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Stop eating when you're full.  Sounds simple, right?  Well, for many people this is the biggest obstacle in healthy weight management.  Many people mindlessly or emotionally eat without even realizing it.  See how many of the following examples sound familiar:

• When you get home from a long day at work, you find yourself standing in front of the refrigerator devouring a pie.  (Or replace pie with your typical food)
• When you/your spouse/child is having a hard day, you bake a treat to help cheer them up.
• Even after a satisfying and filling dinner, you find your hands in the chip bowl while watching TV.
• You feel guilty for having one too many slices of pizza at lunch, so you restrict or starve yourself for the remainder of the day. 

If any of the above situations sound familiar, then you may be either mindlessly or emotionally eating.  Mindful eating is a way of approaching your diet to give you the freedom to eat the foods you enjoy in appropriate portions, and it helps you honor your body's true hunger.  Unfortunately, so many of us were raised to turn towards food whenever we feel stressed/angry/bored/sad.  Because of this, we have lost touch with when our body is truly hungry/full.  We wait too long to eat, find ourselves starving and then overindulge past our body's healthy fullness.  This reaks havoc on our health. 

Here are some strategies that you can implement to begin more mindful eating:

• Fruit Test:  Pick your favorite fruit.  I'll use an orange for example.  When you find yourself ready to eat an entire carton of ice cream, ask yourself if you are hungry enough to eat an orange.  If you are, then your body may be truly hungry.  Eat the orange.  Or fix yourself a small bowl of ice cream and enjoy.  If you are not hungry enough for an orange, take a moment to reflect on how you are feeling at the moment.  Decide another route, besides eating, to deal with your feelings.
• Hunger Scale:  Think of a scale, 1-10.  1 = Starving, 3 = Hungry, 5 = Neutral, 7 = pleasantly full, 10 = stuffed, ready to unbuckle your pants.  Think of this scale throughout the day and while you are eating.  When you begin to reach a 3, make it a priority to feed your body.  Otherwise, you may find yourself in a binge due to starvation.  While you are eating, take the time to enjoy each bite and stop when you are reaching a 7. ** NOTE, it takes approximately 20 minutes for your brain to register the food in your stomach.  Many of us eat too quickly and are at a 10 by the time our brain can recognize that we have been fed.  Slow down! 
• Legalizing Food:  Stop categorizing food as "good" or "bad".  If pizza is in your "bad" category, of course you will feel guilty or ashamed that you didn't display more self-control.  Instead, realize that all foods can be consumed in moderation as part of a healthy diet.  Use the 80/20 rule.  If 80% of the time, you consume nutrient-dense and health food, then give yourself the freedom to indulge less nutritious foods the other 20% of the time.