This is especially helpful if you have little control over the portions served, as in restaurant meals. As soon as you are served, mentally or physically separate the meal into two or more portions. When you’ve finished one portion, pause for a moment to evaluate how you feel, how the food tastes, and if you really want the rest.
If you’re eating at home, you can accomplish this “body check-in” by starting with smaller servings, eating what’s on your plate, pausing for a short break, and then deciding whether to get another helping. Sometimes you may choose to keep eating, even if you know that you have had enough to satisfy your physiological hunger.
Special meals or celebrations and traveling to places that offer new foods are common and legitimate reasons to eat more than usual. The key is to recognize that your body and appetite will adjust for these decisions, and your next hunger signals may not appear as soon as they usually do!
As you become a more mindful eater, it may become clear that you are or have been using food to meet legitimate, nonhunger needs.