I've now passed the one-month mark in my effort to 1) eat only when actually hungry, and 2) stop eating when satiated. Of the two, I am doing much better with stopping when full (see the last post). I would estimate that I am eating to satiety and not beyond probably 75-80% of the time.
The other component, eating when hungry, has been trickier. It seems so easy to eat when your not hungry. There are a plethora of reasons – boredom, stress, etc. I would say I am truly eating out of hunger probably 50% of the time. The other times are just small occassions where I catch myself snacking on something when I'm not really hungry. Old habits die hard I guess, so this step is a work in progress.
Overall, I am very pleased with results of this eating syle. I have lost a few pounds even though I was not looking to do so, but the main benefit has been more consistent energy. If you eat past satiety, there wil be the tendency to feel sluggish (think Thanksgiving dinner). The same probably holds true for eating when not hungry – there is no place for the calories to go, so to speak, so it probably induces sluggishness as well.
I would also add that this eating style is "on top" of Paleo eating. I believe that even when eating Paleo food, a person can still eat when not hungry and also eat past satiety. This eating-to-hunger-and-satiety style is more general and could be applied to different dietary prescriptions.
I noticed a big (negative) difference in my eating habits once I got married, and my eating schedule was no longer dictated by my own hunger, but was now on a schedule linked with someone else. Also, if you’re not the one preparing the meal, the serving sizes are no longer determined by how hungry you are, and there’s still the implied pressure to finish what you’ve been served. This is something we’ll have to work on.
I think you make a great point with this type of eating being “on top” of paleo eating. It’s just as easy to snack on “paleo cookies” or muffins or whatever than it is on regular ones. Either way they probably end up as extra calories that you don’t need, no matter what they are made of.
I try to eat two big meals a day that keep me full all day, and it works pretty well. The thing I struggle with, and am wondering if you do too, is sort of obsessing over hunger signals when eating this way. I often find myself struggling to determine if what I’m feeling is hunger or just something else? What are your main signals that indicate true hunger?
See the next post – I decided it would be better to reply with a new post.