Let's finally close the book on Intuitive Eating - which I wrote about (once and twice) back in June - with a couple of comments on specific tactics I pulled from my book notes.
One idea I liked was the range of three to five hours as an appropriate interval between meals. This is particularly important for anyone whose hunger signals include sensations not typically associated with hunger (such as headaches). In these cases, the authors suggest sticking closely to the above range until normal signals are reestablished. The specifics of the best range for individuals differ for a variety of factors, but a good sign of having waited too long that applies to all is urgent eating - if you wolf down the food as it appears on the plate, perhaps eating a little sooner is a good idea for the next meal.
Those who struggle with satiety cues should experiment with short time-outs during a meal, and only resume eating if hunger remains after a five- or ten-minute break. Eliminating distractions is also helpful because they can obscure fullness signals, which means making eating the sole activity at mealtime - no books, no TV, etc., while eating. Taste can sometimes offer reliable cues, so a good point to stop eating might be when the taste is different from the start of the meal. Finally, those reliant on food to soothe certain feelings should start simply by acknowledging the reality of their feelings before starting the work of separating physical and emotional fullness cues.
The consistent challenge that remains between hunger and satiety - or perhaps the other way around - is to make better choices without falling into a diet mentality. Any restriction, even in the name of health, can lead to the same effects suffered among dieters. The most compelling example for me is the threat of overconsuming replacement items, such as when switching from full-fat to no-fat yogurt results in increased yogurt consumption. The approach I suggest anytime I'm asked about improving food choices is to start with the healthiest foods you like, then just regularly eat those foods as a way to "crowd out" some of your unhealthy choices. If this means a renewed focus on health leads to a week of eating roasted red peppers alongside your main meal, so be it. The result of adding the healthy item is less room on the plate for the unhealthy, and over time you can build on this pattern of subtraction by addition that doesn't rely so much on the restrictive approach of the dieting mentality.
