Always eating at the dining table, being aware of the first enhanced flavored bites of food, and knowing when my stomach was satisfied practically ended my weight gain. It was time to figure out my next tiny change.

I was told I should eat three meals and a snack a day. This was also recommended in a lot of books. I tried to follow this rule.

I felt like I was eating too frequently. I cut down to two meals and a snack. It still felt like too much.

I never felt hungry. Sometimes I would feel like I just finished my last meal when it was time to eat again. And, I was never hungry when I woke up for the day.

I decided to only eat, or snack, if I felt hungry. When I waited till the hunger pangs came, my food tasted wonderful.

If I ate at scheduled meal times the food was less enjoyable. I was just eating because I was suppose to.

I do not know if I should feel hungry in the mornings, For me, I felt more comfortable waking up needing to eat. I saw it as a warning bell, that I ate too much the day before, if I woke up not hungry.

I discovered another way to stop gaining weight. I decided to eat a regular breakfast and then only eat when I felt hunger in my stomach.

I had to learn the difference between emotional hunger and physical hunger. The physical hunger was a slight rumbling in my stomach. I could physically feel it.

The emotional hunger was the thought, I want to eat. I usually didn’t know what I was hungry for and my stomach felt satisfied. I would distract my mind by doing some task and forget about my emotional hunger. If it was really a physical hunger, the internal stomach rumblings would increase.

I realized I enjoyed my food more when I’m really hungry. Everything taste better and the satisfaction of my stomach receiving food felt good. I loved my meals and finally knew when to eat and when not to eat.

I really was maintaining my weight and I would lose weight occasionally. I was on my way, for the rest of my life, to get it right.

Sincerely, living a lighter life, ED