Learning to assess how full you are is an essential component of mindful eating. Up until now you have been working with your awareness of your hunger. Now it is time to figure out when you are full. You probably know when you are uncomfortably full. The “I can’t believe I ate the whole thing” feeling. That feeling usually shows up as a result of mindless eating. There is a fullness sweet spot. The spot when you have eaten enough food to meet your body’s needs and you don’t need to unbuckle your belt. When you eat beyond that sweet spot you are taking in more food than your body needs and that typically leads to excess weight. Tuning into your fullness sweet spot and learning to stop eating when you get there will prevent overeating and get you to the right weight for you. So, how do you find your sweet spot? By now, you probably can guess the answer – by being mindful! Check in with yourself while you are eating to judge how full you are. It might be helpful to create a Fullness Awareness Scale as a gauge. You could imagine that a 1 on your Fullness Awareness Scale is “not full at all” and a 10 is as full as “a binge might leave you.” Your sweet spot is most likely around a 5 or 6. See how much food you eat to reach your sweet spot. Remember this amount will change based on what your body requires in any given moment. You don’t have to stop eating when you reach your sweet spot if you are not ready to build that skill. Just be aware of where your sweet spot it and how you feel if you stop eating and how you feel if you continue eating. Adapted from Mindful Bites – Joyful Life: 365 Days of Mindful Eating. Available in bookstores everywhere.
Do You Know Your Sweet Spot?
