Next week’s “real food” mini-pledge is not about what we are eating, but about how much
we are eating. Now some of you may think you already stop eating when you feel full, but unless you are French – think again. Based on research, Michael Pollan says instead of using our internal cues to know when to stop eating most of us “allow external, and usually visual, cues to determine how much we [should] eat.” Think back to your last meal…did you stop eating when your gut told you you’d had enough or when your plate was clean, the package was empty, or the T.V. show was over?
Mini-Pledge Week 8: May 2 – May 8 – Listen to your internal cues and stop eating when you feel full.
According to Pollan:
Supposedly it takes twenty minutes before the brain gets the word that the belly is full; unfortunately most of us take considerably less than twenty minutes to finish a meal, with the result that the sensation of feeling full exerts little if any influence on how much we eat. What this suggests is that eating more slowly, and then consulting our sense of satiety, might help us to eat less. The French are better at this than we are, as Brian Wansink discovered when he asked a group of French people how they knew when to stop eating. ‘When I feel full,’ they replied. (What a novel idea! The Americans said things like ‘When my plate is clean’ or ‘When I run out.’) Perhaps it is their long, leisurely meals that give the French the opportunity to realize when they are full.
I don’t know about you, but as long as I can remember I’ve been told to “clean my plate.” I am finding that it helps to start off with less food, because it can sometimes be difficult to stop eating an exceptionally good meal when there are only one or two or even three bites left. It wouldn’t be enough food to save or pack up at a restaurant, and I know we’ve all been taught how awful it is to “waste” food. And speaking of eating at restaurants my husband and I have been making an effort to split an entrée as well as a small appetizer since their portions tend to be over-sized here in America.
The key is when you start with less food you can always add more. You may be surprised at how often you don’t feel the need to pile on more…especially if you rest for a few minutes before going back. This is something I’ve honestly struggled with myself ever since I first read Pollan’s book, but I continue to try as hard as I can to not be won over by a delicious meal and instead stay in check by listening to my gut. As Pollan says “Better to go to waste than to waist,” which will “help you eat less in the short term and develop self-control in the long.”
Not to mention “Americans are on average eating 200 more calories a day than they were in the 1970s.” We think this concept of controlling our portions goes hand-in-hand with eating real food because we have personally found that real food is incredibly filling. You truly don’t need to eat as much to get to that “full” feeling as you would with the empty calories that make up highly processed food. But following through on this concept can sometimes be easier said than done, which is why we are devoting an entire mini-pledge week to the “way we eat.”
Some other similar concepts from the “How should I eat?” section of Pollan’s book Food Rules:
- Pay more, eat less.
- Stop eating before you’re full.
- Eat when you are hungry, not when you are bored.
- Eat slowly.
- Spend as much time enjoying the meal as it took to prepare it.
- Buy smaller plates and glasses.
- Serve a proper portion and don’t go back for seconds.
- Do all your eating at a table. (A desk does not count!)
- Try not to eat alone.
- Leave something on your plate.
To take the pledge: Please leave a comment below with the number of people in your household that will participate in the pledge this week. Some older kids might be able to join in, but I know most younger kids already stop eating whenever they want to instead of when their plates are empty anyway, which is apparently not such a bad thing!
Good luck!
i’m late for this challenge, but this is a good rule to learn from our children! i’ve always struggled with my weight and self-image and i didn’t want to set my children up for the same issues at an early age, so i’ve always tried to watch what i say to them at meal time in regards to being finished eating. instead of asking them if they are “full” i’ve always asked “is your tummy happy?” i want them to understand their body cues…so if that means they eat 3 bites and feel satisfied or it takes a second helping to get to that point they should eat until they are “satisfied”, not necessarily “full”. i know it’s a matter of semantics, but words are very powerful! now, reminding myself of the same rule can be difficult when i’m eating an especially delicious meal!!!
I have been doing well on this pledge!! I’m still going!
Just posted a blog today and did a little shout out to you guys…
http://brokenresolutions.wordpress.com/2011/05/11/changes-are-coming-slowly-but-surely/
I think what you are doing is great and still debating on whether or not I can do the 100 real food challenge… I don’t want to set myself up for failure, because I have not been doing so hot on my resolutions!
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I think another important factor in the “European diet” is the courses. Even if you do something as simple as eat a bit of soup or an appetizer (or even a pre-meal drink), and wait and chat for a few minutes to let it sit, then you won’t be as hungry for the main course.
