Stuffed

I hate being so full that I feel stuffed. I'm talking about that feeling one gets after Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner when your stomach hurts and the button of your pants threatens to pop. Too late, you ask yourself, "why did I go for that second helping? Why didn't I say no to dessert?"

When I was in my early 20's I was out for burgers and fries with a tiny girl friend. Nearing the end of the meal, I told her "I am so full." She answered simply, "then stop eating". I'll be honest. It had never even occurred to me that stopping before I finished my meal was an option.

Like many children of the 70s, the rule in our house was you didn't leave the table until everything on your plate was finished. That habit became ingrained in me as an adult. Waste not want not.

So this week's food challenge was to be more mindful of my hunger, particularly how full I am and to not eat past the point of being comfortably full.

When you are not used to listening to your body's natural cues this proved more difficult than I thought, not necessarily by overeating but by sometimes not eating enough or at the right time. I caught myself getting "hangry" on a couple occasions when dinner was delayed after that evening's work out.

But for the most part it felt great to be ready for and really enjoy each meal. I felt I had more energy than when I eat too much and my system gets bogged down digesting all the extra food.

At the end of my second week, I had lost 1 pound. I am now down 4 pounds since starting my 50 Week Food Challenge two weeks ago, 49 pounds down overall.