Heed your body’s signals to stop eating

A woman walks down the street on Michigan Avenue 19 October, 2006 in Chicago, Illinois. If your stomach is growling, blood sugar is low, you have difficulty concentrating, and anything edible around you seems appealing, then you need to eat. PHOTO | AFP  AFP

In Summary

• There is a difference between wanting and needing food, and failure to differentiate the two can lead to overeating.
• Hunger can either be physical or psychological. Physical hunger is the way your body lets you know that it needs energy and nutrients.
• If your stomach is growling, blood sugar is low, you have difficulty concentrating, and anything edible around you seems appealing, then you need to eat.

By REBECCA MUTHONI
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THE FESTIVITIES are coming to an end, and I bet quite a number of you have put on weight.

Most of us pile on unnecessary kilos because we do not listen to our bodies and spot signals that naturally point out when we are hungry and when we need to stop eating. Being able to recognise these signals can greatly contribute towards maintaining healthy weight.

There is a difference between wanting and needing food, and failure to differentiate the two can lead to overeating.

Hunger can either be physical or psychological. Physical hunger is the way your body lets you know that it needs energy and nutrients.

If your stomach is growling, blood sugar is low, you have difficulty concentrating, and anything edible around you seems appealing, then you need to eat.

However, psychological hunger, (or craving) is mostly triggered by emotions or moods such as feeling low, or feeling excited.

Other factors such as smell of food, pleasure of eating, or unconscious behaviour like eating while watching a movie, can also influence your eating habits.

If you eat consciously however, it will help you to identify why, when, what, and how much you are eating.

A SCALE TO HELP YOU

The hunger/fullness scale below will help you to assess how hungry you are.

Starved: At this point, you are experiencing severe hunger pangs, and you feel like you can eat just about anything within your sight. You are weak, lightheaded and shaky.

Very hungry: You are truly hungry, but at this point, you can still tolerate the situation. Your energy levels are drained, and you have difficulty concentrating - your thoughts are all about what you can eat.

Hungry: You have slight pangs of hunger, but are comfortable.

You want to eat, but at the same time you are in control of your hunger. You have an idea of what you want to eat to give you satisfaction.

Mild hunger: You are slightly hungry, your stomach is rumbling a little, but you are not yet ready to eat. You are not thinking about food, but it is clear you will want food soon.

Neutral: You are neither full nor hungry, and do not have any thoughts about food either. If you ate at this time, you probably wouldn’t enjoy the food as much as you would if you ate a little later.

Mild fullness: Your stomach is filled up, but there is still some room for more before you can feel completely satisfied. You are fairly energised and feeling comfortable.

Full: You are completely satisfied, and there are no hunger pangs. Your energy levels are high, and you feel like you probably won’t feel hungry for the next few hours. Food does not interest you.

A little overfull: Your stomach now feels a little swollen. You should have stopped eating a while ago because you are feeling uncomfortable.

Overfull:  You feel bloated, uncomfortable and drowsy.

Stuffed:  Your stomach is so full, to an extent that it feels distended. You have eaten more than what your body needs, and now you are very uncomfortable.

Healthy foods that satisfy

Go for high fiber foods like whole grains, since they make you feel fuller faster.

 Fill up on vegetables like broccoli and kales

 Include protein in every meal, since it is very satiating

 As you track your hunger/fullness, take note of foods that give you most satisfaction, so that you can include them in other meals

 Eat slowly to allow your body’s signals to reach the brain and alert you when full