A Fistful of Food

Make a fist and observe the size of it. This is about the size of your stomach. Oh dear, you may be thinking, “How did all of that food I ate last night fit into a space so small?” Good question. First, realize that you almost certainly ate more than you needed to feel satisfied. Next, understand that your stomach is a muscle that can expand to accommodate a great amount of food. Just ask anyone who is a binge eater.

Usually, eating an amount of food the size of your fist is enough to feel satisfied … give or take, based on the day, the weather, the cycles of the moon, and other unspecified mysteries of life and eating! To figure out the amount of food to eat based on comparing it to the size of your fist, you've got to imagine the food after you've chewed it. Oh, ick, you may think. Imagine that the air is taken out of such foods as a salad.

Seriously, you can't go wrong eating an amount of food the size of your fist three or four times a day. You certainly won't gain weight. Better yet, you'll start releasing stored fat.

Eating Less Means More Satisfaction

You may be studying the size of your fist right now, already feeling deprived. “That's not much food for me,” you think. You're right, that's not much food, yet it is plenty of food to support your body. A fistful is still plenty of food to sustain your life, give you energy, release excess fat stores, look great, feel great, and get healthier.

Make sure that you eat the most absolutely delicious and nutritious foods and your favorite foods first; otherwise, you won't have room for them. This applies to buffets, eating out, and parties—every time you are hungry. Be sure to eat slowly so you savor every morsel of food you eat. The taste and sensuous pleasure of the food last longer that way.