Amy here again! Thanks John for inviting me to be a Author on this informative blog.
Here’s another tip that helps me to stay fit, all while still juggling kids, house work, home work, toddler tantrums, dinner disasters and more. How do I keep my eating under control during the day to day grind. Well here’s how…….
Eat until you’re “80% full”
“What the heck does that mean? It means you eat until you’re just satisfied. Until you’re no longer physically hungry. Instead of “stuffed” or “full”.
Don’t get hung up on exactly what “80% full” is, or whether you’re getting to “75%” or “88%”. Shoot for the general idea.
Remember: eat s-l-o-w-l-y. Be patient with “80% full”. It takes practice. But once you get the hang of learning your physical (rather than your social or psychological) hunger cues, this one will be a breeze.” – Nutritionist – John Berardi
Hara Hachi Bu
“The Okinawan cultural habit of calorie control called hara hachi bu, which means eat only until you are 80% full, plays a role as well as their habit of eating an antioxidant rich plant-based diet. Stopping at 80% capacity is actually a very good strategy to avoid obesity without going hungry because the stomach’s stretch receptors take about 20 minutes to tell the body that how full it really is and 20 minutes after stopping you will really feel full. “ quote: Okinawa diet
So now that we understand what Hara Hachi Bu is how do we implement it? For me eating until I was “80%” full, was something I had to really practice. It took a few weeks of practice to start noticing my hunger cues.
It is easy to eat just because EVERY ONE else is eating.
Following this rule made me realize just how many social occasions required food! Just to name a few….. Birthday parties, work parties, block parties, church parties and many other social events involve food.
We should ask ourselves, am I eating just because the “clock” says it’s lunch time? Am i eating because I am really hungry? Am I eating because every one else is eating? Am I eating because it just taste so good?!
Sometimes we eat to deal with stress. We might not realize our second or third helpings of dinner is really our way of dealing with the stress at the office. Or a bed time battle with the kids can end with a big bowl of ice cream (for you NOT the kids) watching your favorite T.V. show.
I found that a lot of my eating was because of “boredom” or “stress”.
We could call this emotional eating.
Stress eating for me is usually in the evenings. Of course right after the nightly “wrestle the kids to bed” routine. That is when I am at my “weakest” I am tried and I just want to relax. “Will power” starts to crumble. 
During this time “FUN” food became my outlet. Not Good!
I found myself after a long day with my kids sitting down in front of the T.V with a great big bowl of ice cream(about twice a week). This “cheap” form of entertainment didn’t cost a lot of money, and it was a fun, relaxing outlet. But not healthy!!! I paid for it with low energy levels and weight gain over a long period of time.
How many of you have done this? Whether intentionally or unintentionally this is emotional eating.
Hunger Cues
It’s important to discover YOUR hunger cues. Eat when your hungry!! I promise if you try this tip, you will find weight loss success. You will be surprised at how much “snacking” you did through out the day. You will be more aware when you reach to take a bite of something a trillion times, while cooking dinner. Just by following this habit, and becoming mentally more aware of your TRUE hunger cues, you will cut out a ton of unneeded calories.
Hunger cues!!! These are different….or felt differently by every one.
Some hunger cues before eating might be…….
Stomach Rumbling
Feeling of emptiness in stomach
Stomach pains
Feeling the desire to eat healthy foods (not just junk food).
While eating…..
No longer feeling empty
Feeling satisfied but not “stuffed” or uncomfortable
No longer craving “healthy food” (well rounded meals)
Sometimes you might not know if you are really full. You might think, that your haven’t eaten enough to truly be satisfied for long. The test to your questioning is just try it out.
You might be surprised at how little you need to feel satisfied, energized and healthy.
One hour after a meal you should feel satisfied. Two hours after a meal you should be feeling somewhat hungry. Three hours really hungry. Four hours after a meal you should be SUPER hungry and ready to eat RIGHT NOW!!!
After eating a meal you should “listen” to these hunger cues. If you feel SUPER HUNGRY…..like you need to eat RIGHT NOW or your going to snap at the person sitting next to you. Then you know you did not eat enough at your meal. Try adjusting. Eat a little bit more and see how it goes.
When I first started experimenting it was really hard for me to “KNOW” if I was satisfied, or 80% full. I had to make adjustments. Sometimes it can also depend on the “time of day”. You will figure your body out. Don’t be afraid to feel hungry. You should be able to last three to four hours (no longer then four hours). Your not going to die, and your blood sugar should stay at a normal range if your eating the proper foods at your meals. If not adjust. Eat every two hours, smaller portions.
Now go get started. Are you eating until your 80% full????
Feel free to leave positive comments on how you keep your appetite under control, during REAL LIFE moments!! We welcome any comments!!
I remember having lunch with my sisters, and eating as fast as possible. I didn’t even realize how fast I was eating. My sisters response was……”whoa, slow down. Were here to help. If the baby cries, we will hold her for you. You can slow down.” I probably looked like a lion feasting ferociously having just taken down a zebra. 
So needless to say. There are many reasons for “speed eating”. What ever your reasons. Make a effort to slow down. Enjoy your food. 