What is "full"?

This is a question that I am asking myself a lot these days.  What does full feel like?  How do I know I am full?  What is the difference between full and stuffed?  These are all really good questions that I am investigating. 

I am learning that being full does not mean the same thing anymore for me. I am learning to listen to my body and what it is telling me over what my mind is telling me.  I know I am full when I have stopped eating to fulfil my nutritional needs and keep eating to meet my mental needs.  I have heard that some lap band people have a "soft stop" signal that tells them they are full and is a warning that if they keep eating they will be sick.  I haven't found mine yet but I have a few suspects that I am experimenting with.  I have noticed that I do a sort of belly burp type of thing (all inside not a huge burp) or other times I kind of breath deeper.  Both are examples I have seen and there are a few more that I am curious about, some people get a runny nose (sinus season so this won't work) and others get the hiccups.  I did get hiccups today while eating so I stopped and listened to my body and realized I was good to stop eating.  I will keep you updated on "soft stops". 

I am also learning that there is a huge difference between full and stuffed.  Being full means being satisfied but being stuffed means eating almost to the point of pain and sickness.  I have always done this as I have posted before and will probably always fight the urge to do this.  I get caught up in what it tastes like that I forget to stop when I am satisfied.  I will just keep eating.  This has been a learning thing with my band too.  I am making my plate now with the same serving size that I am giving my two youngest children.  Yes, it satisfies me but I will still look longingly at my husbands plate and wonder why I am not eating more.  Then I mentally feel out my body and realize it is because I am full already.  I am retraining myself to recognize full as satisfied and not as stuffed.  Harder than you think it is. 

I am also learning that I don't eat as often either.  I had a mid morning snack the other day and then on my way home from work realized that I did not eat lunch, nor did I miss it.  This surprised me and I started testing myself.  I am not skipping meals or anything but i am not snacking now unless my stomach is actually grumbling that it needs something.  It is also the moment that proved to me that I need to start plating my dishes in smaller portions too since I no longer "needed" the larger amount.  So far so good.  I have not been on a diet this week but lost 3 pound and I am now back at my surgery date weight!  I have a sneaking suspicion that this is from eating until I am full and not a bite more.