Back when I was a DIETitian, and put people on diets, I liked to suggest slowing down when eating, and making sure you wait 15 or so minutes to see if your fullness sets in. Back then this advise was really given with the wrong intentions (you can probably deduce what I mean), but now I find myself giving similar advice with a much different intention. First off, there is actually no magic number of 15-20 minutes (not sure who started that, probably “diet culture”). If you are truly mindfully eating (eating without distractions, and at a pace that is comfortable for you), and listening to hunger cues (eating when you aren’t ravenous, but you do have slight hunger) you will be more likely to notice fullness as it approaches.
A Drunk Analogy
Have you ever taken a shot of alcohol, waited a minute or two, then taken one or two more shots, only to realize that was a big mistake about 30 minutes later? You were too busy taking shots to notice the subtle signs of drunkeness. Strange analogy, maybe, but that’s what happens when you wait too long to eat, then come home, furiously eat to fill your belly, fast, and miss the subtle cues of fullness. You finally realize once you are beyond full, and uncomfortable.
So What To Do?
You don’t need to sit around for the magical 15 minutes to feel your fullness, it will happen as you eat, gradually. As you notice fullness, and notice your food just not tasting as good as those first several bites, that may be the the time you set your fork down and stop eating. As an intuitive eater, this will start to come more naturally, and you won’t think about it as much. As an intuitive eater you will have less of those situations where you wait too long to eat, then get around food and feel out of control. It’s those times when it’s very difficult to register fullness.
This all takes practice. Learning to honor hunger, and eat mindfully doesn’t happen overnight. This is just another reminder that Intuitive Eating is a journey, not a destination. You will still have moments, throughout your life, when you don’t eat mindfully, you don’t honor your hunger, and you eat past fullness. The idea is not perfection, the idea is progress and getting a better understanding of yourself, and your body.
