When to Say When
By Michelle Olson | 2/6/2006


Eat when you're hungry, stop when you're satisfied. Simple advice? Yes. A simple philosophy to practice? Not so much. But becoming better in tune with your body's satiety signals is the first step in mastering your food Comfort Zone. Here are some basic guidelines that can help you better understand when to say when:


Stop. "At the first thought of being hungry, individuals have trained themselves to eat," says Noralyn Wilson, RD, spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association (ADA). Wilson warns that by doing this "we have developed a false sense of what it feels like to be truly hungry." So, if you struggle with wanting to eat even when you're not hungry, how do you know if you actually do require food? When you do begin to feel hungry, drink water or go for a short walk, and wait for the feeling to come around again. Eventually you'll learn to discern when you're actually hungry, and when your emotions are trying to get the best of you. On the other hand, it is important not to let yourself get so hungry that when you do eat, you go overboard. So be mindful of keeping a balance.

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Look. When you're eating, eat, says Wilson. Don't try to multitask! Working on a document at your desk or watching TV will distract you from the project at hand – which in this case should be supplying your body with nutrients. So slow down and think about what you're eating. "The stretching of the stomach takes a while to register," says Wilson, "and if you're eating quickly, you can surpass fullness without even realizing it."

Listen. If you are eating a balanced meal – that is, a 7-9-inch plate filled half with veggies and the rest with a lean protein and a starch – you should be satisfied at one serving, says Wilson. But if seconds are calling your name, take a 20-minute breather and listen to your body to see if you really are still hungry. "Go outside, engage the family in a game, play trivia, go for a walk or do the dishes to take your mind off of eating for a moment," suggests Wilson. "The food will still be there," reminds Wilson. "You can always go back for more."

Feel. "It's really easy to confuse physical hunger and fullness with emotional hunger and fullness," says Cynthia Sass, RD, spokesperson for the ADA and author of Your Diet is Driving Me Crazy (Marlowe & Company, 2004). So if it's emotions that are causing you to overeat, Sass suggests keeping a food journal to help better understand your emotional overeating triggers. To do so, ask and answer some of these "Why" questions when you realize you have overeaten:

* "Why did I eat that particular food?" Did you really want it, or did you eat out of boredom, obligation or because you were upset/angry/anxious?
* "Why did I decide to stop eating?" Were you full or did you finish what was on your plate or what the bag said was a serving size?
* "Why did I eat?" Were you honestly hungry, or were you trying to ward off boredom or some other emotional cue?


Only once you begin to understand your emotional overeating triggers, says Sass, can you take steps to change your behaviors. "Food tastes good, eating feels good, and most people will need to try several things before they find what will make them feel good as an alternative to eating," says Sass.

It won't happen overnight, but with a little effort, the signals your body is sending you can be heard clear as a bell. So get reacquainted with your body's signals – it might just make all the difference in your weight-loss success.