Do you find yourself eating until you are uncomfortably full?
You’re not alone, if you find yourself trying to leave dieting for good, but struggling to listen to your hunger/fullness cues AND still feel satisfied, here are some tips to help you!
It is important when shifting towards intuitive eating that you don’t just make it into another diet. Intuitive eating is more than just a hunger/fullness diet it is also about being mentally satisfied and enjoying the experience of eating. So it is okay to eat past the point of comfort from time to time, but if you find yourself doing this frequently without feeling in control here are some questions to ask yourself:
Am I eating consistently?
Restriction (dieting) can create a disconnect between you and your body’s signal. If you aren’t actively feeling hungry then it can be important to start by creating consistent eating patterns until you can gain those signals back. Eating every 3-4 hours can ensure that your body is getting consistent energy to gain back body trust!
Am I eating foods that satisfy me?
If you are eating in a way that doesn’t satisfy your mental AND physical hunger you probably aren’t feeling very satisfied by your meal. This can lead to overeating on those “good” foods that you have allowed yourself to eat or bingeing on the food you are trying to avoid later. When you do find yourself allowing those foods that may have been previously off limits it is important to try and stay present and really pay attention and allow yourself to enjoy it.
Am I still restricting?
If you find yourself still thinking of foods as good/bad or feel guilty after eating there is still some mental restriction there. Another form of sneaky restriction that often goes with hunger cues is eating until you are neutral or not hungry. Just being “not hungry” is at a neutral position, some signs of this may be never feeling fully satisfied, getting hungry soon after meals or feeling the need to graze throughout the day.
Do I need to add a snack in?
For example if you find yourself frequently eating past fullness at dinner or continue to eat after dinner, you may be overly hungry when you get to dinner. Adding in a snack to your afternoon can make you more comfortable and hungry at dinner.
Are you present when eating?
If you find yourself rushing to eat and distracted, you probably aren’t paying much attention to the food. Bringing yourself back into the present and thinking about the food you are eating can help you feel more satisfied and help signal your body when you are full.
So how do I know what it feels like to feel full?
Once your able to listen to your hunger signals, eat satisfying foods without restriction, and reframe negative thoughts you don’t have to focus as much on fullness because it really just becomes intuitive!
Fullness can feel different for everyone, but if you have been in and out of diet culture it might feel a little scary when you do feel symptoms like: feeling slightly bloated or a full belly, losing interest in the food itself, and feeling heaviness in your stomach.
It can be easy to search for another sense of control when dieting, but trying to maintain control by toying with your hunger and fullness is just going to make you obsess over food more.
