Wellness Wednesday: Satiety Awareness

At the very surface level, we've discussed what clean eating is and what food items we should be seeking to fuel our bodies. Through this wellness journey, we'll plan to make 'bite sized' changes to our normal routine, with the goal of these small changes becoming our new normal. This week we dive into our drive to eat- and that point at which we should stop. It's the battle between appetite and satiety.

Before we jump into the differences between appetite and satiety, lets visit the basic principal of weight loss. Your body weight is determined by an energy balance. The calories you consume from food and beverages are called your energy intake while the calories you expend to support your life and daily activities are called your energy expenditure. When energy intake equals energy expenditure, your body weight remains the same. In contrast, when energy intake exceeds your energy expenditure then you have an energy surplus. Excess energy is stored in your body as fat resulting in weight gain. And finally, when energy intake is less than energy expenditure, you have an energy deficit. Your body makes up for this deficit by burning stored fat for energy resulting in weight loss.

Based on this principal, we can conclude that your body weight is greatly influenced by your appetite (the desire to eat) and satiety (the sensation of fullness). Are you able to recognize the difference? Many people do not and this leads to overeating, which results in a surplus of energy intake, which means you gain weight!

To know the difference (and feel it) requires great levels of awareness each time you sit down to eat. So let's break it down:

We all notice our appetite when we experience hunger- that signal from your body (an uncomfortable growling or contraction of the empty stomach, sometimes called hunger pangs) that it needs food for energy. When you are truly hungry, your stomach, brain or both will send cues encouraging you to eat food. Sometimes appetite and hunger are used interchangeably but they are not the same thing. We can have an appetite without being hungry--(raise your hand if you've said yes to dessert after eating that whole appetizer/entree combo!) instances where our body doesn't need additional calories, but our appetite takes over! Being aware of these cues is imperative-- and we should assess our hunger before we eat.

But there is GOOD NEWS! You hold the key to avoid overeating (excessive energy intake) by becoming aware of your satiety level-- the point at which you have satisfied your hunger, but choose to stop eating. So join me in this challenge this week:

1. Eat slowly- this will help you to become aware of your satiety level- which can sometimes take up to 20 minutes to fully register with your brain!
2. You DON'T have to eat it all- unlike the 100 year old parental command "Finish your food," it is ok to NOT finish your food. Think about portion sizes in America- typically enough for 2 people!
3. Drink plenty of water with your meal- it's just good for you- plus it will help that feeling of fullness come sooner.
4. Don't wait until you are ravenous to eat- we almost always overeat when we've let our hunger cues go on for too long.
5. Prep! Prep! Prep!- you're busy- that last minute _______ (fill in the blank)  always takes longer than you expected so have smart snacks (veggies, fruit, nuts, almond butter, protein bar) on hand.

For additional reading and some good tips, read:
https://www.findingbalance.com/articles/understanding-hunger-and-fullness-cues/
http://www.ahealthiermichigan.org/2010/06/14/hunger-vs-satiety-do-you-know-the-difference/
https://www.pritikin.com/your-health/healthy-living/eating-right/1838-hunger-scale-mindful-eating-weight-loss.html

Always Refueling!