Eat Until You're Full - 3 Fat Chicks on a Diet Weight Loss Community

Steen · 03-03-2009, 08:05 PM

You know how "they" say that you should eat until you're satisfied, but not until you are full? Is that the case with SB?

For example, I had curried chicken breast for dinner with broccoli and cabbage. I had one chicken breast and the rest of my plate was full with veggies. I ate it all, but I knew I was getting full about halfway through mt dinner. I just ate it all so that I wouldn't get hungry later.

Was that okay? Should I only eat until I'm satisfied? If it's only veggies that are filling me up, does that really matter?

Am I making sense?

looloo86 · 03-03-2009, 08:16 PM

i didnt read the book lol and i'm just reading the posts to get an idea about the diet but i have the answer to your question i dont know if its in terms with the SD rules but i think veggies are better nutients than chicken to your body and also you have a calorie limit for the day so reaching it with veggies is better than dessert at the end of the day so i think you did the right thing .What do other members think??

rdw1 · 03-03-2009, 09:00 PM

I think that you need to be sure to get all your veggies in and if you are satisfied before that maybe you should eat them anyway-when it comes to veggies they are lower on the calorie side anyway- I try to usually have a large salad before dinner so I will be sure to get all of them in, and then the other stuff comes last- and I stop when I am satisfied

Hope that helps- but I am no expert, thats just MHO..

zeffryn · 03-03-2009, 09:07 PM

I think the "eating until you are satisfied" mantra helps keep us in touch with our bodies and stop us from overeating.

True that vegetables are lower calorie, so overeating those won't hurt as much as overeating chocolate cake. I would suggest starting your meal eating your vegetables and then when they are gone, eat the rest until satisfied. Your body is telling you that you do not need any more food! The trick is to make the most use of the space in your stomach before filling it up!

Learning to stop when we are satisfied (even with vegetables) will help stop us from overeating in the future.

AnAbsoluteDiva · 03-03-2009, 09:15 PM

I eat until I'm no longer hungry. I don't like the full or stuffed feeling at all.

zeffryn · 03-03-2009, 09:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AnAbsoluteDiva

I eat until I'm no longer hungry. I don't like the full or stuffed feeling at all.

or the "nap for the next three hours" feeling that comes afterward.

AnAbsoluteDiva · 03-03-2009, 09:17 PM

True that, Zeff!

True that!

murphmitch · 03-03-2009, 10:32 PM

Well, I do tend to eat until I'm stuffed fairly frequently because I eat so many veggies. This may not be a good thing to do, as others have said, but I cook a lot of veggies with my protein and sometimes I can't stop eating them! When I steam broccoli and cauliflower I cook a lot. I feel like it's a good thing to overeat, instead of other things, especially in the evening when I used to binge. I know it's probably not showing self control to keep eating them, but I know if I fill up I won't want something else later. (And the extra veggies definitely helps with constipation.)

beachgal · 03-04-2009, 09:53 AM

Veggies can make us feel stuffed because they take up so much room and are harder to break down. It's one of the many reasons we're encouraged to eat more of them.

That said, I highly disagree with the idea that the veggies are more nutritious than the chicken. The protein in the chicken is very, very important for your body. You need protein, especially if you are working out, as a basic building block of muscles and organs. Of course, balance is the important thing--you need protein and veggies and complex carbs, etc.--but you shouldn't negate the power of protein.

I'd say that you should try to stop when you are satisfied. If you find that you usually have the problem of eating your protein and then barely getting into your veggies before you are full, you should try to eat about half your protein and then get into your veggies so you are getting a balanced meal. Save the rest and, if you are hungry later, finish it.

Though veggies are important and are low in calories, it's not a good habit to get yourself used to eating until you are uncomfortably full. My nutritionist asked me to use a 1-10 scale of fullness. This quote from a website explains it better than I can:

Quote:

When it comes time to lose weight, listening to your body is key. Especially when it is telling you that you are full.

A 1 to 10 scale can help you do that.
...
You know when your body is saying it's hungry, no doubt about that, but doctors say it's just as important to learn how to recognize when you're done eating, too.

It takes your brain a few minutes to catch up to your stomach, so you need to take your time eating and pay attention.

Here is a guide. Take a break every few minutes and ask yourself, just how full am I right now? If one is starving to death and 10 is so stuffed you are nauseous, you should try to stop eating when you are around six. So, by the time your brain catches up, you should be about a seven, which is satisfied, but comfortable.

One rule I've always had with myself is that if I feel hungry, I'll try to ignore it for a while, but if it doesn't go away, I offer myself the option of having some veggies. If I find that I'm very happy to eat veggies, then I assume I really am hungry. If the veggies don't sound good, I know it's probably a craving. So if you find that you are hungry after dinner and eating the rest of your dinner seems appealing, why not eat it? We aren't supposed to be hungry on SBD, and veggies are a great way to fill up.

AnAbsoluteDiva · 03-04-2009, 10:09 AM

I'm glad you clarified the protein thing, BeachGal. Amino acids are so important!!!

And you're also right about the signal to the brain taking almost 20 minutes to get there. If you eat fast, you'll probably overeat. If you eat in a distracted state (in front of the television), the visual cues will override most everything else and you won't even notice that the signal to the brain is saying "enough"!

Spanish folks take FOREVER to eat. I'd say lunch lasts almost a full hour and dinner is more than that. Unlike the Spaniards, though, I wouldn't advise taking a nap afterwards.

Steen · 03-04-2009, 10:13 AM

Thanks for the advice. Laurie, that is one of the greatest thing I have ever heard. If veggies sound appealing, then I'm hungry. If they don't sound too appetizing at the moment, it's probably just a craving.

I think I'm going to live by that!

jenne1017 · 03-04-2009, 11:44 AM

I eat until I sigh. LOL Seriously, when my body is full I will sigh. I ever noticed it before someone pointed it out to watch for it.

If I have something left on my plate like veggies, I will wrap it and stick it in the fridge. Most probably, I will get hungry again in an hour.

Chelby29 · 03-04-2009, 02:08 PM

If I could stop eating when I feel 'satisfied', I probably wouldn't be here. I'd be laying my thin bottom on a beach somewhere in a fabulous bikini saying something like, "Oh, I forgot to eat lunch!"

TwynnB · 03-04-2009, 02:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chelby29

If I could stop eating when I feel 'satisfied', I probably wouldn't be here. I'd be laying my thin bottom on a beach somewhere in a fabulous bikini saying something like, "Oh, I forgot to eat lunch!"

ROFLMAO

Isn't that the truth??!?!?!

CyndiM · 03-04-2009, 05:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chelby29

If I could stop eating when I feel 'satisfied', I probably wouldn't be here. I'd be laying my thin bottom on a beach somewhere in a fabulous bikini saying something like, "Oh, I forgot to eat lunch!"

amen to that! I have never, ever forgotten to eat a meal. My DD can do that and I find it deeply disturbing