Have you ever gotten up from eating a meal and felt so overly full that your pants were uncomfortably cutting into your waistband, you needed a nap from your energy crash, and then the gas, bloating, indigestion, or other digestive symptoms started in?
Me too, I’ve totally been there.
The reasons people overeat can range from being too rushed or distracted to stress or being too tired. But every time I find myself in this overly full predicament, the one thing I always notice is that I HATE the way it makes me feel.
Overeating causes our energy levels to crash, it can make us feel sluggish and maybe even a little grumpy, it interferes with our sleep when we overeat at night, and it can set off digestive symptoms like gas and bloating. And of course, regularly overeating can cause weight gain and can make it hard for us to maintain our ideal weight.
I was recently reminded of a centuries-old healthy lifestyle practice that I first learned about while studying at The Institute for Integrative Nutrition. I had forgotten about the simple practice to stop overeating until a recent conversation with a woman I know who comes from the culture that practices it. It’s a simple and very effective practice.
It’s called hara hachi bu and it translates to “belly 80% full” or “eat until you’re 8 parts full”. I’ve been using this practice for the past week or so and I feel really good since implementing it. My digestion feels lighter, my jeans fit just right, and I just feel better energetically.
It is a practice so it’s something I’ll continue to focus on and make into a lifestyle. And, it’s a practice that I’ll be teaching my kids to help them learn how not to uncomfortably stuff their bodies.
Click the image below to watch this video on the simple practice to stop overeating.
Also, I’d love your feedback! Let me know…should I keep doing these informative info sessions via Facebook Live, or should I move them to a podcast or YouTube? Feel free to email any feedback to me at elizabeth@elizabethfinchwellness.com, and let me know where you would like to keep up with my content!
I love the video format! Facebook is great and I love the videos on your blog too. If they are longer than 10-15 mins a podcast might be better. My two cents!
Thank you so much for your feedback beauty, I completely agree! I’m glad you’re enjoying the videos and content!
Three things I do. I always eat my meals on a salad plate (or small bowl if its soup). I dont use the bigger dinner plates anymore. That way my plate looks fuller. Then, I always start with much smaller portions on my plate than I think I want. Then I wait 10 minutes or so as everyone else finishes their meal to see if I am still hungry. This allows time for my brain to know Ive eaten! Most always, I never go get seconds. My goal in this is to let my body determine my hunger vs. my mind or mouth that just wants to keep eating or “clean my place”. Once my small amount of food is gone on my smaller plate, its like my brain says “OK the meal is over. That was delicious” LOL