*Sigh* When You're Winning

In an effort to be fully prepared this week, and therefore in control, I decided to batch cook a load of meals for the week, including a rather lovely Slimming World Chili.  I cannot tell you how much I was looking forward to eating it when I got home today.  I usually drive to Milton Keynes every day for work (a rather delightful hour and twenty minute commute), however thankfully today I was working just seven miles down the road, meaning as I left work I’d already been salivating over the idea of chili for a good hour.  I think it’s because I knew it was so close!

When I decided to start Slimming World, one of the things that pushed me towards the plan was the idea that I could eat lots.  Other plans restrict your diet, however this one seemed to be saying; “Want to stuff your face? Okay, well here are a load of foods that you can stuff your face with!”  That’s pretty much what I told myself anyway...until I read an article this week.

The article was featured on bootiquefitness.com and was called “The Sigh – Language Of The Stomach”, and it talked about the fact that so often nowadays, people overeat because they miss the signals their body is sending them telling them that they’re no longer hungry.  It talked about a natural “physical sigh” (which takes place as you eat), which is your body’s way of telling you that food has replaced the air in your empty stomach, and you have now eaten enough.  For some people the sigh is more a sharp or deep intake of breath, for others it’s a burp (delightful)...but, it’s at this stage, that we should stop eating, pause and really question whether we’re still feeling hunger pangs.  If we aren’t, then we should finish eating.

My chili was completely Syn free, and combined with a medium sized jacket potato, could have been eaten in a vast quantity...I mean it’s delicious after all!  But somewhere in the back of my head, the various articles I’ve read online recently, and TV programmes focusing on diet and losing weight had embedded the idea of portion control in my subconscious.  So I didn’t make myself a massive portion.  I spooned two standard wooden spoon servings onto the jacket potato, and left it at that.  On my plate it looked pitiful.  The jacket potato was the size of one of my standard roast potatoes, and having drooled over the idea of the chili for hours, I was certain that I would be going back for seconds once I’d demolished this meagre offering.  With the article about The Sigh at the forefront of my mind though, I found that when it happened (and it really does!), I had only eaten the chili, and half of my tiny potato.




Naturally I questioned my body’s decision that it was indeed satisfied.  I mean I can understand it trying to drop a few not-so-subtle hints after I’ve chomped my way through ¾ of a Large Dominoes Ham & Pineapple Stuffed Crust, but after half a tiny potato?  Ridiculous!  I even started arguing with myself – clearly because I’m thinking about it, it’s a self fulfilling prophecy? Was that even The Sigh? Because it really just felt like a deep breath...probably because I’ve been eating too quickly.  In the time that I spent arguing with the various voices in my head, it suddenly occurred to me that I actually didn’t feel hungry any more.  I didn’t feel full, stuffed or bloated...But the niggling hunger pangs I’d been having since 4pm had gone, and I was in fact satisfied.

So I stopped eating.

It’s now five hours later, and I still don’t feel hungry.  I wondered if the Chinese food principle might apply; You know - where you eat a Chinese, feel as though you couldn’t eat another morsel again (ever!)...and then twenty minutes later you’re ravenous and have had to seek comfort in the bag of prawn crackers that you got as a freebie.  Turns out no, it doesn’t apply.  I feel fine.  My leftover’s went to the dog, who was very appreciative, and I haven’t needed to snack or anything this evening.

When you actually look through the Slimming World literature, it emphasizes that anything with a Syn value, or your A and B choices need to be weighed and measured, but everything free is available to us in unlimited quantities.  It has taken me until now to realise, that just because I can have as much as I want, doesn’t mean I should.  Part of changing my eating habits for the better has to include exercising restraint when it comes to portion control and to listen to what my body is telling me more often.  I’m going to try not to build my plate up with food just because I can, but if I do, and I achieve my Sigh-moment before I finish, I’m going to do my best to take the hint my body is giving me.  I’m not worried about wasting food, after all, if my body doesn’t need or want it, it’s a waste whether I throw it in the bin or down my neck!  Some days I’m sure it will take longer for me to reach The Sigh but the key is that I pay attention, and don’t ignore it when it happens.

Have a go tomorrow – listen for your own sigh/deep breath/burp.

Nighty-night!