Photo: Tim Durgan

When to stop eating?

Listen to Your Body As you become full, the empty feeling will be replaced with a gentle pressure. As soon as you feel the pressure in your stomach, stop eating. You should still feel light and energetic with this gentle pressure; if the fullness is uncomfortable, you overate.

healthyeating.sfgate.com - How to Know When Your Stomach Is Full & to Stop Eating?

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Meticulously counting calories can feel like the only way to lose weight and control how much you eat. However, your body is equipped to know when you have had enough food. By changing your eating habits, listening to your body and using restraint, you can control your diet by knowing when you are full.

Understanding Satiety

Your stomach can hold up to 4 liters of volume -- about 17 cups -- but the feeling of satiety is not caused by your stomach being full. Instead, feeling full is a result of your brain reacting to chemicals released when you put food or drink in your stomach. Your brain takes around 20 minutes to register these chemicals. After your meal, the levels continue to rise over 10 to 30 minutes. They stay elevated for three to five hours following the meal, keeping you sated. As the chemical levels fall, the feeling of hunger returns. If you do not feel full directly following a meal, wait. As the level of chemicals increases, your hunger will dissipate.

Counting Calories

According to the University of Iowa, sedentary women need about 1,600 calories per day and sedentary men need about 2,200. Your physician can recommend personalized numbers based on your age, health and activity level. Divide the amount of calories you need daily by the number of meals you consume. This is the amount of calories you need to sustain your body at each meal. For example, if you eat five meals a day and need 1,600 calories, each meal should be around 320 calories. Either plan your meals ahead of time or count the calories as you go to prevent eating too much. This amount should be enough to keep you full until your next meal.

Listen to Your Body

Pay attention to how your stomach feels when you are hungry and then to how it feels after drinking a glass of water. The empty sensation should fade slightly within a couple minutes of drinking the water. When you eat, focus on how your stomach feels through the entire meal. As you become full, the empty feeling will be replaced with a gentle pressure. As soon as you feel the pressure in your stomach, stop eating. You should still feel light and energetic with this gentle pressure; if the fullness is uncomfortable, you overate. Relax in front of your plate for several minutes to decide if you are still hungry.

Tips for Sensing Satiety

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