Are You "Full" or "No Longer Hungry"?

When do you stop eating? Is it when you feel full? Unfortunately, by then you've probably eaten too much.

In leaner cultures, people stop eating when they're no longer hungry.

It's not just semantics. There's a real difference. Pay attention to how you feel while you're eating. "No longer hungry" feels comfortable. You should still feel energetic. You've probably eaten just the right amount.

"Full" feels heavy or stuffed. Maybe even uncomfortable.

There's a big difference in calories between eating until you're "full" and eating until you're "no longer hungry". Enough calories to make the difference between a healthy weight and weighing too much.

Here's what the Rambam had to say about eating too much:

"One should not eat until his stomach is full. Rather he should stop when he has eaten close to three quarters of full satisfaction." (Hilchot De'ot 4:2)

Most people can eat between 20 and 25% less than they think they really want without really noticing it. And if you eat that much less than you do now, you're likely to lose weight. Painlessly!

Try this: When you're filling your plate, take ¼ less than you think you might want. You probably won't even miss the extra calories.