From skwigg's journal:
"What are the thoughts you tell yourself in those moments when you're nearing the end of a meal?"
I missed this one. The thoughts near the end of a meal usually go something like:
"Mmmmm, that was good. I can't wait to eat _____ later (tomorrow, in the morning)." So, I'm basically reminding myself that I get to eat something delicious again soon. No need to overdo it right now.
"I have to stop eating at some point, why not now?" It's not like the meal can go on forever. I can either stop at satisfied when I still feel great, or stop when I'm too full and wishing I'd quit sooner.
"I can always have more if I get hungry later." That one's really important. If you're telling yourself you can't eat again for hours, you're guaranteed to eat more than you need right now. If I want more food in five minutes, I can have it. Knowing that makes it easier to stop for now and see how that feels. Usually, if I wait a few minutes, it feels great and I don't want anything else. But I wouldn't have even tried stopping if I knew it was going to be 5 hours or 16 hours or whatever until my next meal.
"I look forward to getting hungry again." Food is so much better when I'm physically hungry for it. That's incentive to stop right there. I will get hungry again, and whenever I do, I'll eat. No worries.