From skwigg's journal:
I was talking in another thread about menopause and eating to appetite. One of the keys Georgie mentioned is eating just enough, or as I prefer wording it, eating until totally satisfied. For some reason “just enough” freaks out my brain but “totally satisfied” does not. In any case, once you’re totally satisfied there’s no reason to keep eating. Eating past fullness doesn’t make you more satisfied. It tends to make the whole eating experience less enjoyable.
There’s a temptation to keep eating if the food is good or you’re putting off something else. The big one for me is candy after lunch. If my lunch is satisfying, then physically I’m totally happy with a couple bites of chocolate. Emotionally, I know that once the candy is gone, I have to get ready for work and leave. Who wants to do that? It’s easy to add a few more M&Ms or an extra candy bar to keep the party going. If I’m not paying attention, it can turn into quite a bit of food I don’t need.
I realized that in addition to staying mindful about what I’m eating and why, I still use the old technique where I stop eating now by looking forward to what I’m going to eat next. So instead of focusing on that flash of disappointment and making it a big deal, I think about how much I’m looking forward to getting hungry again and eating that new cheese, or my cereal in the morning. It’s almost like I have to remind myself that the world is not going to end when I run out of M&Ms. I’m going to stop eating at some point, so I may as well stop when I’m totally satisfied and still feel great versus when I’ve overdone it. It’s not that I never overdo it. I do sometimes, gladly, but most days at most meals I’m eating because I’m hungry and stopping at completely satisfied. That took a lot of practice for me. I’m still learning and fine tuning. It’s a no-stress method though. If I stop eating because I “should” or because I’m only “allowed” so much, that feels stressful and causes rebellion. If I stop because I’m totally satisfied, I remember my values and how I want to feel, and I’m looking forward to nachos later, no problem.