The 3 questions to ask yourself to eat without gaining weight

Eating is a vital biological function that allows the body to have energy and function well. It is also a daily social and cultural act, which is linked to pleasure. In other words, our meal schedule meets our energy needs as well as our social and cultural habits. “If we eat while respecting our hunger and satiety, we will know the right amount of what we need to eat, the weight will regulate itself and remains generally stable. And so theoretically, we do not gain weight if we are connected to our food sensationsexplained to us Françoise Debuy, dietician and member of the Reflection Group on Obesity and Overweight (GROS) in a previous article devoted to “healthy weight”. The problem is that in our society, we have lost this listening and we eat according to societal injunctions Or related to education. Food urges then arise linked to emotions, fatigue, stress. So, the best way to not gain weight is tolearn to listen to yourselfhas recognize your eating sensations and distinguish physiological hunger from the so-called “emotional” desire to eat. Here are the 3 questions to ask yourself to eat mindfully.

1. Am I hungry?

“We sometimes eat without being hungry, this is completely normal eating behavior and there is nothing serious about it.“, reassures the dietician. On the other hand, it becomes problematic when it is frequent. So before eating, take a few seconds to ask yourself if you are really hungry. The idea is tolisten to your eating sensations and reconnect to your internal signals. To do this, you must take the time to trust the physiological signals of hunger such as the gurgling in the stomach, the feeling of hollowness in the stomach, a lack of concentration or sudden fatigue. If you notice one or more of them, the hunger is real.

2. Do I just want to eat?

Craving relates to the psyche and satisfies an emotional need. It brings temporary comfort. Generally, we want to eat when we are bored, when we are tired, stressed or when we are not in the mood and there is no harm in eating out of desire from time to time, as long as that doesn’t make you unhappy or it makes you feel guilty. Ask yourself about your feelings when it happens: “am I sad, tired, bored?”, “is it just greed?”, “how will I feel after eating?”. If the urge is linked to boredom, try to relieve it in other ways: through sport, reading, a walk, a call to a friend, listening to a podcast or music… Also to minimize impulses, when you are tempted by a food, do not throw yourself directly at the food, start by drink a large glass of water because sometimes thirst masquerades as hunger. After a few minutes, if the urge to eat persists, it may be true hunger.

3. Am I still hungry or want to eat?

During the meal and before serving yourself again or taking a double dose of dessert, you will need to pay attention to the feeling of fullness (the fact of feeling full) which occurs when your energy needs are met: you are no longer hungry, you have eaten what your body needed, and that is enough. Going beyond your satiety can lead to the famous impression of “heaviness” and can ultimately lead to weight gain. They say it takes about 20 minutes to feel full. It is therefore advisable to eat slowly, chew food well, breathe deeply between each mouthful and stop before you have a feeling of bloating in your stomach. Also, it is advisable to eat while seated, without watching television or reading at the same time. To help you know if you’re full, ask yourself if continuing to eat is pleasant or starting to make you feel sick.