I am always working with my clients to teach them how to listen to their body’s own subtle signals.
When you learn how to stop eating before you are totally full, you will:
- Achieve your ideal weight
- Have more energy
- Have fewer digestive problems
- Learn how to be truly in tune with yourself
When you finally learn how to stop eating BEFORE you are totally full, you can take yourself out to eat anywhere, anytime: to a five-star restaurant, to your grandmother’s house for a family meal, out to the ballpark. You name it.
Of course, it is possible to learn how to stop eating before you are full even if you are eating junk food, but the truth is that you can use healthy foods to increase your feeling of satiety.
Here are some clues how you can feel more full:
- Make sure you eat some form or protein at every main meal – that means breakfast, lunch and dinner. When you get enough protein, you won’t crave sugar. If you are out of control with sugar cravings, more than likely you are protein deficient. Try including a protein portion the size of your palm at your main meals.
- Include not only protein at every main meal, but also a healthy carbohydrate (also known as fruits and vegetables!) and a healthy fat (olive oil, butter, coconut oil, real nuts), your body won’t be missing any major nutrients so you can feel full.
- Eat real food. I know, I know! Some people like to believe there are no “bad” foods. But the truth is that if you feed yourself with real food that your body can use to make your brain chemistry, bones and muscles, you will be less likely to feel deprived.
- If you are feeling hungry between meals, drink water. When water hits the tip of your tongue, it sends a signal to the part of your brain called the amygdala. The amygdala is the fight, flight or freeze part of your brain. When you drink water between meals, you calm yourself down and avoid stress eating.
- Make sure you are getting at least five servings of fruits and vegetables every day. Why is this so important? Fruits and vegetables contain fiber. Fiber helps you feel full!
So what is a serving of a fruit or a vegetable?
Although different fruits and vegetables have different serving sizes, a general rule of thumb is:
- I cup raw
- 1/2 cup cooked
If you load up on high fiber fruits and vegetables, you will feel more satisfied when you eat.
Although I am not in favor of counting calories (not very accurate, waste of time, forces you to focus on calories versus high quality nutrition), I am very much in favor of counting just exactly how many servings of fruits and vegetables you include in your diet.
Why do I want you to count your fruit and vegetable servings? Because I want you to focus on doing the right things, which means focusing on feeding your body to be healthy AND lose weight.
If you aim for 1 serving at breakfast, 2 servings at lunch and 2 at dinner, you can easily get 5 servings of fruits and vegetables every day.
The scientific research shows that people tend to eat the same volume of food every day.
My clients report that they eat less and feel more satisfied and less hungry when they eat the way I recommend that they eat than when they are left to their old, unfortunate habits.
Help me lose weight? You can lose weight more easily when you focus on what actually makes you feel full in a healthy way.