Oh the joys of eating! On too many occasions to remember, I have gone way beyond my satisfaction threshold and sometimes even to the point of pain. I’d like to tell myself that the food was just that good, but, in hindsight, I may have just been greedy . . . and the food was just that good! If you are a person with impulses who has been fortunate to experience the joy that is Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner, then you may be able to empathize with me. More importantly, you may understand the “THA Levels of Fullness” below.
THA Levels of Fullness:
Ok/Good: you’re not hungry or full; you may have eaten something light - a snack or food item that satisfied a craving; you could do vigorous exercises and be fine.
Satisfied: you were hungry and you ate just enough to leave you completely satisfied; all signs of hunger are gone and there is no pain or discomfort in your stomach; you are 100% comfortable and able to complete sedentary tasks, but if you attempted to do vigorous exercising, your body would remind you that you recently ate.
Stuffed: you reached the point of satisfaction, but you didn’t care and you continued to eat. You ate until your stomach felt like a balloon. You definitely feel the fullness. While vigorous activity is out of the question, you could still go for a light walk and be ok.
Beyond Stuffed: you felt like a balloon, so you took a break from the food. It was a short break - just long enough to get a burp out and make more room. Once the burp was out, you picked up right where you left off until you felt the fullness again, but this time you feel some discomfort and just thinking of going for a walk down the street frightens you.
Immobility: you messed up and drank liquid or forced another two bites after the “Beyond Stuffed” threshold. It is a wrap. Your stomach hurts with every movement even the slight ones. Sitting up is definitely not an option. The only suitable position is lying on your back and praying that some of the food digests so that you can at least stand up without feeling pain. At this point, you are cursing yourself and saying that you will NEVER allow this to happen again.
In a perfect world, when hungry, the goal is to never go beyond Satisfied. In the real world, you may get to Immobility a few or more times in your lifetime. The journey to health is not straightforward; instead it is often filled with unexpected twists and turns. Enjoy the journey and try to learn from the mishaps.
