Fat 2 Fit: How Hungry Are You Really?

Does food control you? Research has found that people manage their weight better when they eat before they are too hungry and stop before they feel stuffed.

By: Carole Carson | Source: AARP.org | 2008-10-14

Researchers at the University of Colorado have developed an approach to managing eating, appetite, and cravings. Using a scale of seven (ravenous) to one (stuffed), individuals are encouraged to monitor their appetites for a month and write down their habits each time they eat.

In one study, participants quickly noted that if they allowed their appetite to reach the ravenous level, they lost control. Food was wolfed down and eaten without satisfaction.

Participants also began to recognize the uncomfortably stuffed condition. Over time, they learned to eat in the "health zone" of 2.5 (hungry but not overly so) to 5.5 (no longer hungry but not yet full) and were able to monitor their eating without writing the levels down

Without dieting, restricting food, or engaging in other artificial practices, this health-zone approach to appetite management promises to help some of us get through any holiday without gaining unwanted pounds.