How To Lose Weight By Listening To Hunger And Fullness

If you eat mindlessly when you're not really hungry or eat until you're overly full, you may need to get back in touch with the physical feelings associated with eating. Sensations of hunger and fullness are influenced by more than what's in your stomach -- you also eat in response to environmental cues, social situations and your previous experiences with food, which can all lead to overeating and weight gain. To lose weight, turn your attention inward and learn to listen to internal cues regarding hunger and fullness.

Step 1

Rate your hunger using a basic hunger scale before you eat and again when you're finished to determine if you're truly physically hungry or if you're eating for another reason, such as boredom or stress. Use a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 means starvation, 5 means neither hungry nor full and 10 means you're so full that you're very uncomfortable. This can be challenging at first, but it can become easier with consistent practice.

Step 2

Adopt the Okinawan practice of hara hachi bu. The natives of this Japanese island are the longest-lived of any people and see low rates of obesity and chronic disease, Dr. Ron Stram reported in 2010. To put hara hachi bu into practice, stop eating when you feel 80-percent full. Wait 20 minutes and re-assess your hunger; you may find you feel 100-percent full by then. This strategy works best with a normal-sized meal; if you try it with large portions, you will still end up overeating.

Step 3

Avoid mindless overeating by controlling portion size. Never eat directly out of a box or bag, because you'll eat more without realizing it; instead, measure out one serving prior to eating. Gain control over huge restaurant portions by dividing a meal with a friend or putting half your meal into a take-home container before you even start eating. Satisfy your appetite with less food by using the proven strategy of eating from smaller plates and bowls.

Step 4

Give your full attention to the process of eating. Distractions such as watching television or surfing the Internet will cause you to eat more without realizing it.

Step 5

Be vigilant about how much food you eat when you're dining with friends, because people eat significantly more when eating in social situations than when dining alone. Don't eat alone just to manage your weight, though; instead, remain aware of this tendency and pay special attention to what and how much you're eating.