Mindful Eating

by Leslie Aronson — May 8, 2008

A study in the journal Neurolmage suggests that people who are overweight have a harder time discerning whether their stomach feels full (thus potentially perpetuating the state of being overweight). The study showed that there was less activity in the part of the brain that signals satiety in overweight people than in their fitter counterparts. So what to do? Cut your portions before you sit down to eat, especially if you're at a restaurant, but at home as well. Be more mindful of how much you're consuming - don't engage in mindless activity while eating (like watching TV) or anything else that will distract you from the eating process (like reading) and your body's reaction to food. If you're wondering whether you're full, you're probably full. Don't wait till you get that sick over-stuffed feeling because at that point you've definitely gone too far. And once you've been eating less for a few days, don't expect to be able to eat as much as you could before - your stomach will shrink and you won't be able to consume as much as you previously could without feeling stuffed. The key is not to stretch it back out and return to eating too much. Listening to your body's cues takes some practice, so don't be discouraged if you don't tune in right away - just keep at it and eventually you won't have to wonder whether you're full, you'll know.