Arguably the most prevalent variable associated with struggles with weight management is “hunger.” It’s often those who describe their personal experience as “insatiable” that are presented with the greatest challenge.
So how do we combat it?
The Obvious Strategies
I’ll list the few “more obvious” behaviors that most are already aware of:
- Consume a high protein diet
- Consume a high fiber diet
- Consume lots of fruits and vegetables
- Minimize highly processed foods
- Minimize liquid calories
- Minimize alcohol
- Get plenty of sleep
- Drink plenty of water
- Manage stress
- Experiment with eating more frequent, smaller meals and larger, less frequent meals
- Experiment with eating most of your calories towards the beginning portion of your day vs the end of the day
The Scenario…
If you have all of those things in check, it's likely you have a pretty decent handle on your “physical fullness.”
But what I want to walk through is a scenario in which we consider what’s, in my opinion, an unsung hero (or villain) in one’s “hunger management” – “mental fulfillment.”
Let’s say we have…
Food A
- Serving size: 30 grams or 10 pieces
- Calories: 100
AND
Food B
- Serving size: 32 grams or 4 pieces
- Calories: 120
Two nearly “identical” foods in that the serving size is the same weight and the caloric value is negligibly different.
And for further comparison’s sake, both foods are essentially the same product, just two different variations where one is in bite-size pieces (Food A) and one is in strips (Food B).
Physical Fullness vs Mental Fulfillment
Consuming both would add the same number of calories to your daily intake. And, objectively, it would “fill up your stomach” by the same amount given the serving size is the same almost to the gram.
BUT the actual experience of eating each would differ.
From a:
- “mouthfeel”
- “duration of consumption”
- “HTM frequency” (hand to mouth)
…standpoint, they are not identical.
The Mental Difference in Consumption
Food A would likely be consumed 1 strip at a time; with a longer time between “servings” due to the amount of food needing to be chewed at once.
Whereas Food B would either be 10 individual bite-sized servings or multiple bite-size pieces being consumed at the same time.
Personally, eating 4 bigger strips that fill up my mouth more and take longer to chew and swallow would lead me to be mentally satiated with one serving.
And the bite-sized version of the same food would be much easier for me to mindlessly keep consuming because each individual piece would have:
- A less mentally satiating mouthfeel
- Shorter duration of consumption
- A higher frequency of “grab and place in mouth”
Would that be the same case for you?
While there is no right answer to that question, such awareness can be monumental in helping you formulate an approach to eating that maximizes both:
- Physical fullness
- Mental fulfillment
...making it more likely that you avoid unintentional overconsumption (especially of highly palatable foods – the likes of which were used in the Food A and Food B example).
It’s Not Just About Calories
It can teach you that it’s not JUST about:
- Calories
- Macronutrients
- Micronutrients
…but also:
- Texture
- Size
- Shape
- State of matter
Final Thought
It’s about the experience just as much as anything else.
Finding your optimal mix of physical fullness and mental satiation may just be the thing that makes it more natural to “intuitively consume appropriate quantities.”
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