Eating to 80 percent full means you stop eating when you’re just satisfied…not still hungry, but not stuffed or even completely full. It’s about feeling content, with a little room left over. The reason we love this practice so much for weight loss? You still get to be satisfied at meals, but over time, you’ll likely end up in a caloric deficit. What’s most important about this habit is the act of slowing down, paying attention to your appetite cues, and eating a little less than you’re used to.
APPETITE AWARENESS: It’s pretty normal to be out of tune with physiological hunger cues. Most adults eat when they’re not hungry and keep eating when they’re full. However, learning basic appetite awareness is one of the most useful ways someone can recognize how much food their body actually needs. Eating until we’re satisfied, not stuffed, is the simplest way to put appetite awareness into action…and for most people, eating to 80% fullness is just the right amount.
EATING SLOWLY: Adults also have a tendency to eat quickly, which leads to overconsumption. The body’s hunger/full messages literally can’t keep up with the speed of our eating. Eating slowly gives your body time to recognize that you’re full. It takes about 20 minutes for your body’s satiety signals to kick in. Slow eating gives the system time to work, allowing you to better sense when you’ve had enough. Imagine the extra calories you could ingest simply because you didn’t allow your body time to register that it no longer required food. Eating to 80% full is a way to force yourself to give the body time. You will most likely find that after a few minutes, that 80% will feel more like 100%.
EATING TO 80% FULLNESS:
- Leads to gradual, sustainable fat loss
- Improves appetite regulation due to slower, mindful eating
- Minimizes dependence on “rules” like calorie targets or diet plans
- Increases body awareness, helping you regulate stress and emotions
- Connects you to your true nutrition needs, which are naturally customized to your body and activity level
- Encourages good digestion
How do you know what 80% feels like?
8 steps to make it a habit!
1. Start with a slightly smaller portion
- You probably have a sense of how much you normally eat. Try plating 80% of that.
- Plating your meal on a smaller dish makes it easier to moderate portions and makes you think you are eating more.
- Prioritize veggies and protein, which help you feel satisfied longer and curb hunger.
- If you’re eating out, try ordering a smaller size than normal.
2. Tune in to how your body feels
- Learning what 80% full feels like will require paying close attention to your body throughout the meal. Before you take your first bite, make note of your baseline.
- Take a deep breath.
- Scan your attention over the length of your body, toes to head.
- Now, focus on your abdomen.
- Notice how it feels objectively, without judgment.
3. Eat Slowly
It takes time for your gastrointestinal tract to signal to your brain that you’ve eaten enough. Slowing down helps ensure that you don’t miss the messages from your body. Use a meal timer if necessary. Read more about Eating Slowly & Mindfully, or download our helpful Slow Eating Meal Journal for tracking.
4. Check in throughout the meal
As you eat, look and listen for the signs you’re no longer hungry. Take a bite. Chew and swallow. Stop. Take a breath. How do you feel? Pause to notice and reflect. Think of your hunger and fullness on a sliding scale from 0-100.
0 is “I’m Extremely Hungry…I don’t feel like I’ve eaten at all…I’m Hangry…Get me food Right Now.”
100 is “I’m so completely stuffed…I can’t possibly eat any more…I can’t move…I think I need to lie down.”
80 is our goal. “I’m feeling like I could stop eating and be satisfied (even if I don’t want to)…I have room for dessert…My stomach still feels comfortable and I feel energized, like I could go for a walk.”
Physically, how do you feel? Is your stomach growling? Are you feeling shaky or irritable? Do you feel “stuffed” or “uncomfortable”?
Mentally, are you thinking, “I want to eat this” or “I need to eat this”? Are you aware of what you are eating or are you just plowing in the food while you do something else? If your eating routine is disrupted, are you upset because it’s a change in habit, or because you’re genuinely hungry?
Emotionally, are you stressed or anxious, happy or sad?
5. When you feel like you’re about 80% full, stop eating
Getting to exactly 80% full isn’t important, just estimate. When you get to 80% fullness, you can:
- Put away any leftover food, so you aren’t tempted to eat more of it.
- Place your napkin over your plate to signal to yourself you’re done.
- Just sit and breathe, and notice any physical feelings or sensations.
6. Do something physical
Following your meal with gentle activity helps you sense how the portion you ate is sitting with you. You should be able to do gentle movement after a meal! If you can’t, you probably ate past 80% full.
- Bend down and reach for your toes
- Do some light housework
- Take a brisk walk
- Play with a child or pet
- Breathe deeply from your belly
7. Take notes about what you ate and what it felt like
Any good experiment requires data. Record what you ate and how it made your body feel. If you overdid it, no worries, but try to note why you did, how it made you feel, and how you can overcome it next time. If you underdid it, pay attention to how long that food portion kept you satisfied and what feelings you started to notice when the hunger kicked in, so you can avoid early bingeing. Over time, you’ll gather useful information about your body and how foods make you feel. Notice any patterns. Download our How Food Feels Journal for tracking.
8. Repeat! Ask yourself, “How’s That Working?”
- Does your body look or feel any different? What about how your clothes fit?
- Are you getting more or less comfortable with different sensations in your body?
- Are your eating habits more aligned with your goals?
- Is your mood or energy better, worse, or the same?
- Do particular foods help you feel satisfied?
- Do some foods seem to make you lose control?
- Any changes to your digestion?
- Do you derive more or less pleasure from food?