I am a bit late reading this, but I do agree. I think it is because my nan, who raised me, went through two wars, and things were very scarce. I remember clearly to this day sitting at the table crying, because I wasnt allowed to get up until I had eaten every last bit. And since starting to eat more healthily I have found that the whole foods do fill me up much better than the other food I ate before (even though it was not what I would class as junk food), so have naturally starting serving smaller portions. Eating more regularly through the day has helped with this as well.
This was actually last week for us. Definitely a challenge for my fast eating husband. And for me on the days that I work. 12 hour shifts and never really sure when my next break will be means that I tend to overeat when I do get a break so I don’t get hungry later! I will have to start stashing nuts and whole grain crackers so I can sneak away if that does happen. Any other tips for staying full withou overeating? Whole grain has already helped with this, but it still happens!
i’m starting this one today! i’m excited to see what changes i will be able to make.
i WILL struggle with eating at my desk. that is the only i do it at my job.
2 adults and 3 children. I feel most uncertain about this challange. It’s so different than what I’m used to, fights a habit (of cleaning my small portioned plate) and I dont even feel like I know how to do it. I am excited about trying and about this challenge helping to lower our food bill some.
I am so in! I always feel better when I stop eating sooner rather than later. Thank you for posting!
Okay, we’re in – self and significant other (he doesn’t know it yet.) Both have decided we need to cut back on calorie intake, and this is a good way to start.
I’m definitely in with this, starting today! Me and hubby (he doesn’t know this either!) We’re both trying to lose weight, and this should be good discipline for us.
I am in, also my husband makes 2
When I was very overweight about 16 years ago, I started doing this….and also would not eat a meal until my stomache actually growled and lost 80 pounds! I am in!
I am in. I have big problem with emotional eating. This has made me fat in the past. I have lost around 20 pounds with a lot of exercise and good diet but I still struggle much at the dinner table. Food has been my best and worst friend. This week, I promise to you all and myself to be mindful of my portions and try to feel when I’m full. I’ll also try to drink water with my meal, I’ll see if it helps(I don’t drink anything at meals.
Thank you Lisa for your wonderful blog. I don’t have kids at the moment put once I do, I’ll do anything in my power so my future kids have a healthy relationship with food.
I am in this! I have a huge problem. My tummy says no-no-no but my mouth says yes-yes-yes! I call it running my yellow light. I love the taste and sometimes just can’t put the fork down. I have found splitting an entry and appetizer helps a lot with my boyfriend. We do this all the time when we go out. When I’m alone at home, though, is where the trouble begins. I love the taste of food. This article should help me stop indulging and start letting my body guide me instead of my taste buds!
I will be trying this this week!
I hate waste, so I always struggled with the idea of letting food go to waste. Then I came to the realization that if the food is not giving me needed sustenance (because I’m already full), passing it through my body into the toilet is no less wasteful than passing it through the garbage disposal down the drain. It’s probably even more wasteful (in terms of water treatment impacts) than if the extra food is simply composted.
Plus, eating more than I need adds excess weight, which requires more calories to maintain, resulting in more food wasted in providing energy to an inefficient metabolism.
I try to avoid food waste, using and preserving produce before it spoils, saving even tiny leftovers to mix into other meals, etc. But when I’m full and faced with the dilemma of eating or dumping, I just remind myself, eating excess food just turns it into poop!
My husband and I are doing this with our 3 year old. She’ll take the lead on this one. Those kiddos sure do know when they’ve had enough!
Food doesn’t have to go to waste! put what is left on the plate in a small container and it can be a component of a later meal or packed lunch!
We were raised with the clean plates club as well, probably why everyone in our family is fat!
I really like the idea of starting with smaller portions and then waiting in between to see if you really need seconds. I think I will try this with my husband and myself! We are just starting the mini challenges (we’re on week one right now) as a jumping pad for cutting out the process. It’s super exciting!
[...] Week 8: Stop eating when you feel full – Listen to your internal cues and stop eating when you feel full. [...]
Husband and I joined this pledge this Tuesday!
I am late on this challenge. I love your blog and since reading it. I have started making my own Spices and Seasonings. I bake all my kids snacks. I also now make my own Hamburger Helpers. We use 100% Whole Wheat Bread and I use Oat Flour rather than White. Try as I might I am still working on getting my family to like brown rice. Thank you so much!