Are You on Auto-Pilot?

Gaining weight usually can be traced to a very simple cause: eating too much.

Sometimes we know we are over-eating....just think Thanksgiving Dinner!!!!

But often we go through the day grabbing a bite here and there, munching mindlessly while we sort the mail or watch tv, helping ourselves to office breakroom goodies as we pass by, or extra dessert at a birthday party --- not becasue we are hungry ---but just because the food is there.

I used to have a habit of walking in the door after work and going straight to the refirigerator and opening it. Sometimes I was actually hungry, but most of the time I was just on auto-pilot...I just did it our of habit. And ususally there was something that became a snack I didn't really need.

Can you think of times when you are on auto-pilot, eating just because it's there or"it's time to eat,"  or "everyone else is eating", or "I don't want the leftovers to go to waste"?

These  mindless calories add up fast!  When you are trying to lighten up, you do want to eat when you are hungry. And you want to eat just enough to stop being hungry and fuel your body for energy until the next time you eat.

So here's a tool I came across several years ago in Real Simple magazine, to help you judge whether you are eating for the right reasons, or because you are on auto-pilot:

THE HUNGER SCALE

Eat when you feel like 1,2,3,& 4.

Stop eating at 5 or 6. If you are trying to lose, stop at 5, this allows your body to burn more calories than you intake.

Don't eat if you feel like 7,8,9,or 10.

10

Stuffed. So full you feel nauseous.

9

Very uncomfortable. You need to loosen clothing.

8

Uncomfortably full. Bloated.

7

Full. A little bit uncomfortable.

6

Perfectly comfortable. You feel satisfied.

5

Comfortable. More or less satisfied. Could eat a little more.

4

Slightly uncomfortable. You're just beginning to feel the signs of hunger.

3

Uncomfortably hungry. Stomach is rumbling.

2

Very Uncomfortable, irritable and unable to concentrate.

1

Weak and light-headed. Your stomach acid is churning.

Use the Hunger Scale to help you get in touch with real hunger, and then counting calories will become less important.