Eating enough vs. Eating too much
This is a common problem because many of us are used to over-eating. So what to do?
Make sure you put one portion on your plate. Don't pile it with 10 chicken wings or 2 pork chops, etc. Just take one portion. If it is something like a steak, cut the steak in half and put that half on your plate. Eat your vegetables with this portion of protein.
Eat the one portion and pause. Ask yourself if you are still hungry. If you are eat a quarter of the remaining portion. Pause after you have eaten it. And ask yourself if you are still hungry. If you aren't, stop eating. You're done. It doesn't matter if 1 pork chop is still sitting on the table. If you aren't hungry anymore, don't eat it. Wrap it up and have it for the next meal. If you are still hungy, eat another quarter of the serving and see if you are still hungry. Continue asking yourself if you are still hungry and stop eating when you are no longer hungry.
Also the time you take to eat is important. It takes about 20 to 30 minutes for your stomach to signal your brain "Hey, I'm full stop eating." So if you eat your meal in 5 minutes, you might not feel satisfied---eventhough your stomach is full---and eat more. So slow down while you are eating. Take the time to chew and really taste your food.
Another way I used to gauge if I was stuffed or satisfied was to get up from the table. If I didn't feel hungry anymore and I couldn't feel the lump of food in my stomach, then I was satisfied. But if I could feel the weight of my meal sitting in my stomach, then I knew I stuffed myself.
