Your stomach feels like it’s going to explode, but your brain tells you to go get more food. Sound familiar?
If so, the first thing to understand is that it’s totally normal for women with PCOS to experience this.
My wife struggled with this herself when her PCOS flared up. She would eat and eat and eat and just feel miserable, but she kept telling me that her brain was telling her she needed more food.
That’s when I started looking into the science behind PCOS and appetite control. Sure enough, PCOS actually keeps your brain from getting the message that your stomach is full.
So I want you to understand that it IS normal. Women with PCOS have higher appetites and stronger cravings. (That obviously makes things complicated if you’re trying to lose weight.)
But here’s the second thing to understand—you can take control. There are several things you can do to help curb your appetite and cravings.
The most important one? Mindful eating.
It’s one of the simplest and most powerful changes you can make when it comes to your diet.
It comes down to two parts. The first part is to eat more slowly. There’s a connection between our brain and our stomachs, but it takes about 20 minutes for our brains to realize our stomach is full. When we eat more slowly, we give the brain time to process that, to realize that we’re full and satisfied.
The second part is to only eat until you’re satisfied, and then to stop.
It’s ingrained in us from our childhood that we have to “clean our plate.” But that idea actually sets us back.
Instead of “cleaning our plates,” what if we focused on how food makes us feel, on only eating what we need to be satisfied? What if we actually taught our kids how to pay attention to their bodies and make informed decisions on how much food to get next time? What if leaving food on the plate was worth it for our children to understand how to listen to, and respect, their bodies?
It can be hard for many of us to overcome that idea of eating until the food is gone. But it’s an important part of mindful eating that can really benefit people who struggle with appetite control.
My rule of thumb is to eat until you’re about 80% full. That will leave you feeling satisfied without eating too much.
It might take some time and some experimentation to find that level for yourself. We don’t have a gauge that says, “Ding! 80% full.” You might miss the mark and eat too much a few times, but that’s ok.
As always, it’s about the small steps, the actionable changes, and the learning. You don’t have to get it right immediately. You just have to move toward the right choices for your body every day. Mindful eating will help you do that.
Next time I’ll share more tips for controlling your appetite. For today, I want to know if this is something you’re struggling with.
Have you felt that experience? Your brain saying, “Go find food,” even though your stomach feels full? Have you struggled to find ways to curb your appetite? What have you tried that has and hasn’t helped?
Go to fatextractionmethod.com to get my help!
Hoping for transformation,
John