Many of us eat out of habit to satisfy cravings because we're bored, because it's a certain time of day (noon equals lunchtime!), or because someone else is eating around us. So registered dietitian Leslie Langevin, MS, RD, CD, of Whole Health Nutrition, said to get to know what true hunger feels like. If you're not hungry for breakfast at 8 a.m., it's OK to push it to 10 a.m. when you are actually hungry.
Clarke said to be mindful of the hunger scale. "It's a scale from one to 10, with one being your absolute hungriest, feeling-lightheaded level, five being completely neutral (not hungry and not at all full), and 10 being really uncomfortably stuffed," Clarke explained. "You want to grab a snack or meal at about a three, when you're moderately hungry, and stop eating around a six, just past that completely neutral feeling."
Basically, you want to develop a personalized eating schedule where you eat when fairly hungry (if you waited another hour, you'd be famished) and eat just enough to feel satisfied and be hungry again three to four hours later.