating and involve yourself in another activity - like walking or lifting weights

check back on your stomach after 30 minutes

If you are still REALLY hungry (be honest with yourself!) see what it is you are hungry for now, and then pay close attention while you eat it. If you are eating with others you may want to be private about what you are doing. Invent a phone call you have to make or excuse yourself and go to the toilet with a book for a few minutes. Give yourself a chance to be immersed in another activity and see whether your hunger is still calling you.

If you find you are still hungry, choose the correct, healthy foods that will satisfy the hunger. If you realise that you are NOT hungry but you know this is one of those times when you want to go on eating, be even more selective. See if you can judge what kind of food will do the trick: Do you want something

hard to bite?

hot and liquid?

sweet and sticky?

smooth and bland?

sour and savoury?

Don't just eat for the sake of it. Eat healthy choices - make eating worth the time!

choose

Choosing helps you to get the right food for your mood. Choosing makes you feel less insatiable and out of control. Choosing short-circuits a binge, and thus aids slimming and weight control.

eating to satisfy your hunger is the way to eat for the rest of your life