Have you ever heard about the satiety trigger(s)? For instance, if you have fat with your carbohydrates, you can feel full for longer. But if you wait at least 20 minutes before you consider eating something else other than your meal, you are less likely to go for seconds. And if you do, the portions are usually smaller. I put this to the test in a 3-day quest.

My experience is combined with the insights that I had while on the quest. Here’s what happened.

Day 1

Breakfast

As you get used to the exact amount of food you eat, you don’t need extra time to feel full or get rid of distractions.

A big bowl of oatmeal with water and banana. It took about 13 minutes to eat. It helped that it was hot 🙂 Now, I just do something else other than eating or think about food. Maybe take a walk…and since I need to leave soon, I’ll take an indoor walk, while browsing my phone or checking out a training.

PS: You’ve probably heard about not doing anything else while eating. Any distraction might compel you to eat more. However, this is true of people who usually overeat and don’t know the appropriate portion size they need in order to feel satisfied. So, if you allow some time to get used to the exact amount of food you need to lose weight, maintain or have more energy, then you’ll be able to resume distractions.

Lunch

I ate for 20 minutes. In mood for dessert but no time left. Plus, I had to leave some of the food on the plate. This quest proves to be really fun and proactive. I am coupling this with having a 3-hour break in between meals. Breakfast kept me going for 4 hours and a half.

I’ll be going on a road trip later on so I will have a small snack before I go and not eat anything for the entire drive. It’s a 3-hour drive to my sister’s house. So that should do.

Snack

Plans don’t always have to be rigid. As long as you don’t have to change with every modification you bring about.

Small snack with figs on the road. I usually don’t need a lot of food when driving. The food was mostly for hydration. There were other options available but they did not sound appealing.

Dinner

Visiting family and friends. Mealtime 20 minutes. It’s so refreshing and relaxing to eat slowly and connect with others. If I overeat, then I won’t have the energy to keep up with the various stories and updates.

Day 2

Breakfast

Oatmeal with nectarines and a bit of leftovers. It’s easier to not overeat when you have a certain amount of food available. Plus, when visiting someone we usually tend to behave in a more reserved way. That might seem inauthentic to some but at the same time it helps with your weight goals ;).

The trick is to continue behaving in a reserved yet authentic and open way when you get back home.

Lunch

It’s really tough to remember to eat for 20 minutes when I’ve already decided on the amount of food I want. But being part of a quest, it’s a nice reminder to be more aware of my eating habits even if they might be viewed as healthy. That’s no excuse to let go of the sensations that arise.

Does everyone have a special place in their body for sweets? I mean, if you’re full, that means you can’t eat anything else. That’s how you understand that what you eat once you’re full has the potential of making you put on weight.

No snacks. Going outside.

Dinner

Went to a German fair. I ordered a traditional dish and split it with my sister. This is the power of sharing. We ended up eating way less than expected. Then we went for a walk back home and got some cashews to munch on. I wasn’t hungry though…but I chose to have them consciously. At least I was walking 🙂

PS: Multiple occasions of overeating, eating late at night. I can think of at least two. But as it turns out, I was really satisfied and full. So I thought a bit about it and told myself that I can eat the next day if I really want to taste the other foods. And it was nothing fancy … just a potato salad. But as you might very well know, there is no such thing as just a potato salad.

Day 3

Breakfast

This is easy. Breakfast is coming late. Still away from home. We made burgers. I usually have burgers without the bun. But I chose to have half of a bun and a bunch of vegetables.

We can do a lot of things. That doesn’t mean we should do them all.

Lunch

Lunch was easy too. If you stop to notice your behavior, you might find out that you’ve been eating for hours in a row.

Snacking on potato chips because it’s the weekend and I haven’t had them in a long time. If you want to cut back on potato chips, here’s a helpful video on how to stop eating so many potato chips.

And that was it. A bit of food tasting. I prepared beans with chili, sweet potatoes and rice. Recipe soon. Plus, cut a bunch of potatoes for the next week. This challenge was fun and educational.

It’s even more interesting to see what comes up if you are not used to a certain amount of food to satisfy your hunger. Let me know what comes up for you if you decide to go on this quest. By the way, it definitely helps to do it for one day only if you think 3 days is too much. And even for one meal. As long as you do something that moves you closer to your goal of losing weight and being more mindful about the food that you eat, you’ll be fine 😀

Really, let me know how it goes. And have fun with it.