Train your Brain! Rate your Appetite

[not2late]

In DANDR 2002, Dr. Atkins tells us to eat to "satisfy our hunger". Fine. Okay. But how many of us know what "satisfy" means? Does it mean "stuffed"? Does it mean "full"? Does it mean you aren't hungry anymore, but you can't feel the weight of the food in your stomach?

Here's a TERRIFIC article from Health Magazine about using an appetite scale to help you re-learn those subtle cues. You can print out the article and use that color scale as a guide or you can make your own scale.

http://www.health.com/health/article...113351,00.html

[cleochatra]

Re: Train your Brain! Rate your Appetite

This is an excellent article, megs!

As only an aside, Debra Waterhouse also addresses these cues in her book, "Outsmarting the Female Fat Cell". She gives a ratings for hunger, and she even has people write in their journals where they were hinger-wise when they started eating, and where they were when they finished eating. If a person ate too much they listed why: was it late afternoon, were they tired, stuffed, etc. It really helps modify behavior to understand the why's as well as the what's!

[/aside]

[not2late]

Re: Train your Brain! Rate your Appetite

That's a good idea Cleo. Journaling your appetite scale results along with your carb intake. That will probably help people with emotional eating problems too.

I wish I had thought of using an appetite scale during my Induction and during the early part of my OWL. As we lose weight and become smaller people, we generally don't need the same number of calories(amount of food) that we needed at our heaviest weight. That's where the OWL people (and I'm pretty sure the Extended Induction people) get messed up---they don't adjust their appetites to suit their new bodies.

[cleochatra]

Re: Train your Brain! Rate your Appetite

Amen, megs! I agree! You rawk!

[qualitygrrl38]

Re: Train your Brain! Rate your Appetite

chleochatra,, I have to say, you are a true inspiration. I cannot help but stare at your photos, and the change you have made is without good enough words!!!! YOu make me feel inspired and hopeful, thanks for being such a success and sharing yours with others. It is so appreciated here. Ann

[not2late]

Re: Train your Brain! Rate your Appetite

<Cleo style hip bump>

[2big4mysize]

Re: Train your Brain! Rate your Appetite

yep females lose 9 cals burned for every pound of scale weight lost and that is just for basal calories. lighter bodies are easier to move.

I think Dr Atkins DANDR teaching about learning what hunger is is very important too. how many of us took him up on the eat 1/2 the food on your plate and stop, put it up and see. if you get hungry you can eat again. I know I didn't.
just think how shocked and awed newbies would be if during the early days of Atkins they did follow that and saw how little food it actually takes to satisfy our hunger when we know we can eat again as soon as we do get hungry.

[not2late]

Re: Train your Brain! Rate your Appetite

I think the issue is that one some other weight loss diets, the prospect of being able to eat more if you're still hungry. I remember a newbie once posting that he was going off Atkins after 1 week because he wasn't hungry between meals and that any diet where you don't feel hungry wasn't "healthy"....

[not2late]

Re: Train your Brain! Rate your Appetite

Bumping this thread up.

[pipee_pl]

Re: Train your Brain! Rate your Appetite

I am still on induction and this topic has definately given me something to think about- am i still hungry? i am not between meals, but i need to really notice at breakfast tomorrow when i have been satieted so i can stop eating and not to eat because there is food on my plate. i also drink a litre of water as soon as i wake up which helps to fill up the stomach, but thanks to this post i will definately be more conscious.

[not2late]

Re: Train your Brain! Rate your Appetite

Induction is the time to start re-training ourselves. Many of us are over-eaters and we've gotten so used to stuffing our stomachs with outrageously large portions that we don't know how to eat "normally" and we don't know our natural hunger-satiety cues.

It's interesting because I was reading an article about the "Black Widow". She's a tiny 100 pound woman who participates in eating contests, like the Coney Island hot dog contest. Anyhow, in the article, she says she can eat outrageous amounts of food because her stomach has been stretched out so it can accomodate that food. Moreover, she has to drink large quantities of soda in order to keep her stomach stretched out.

[changing]

Re: Train your Brain! Rate your Appetite

This IS a very interesting article... particularly instructive to me because I think one of the factors in my weight getting out of control was that I've had problems with recreational eating in the past. Definitely something to think about, that appetite scale.