Stopping when full

[katebushh]

I can never stop eating until I've eaten too much and then feel sick afterwards.

How do people stop eating once they feel they've had enough and not keep stuffing until their stomach is stretched like a balloon?

Chew 20 times, stop 20 seconds between mouthfuls, stop eating after 20 minutes.

I've had to have serious words with myself. When I feel full, I make sure I stop, otherwise I'll be in agony for the rest of the day. It's taken some practise, but I'm much better now. Once I feel full, get rid of the left over food. If it's not there, I can't eat it!!

The full feeling people get after eating is a hormonal response. For some people these hormones get out of whack, or receptors become desensitized so they do not feel full, or get a delayed, or reduced response to food.
Take a look at some of the talks on the PHC, public health collaboration, channel on YouTube. They are a UK based charity tackling lifestyle diseases (to save the NHS). I am sure you will find it informative.

Thank you all. @xyz111 about the getting rid of the left over food, I have a thing about eating everything on my plate from childhood.

I'll try to pack it away in the fridge or chuck it. I think it's partly due to having issues with food waste as well. Either that or I'm just a greedy pig.

My DH and I don't like wasting food either. But if it's causing negative issues, then it's not worth it.

This is slightly different, with a focus on snacking etc, but might be a helpful read.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/health-fitness/diet/weight-loss/why-am-i-hungry-all-the-time/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR0LIwG82XcWqnocwYzrtxVAuSoZWIs1g0LuvmK3Mm-fIh29cqDMV7vn4Qk_aem_AciOtEoGRTvz26bTayUXGKEDCrg1XjOe_HsAjnVb_E5EAcC7hLEgtQZVDCwZ85V6XbkiEKfBwhKF3IiRhda80aR4

The only way I have worked on this is mindful eating and satiety scales

Most people eat mindlessly watching something or reading or talking or working, not paying any attention to the food. So you are meant to eat the food without distraction and look at it, taste it and feel it.

Your body has a lot of senses and your stomach is only one element of eating, there is also sight and smell, if you never even look at your food properly then it’s easy to just keep eating.

You can learn to listen to your body and work out when it really is hungry and eat slowly, keep hydrated to lessen this feeling so it’s less intense and consuming.

Hunger is also cyclical so although you might feel hungry it will go away for a while and come back later, so the main way of managing this is to eat until you are less hungry, eat a reasonable amount and then stop eating and go do something distracting your mind from any lingering hunger feelings. The hunger will go away for a while. I don’t eat the moment I feel hungry I let it come back a 2nd time then I will eat. And if I still have it after a decent sized meal I will leave it an hour, go do something, drink water and then eat something small later on

You might want to google “hara hachi bu” or eat till you are 80% full.
I have huge problems (pun intended, I guess) with portion control and this helps me.

It’s difficult at first to learn when to stop and it is still difficult for me mentally - I fidget, I have to find ways to distract myself and do something else instead of eating after I’m done because everything inside me is panicking that I haven’t eaten enough.

I used to eat very fast, without paying much attention to food I eat so I always ate too much. With hara hachi bu I don’t overeat, after about 20 minutes I suddenly don’t feel hungry or restless anymore.
It’s a long process for me, practising mindfulness while eating, arranging my meals in the nicest possible way helps a lot, but it takes time to unlearn old habits.

@CortieTat all good tips!
my house has never been so tidy as when I am doing my distractions so at least it’s also productive!

I was still hungry this evening after my main meal so I left it an hour and it didn’t come back again so I have got into bed. Going to bed and sleeping also is helpful when I’ve reached my calorie limit for the day but still get some of the feeling. I accept this is a sensation I have to learn to live with. I don’t think I am genuinely hungry or getting malnourished as I have eaten 3 decent meals today as I do every day.

also once you have stopped over eating until over full you can actually start to dislike the feeling of being too full. This happened to me, I now don’t like the sensation like I used to. If I eat too much it’s uncomfortable and I don’t feel good so I am less likely to do it

I have to stop as soon as my hunger goes. I have a phobia of being sick so feeling full terrifies me in case I'm sick.

i wish i even had the feeling, its very rare i ever feel full!

@katebushh Thank you all. @xyz111 about the getting rid of the left over food, I have a thing about eating everything on my plate from childhood.

I had the same for many years. It stemmed from years of being beaten by my mother for not eating my dinner. It took me years (and well into my 30's!) before I realised I don't need to eat everything!

Nowadays I use smaller plates and dish up smaller portions. I prefer to go back for seconds (if I need to) than worry about what's left in my plate.

I also try to drink a lot of squash/water before/between meals as I find that helps.

This is also something that I am trying to be conscious about. I have started taking smaller plates, filling half with salad and or green vegetables, the remaining half is 3/4 full with fats and proteins and the last portion is carbs. I eat following the glucose goddess approach too: veg first, proteins and fats second, carbs third. I found that this means by the time I get to the carbs, I often won't finish what's on my plate. Her book is brilliant btw. I really enjoyed it and it was an easy read.

Being mindful seems to help, I noticed recently that I was piling my plate a lot higher than I was 2 months ago, so I need to tone that down. I also never go for seconds anymore.

And as other said... lots of water. I find it better to drink iced water, I don't know why but it works for me.

I am also avoiding sugary snacks at the moment, I have a habit of reaching for chocolate biscuits around 2pm, so I bought some proteins chocolate mousse things from Lidl. It's an aversion tactic at the moment, but I am trying to wean myself off this sugar hit altogether. I do have a kiwi a day though. And I have pickled onions and gherkins around for it I really really really (think that I) need a snack.

I also no longer snack in front of the tv in a night. This is a hard habit to break, and as someone else said, I have been going to bed early instead. So I wake up with loads of energy... win win!

It's really hard, to break these habits. And it doesn't happen overnight. But stick with it, taking each day as it comes. You know that you are getting enough food, even if your body is telling you it wants more.