You may not realize it, but your body’s needs for fuel aren’t always consistent.
Some days you actually need more food than others.
When you feel hungry, you probably need food. But strong hunger signals don’t always mean you need a LOT of food.
By listening to your body, you should be able to tell exactly how much fuel you need at any given time.
Suppose you stop eating because you notice the eating pause, but then you feel hungry a couple of hours later. That doesn’t mean you didn’t read the signals right.
Instead, your body simply wants food again and it’s letting you know that it’s time.
But to make sure you are accurate with your body, you may need to slow down your eating. Here’s an easy way to practice that.
At the start of your meal, set a timer or the alarm on your watch for 20 minutes.
Then, pace yourself (even if you’re just eating a sandwich) so you’ll be finishing the last bite of your food when the time is up.
Today’s assignment (my answers are in blue)
1. With at least one of your meals today, set a timer and pace your eating to make the meal last for at least 20 minutes. Describe how this worked for you.
We recently had a nice meal outside on the deck. I had grilled the chicken with a special marinade, and I was anxious to see how it tasted. We also had a salad and a vegetable.
I knew that it would be easy to eat too fast, so I set the timer, and made the meal last 20 minutes. It was actually very pleasant and more relaxing than usual.
2. Make a game out of catching other people doing the eating pause with their food, then ask them, “Are you feeling satisfied and comfortable right now? Do you feel like you’ve had enough food?” Write their answers here.
I did this with my husband who typically finishes all of his food. He was surprised when I pointed out the pause, and he realized that he felt very satisfied even though he hadn’t finished everything on his plate.
3. Teach the eating pause concept to several people. Record their responses to using this technique.
I taught this to a friend who is an engineer. He didn’t believe it would work because he thought he knew exactly how much food he needed to eat. He was amazed when the pause actually came at times when he knew he was “almost” full.
Excerpted from Day 36 in the book, 100 Days of Weight Loss