100 Days Challenge - Day 34 and 35 - Listening Accurately and The Eating Pause

Time to pick up the topics that are covered daily in the 100 Days Challenge of Weight Loss book.   Days 34 and 35 have inter-related topics - both focus on knowing when one has reached the "satisfied" level vs getting to the "feeling stuffed" level of eating...although Chpater 34 goes a bit further by saying:

If you realize that you like feeling stuffed, you may need to work on changing your belief that full is a good sensation. Instead of enjoying the sensation of being overly full, begin labeling it as uncomfortable. Make a clear decision that you no longer want to feel that way, and instead, you want to feel comfortable or satisfied.

I can say that I don't enjoy feeling stuffed!  I had a recent experience with this when I ate steaks w/grilled red-skinned potatoes and carrots.  I had planned to stop eating when I felt satisfied, but went beyond that feeling...and then felt very uncomfortable!   I will say that I don't usually allow this to happen and was a bit upset with myself for allowing myself to overeat.  

Moving on to Chapter 35, the topic here is: the Eating Pause.   This is described as -


When you naturally pause in your eating, you’re usually at the exact point where you feel satisfied or comfortable. In fact, this pause seems to correlate exactly with the moment your stomach indicates it’s taken in enough food. If you continue to eat, you quickly move to the level of being too full.

I must admit that I had never really thought about this but it does make sense to me. I plan to monitor this "natural pause" in the next few days.  In fact, the homework exercise which is given in connection with this topic is as follows:    


1.  At each meal and snack, notice when you pause in your eating. Record how you recognized the pause as well as how much you had eaten at that point. 


2. Once you’ve paused, stop eating, regardless of the amount you have left. Wait for at least two hours before eating again. Describe your experience with recognizing the eating pause.

3. If you realize you were actually hungry, work at fine-tuning your listening skills and improving your ability to use the eating pause as a tool. Write a few notes about how you can improve this in the future.

Note how #3 refers back to Day 34 - Listening Accurately - topic.  These two topics are clearly inter-related.   I will continue discussing this in my next entry when I've had a few days of "listening" and "pausing".   

How did I demonstrate my commitment to my journey?

Exercise - 50 minutes of lap swimming and 5 minutes of aqua aerobics.

Food Plan - 

Breakfast - WW English muffin w/thin layer of pb;  light Activia yogurt w/1 TBSP Greek yogurt (plain) w/strawberries
Lunch:  Apple pecan salad (sans pecans) from Wendy's  - w/viniagrette dressing
Dinner:  Veggie soup and an apple 
Snack:  150 calorie Skinny Cow ice cream bar