Principle 5-Feel Your Fullness

I'm sure we've all had those times that we've not listened to our body cues and eaten so much that we feel we have to unbutton our pants to get comfortable. Principle #5 is to help us remember to stop and listen for the body signals that tell you that you are no longer hungry. Observe the signs that show that you're comfortably full. Pause in the middle of a meal or food and ask yourself how the food tastes, and what your current fullness level is.

Tips for feeling your fullness:

1. Pay attention to your fullness signals. But remember, the only way that you can do this is to give yourself unconditional permission to eat. You must firmly believe that you will be able to eat again when you get hungry in order to be able to stop when you're full.

2. Be sure to honor your hunger. If you're overhungry, your urgency to eat will create great difficulty in recognizing your fullness signals.

3. Discard that notion that you must finish everything on your plate because you fear wasting food.

4. Increase your consciousness in order to help you identify satiety:

a. Try eating without distraction. Turn off the TV, shut off the computer, put down the book, etc.

b. Pause in the middle of a meal or snack and take a time-out to check your fullness level.

1. check to see if the food is still tasting good or if your just eating to be eating.

2. Ask yourself am I still hungry? Am I beginning to feel satisfied?

5. Identify the "Last Bite Threshold". This is the endpoint, this is the last bite that you know you can easily eat without feeling overly full or bloated.

6. Make sure you have plenty of food available for your meals. If you give yourself too little to eat you will never feel satisfied or full.

7. Select foods that have some substance. Higher fiber foods will keep you fuller for a longer time than "air foods".