Anchor Habit 2 

80% FULL

Learning hunger cues & 80% full

Many people have trouble recognizing their hunger and fullness cues.

Eating slowly helps you tune back in.

The next step to eating slowly is : Eat to “80% full.”

You probably know what “stuffed” feels like. That’s the post-festival meal feeling where you have to loosen your belt and breathe in little huffs after your fourth helping of dessert.

Let’s call that 150 percent full — waaay beyond capacity.

You might know what “really hungry” feels like. Let’s call that 0 percent full.

Somewhere in between is 80 percent full.

80 percent full is when you’re just satisfied. No longer hungry. (Or just a teeny tiny bit hungry, which passes after a few minutes.)

But not full. And definitely not stuffed.

At each meal, try to find that 80 percent point on the spectrum. (That first practice, eating slowly, really comes in handy here.)

You won’t know what 80 percent full feels like right away; but you don’t have to get this “perfect” or do any complicated math.

Just eat a little bit slower, and a little bit less, at each meal, until you recognise (and can reliably target) that 80 percent mark.

Here’s how to make this work.

• Measure your food as always, eat slowly while being mindful of your body
• Your goal is to eat until you are “just satisfied,” “no longer hungry,” or “80% full.” This is hard to quantify, so understand that you won’t get this right away
• This habit will take time to get. We’re not accustomed to eating slowly or 80% full. Don’t be hard on yourself