Have you been tuning in to your body while you’re eating?! How is it going!? I’ve got a CRAZY COOL tool for you in today’s blog that you’re going to love. We already talked about how intuitive eating is all about learning to tap into your body’s own cues, but if it has been a while since you’ve tuned into them, that can take a little practice. I’ve got a Hunger Scale that I thought might be helpful! It’s adapted from one used by the Derbyshire Healthy Futures Service in England. It helps you rate (on a scale from 1-10) how you’re feeling on the hunger/fullness scale.
Most people feel best when they stick within the 3-6 range. Here’s the scale:
One of the things I like about this scale is that it’s relatable. I definitely have been everywhere on that scale at one point or another. I think we all have!
Here’s why it matters …
When you get too hungry, it sets you up to overeat … and when you overeat, you feel tired, sick, and tempted to skip meals. It can turn into a yo-yo cycle.
Finding your sweet spot is a big part of intuitive eating.
It might take a little practice … but it’s definitely worth it!
How hungry do you get before you eat – and how “full” do you feel before you stop? It can take some retraining to live within the 3-6 range, but it’s definitely worth the effort! 🙂
Until Next Time,
Christina
P.S. In case you haven’t yet, we’ve got a COOL (AND FREE!!!) EBOOK for you! It’s a guide to CRACKING THE FOOD LABEL CODE.
11 Comments
The hunger scale!!! That is so interesting, i had no idea we go through stages. Very insightful.
This is so interesting! I do find that I overeat when I’m very hungry. Eating small meals throughout the day helps with that.
Very helpful! I am diabetic and I have to make sure I keep my blood sugar at a steady level. My doctor recommends 6 small meals a day. It keeps hunger pangs away and helps me avoid over-eating. I am also printing out this hunger scale and stick it on the door of the fridge. This is a good reminder for me.
I used to be this way. I now eat until satisfied. It’s so much better of a feeling.
I am so happy I saw this. I feel like this post was made for me because i have been overeating a lot lately and can’t seem to understand why. This was so informative.
This is a great scale for me to use as I find myself constantly hungry and this would tell me the level of hunger I am feeling
I know when I slow down my eating I can recognize the cues pretty well. Although sometimes I struggle when I’m used to eating but my body doesn’t really need to food because it hasn’t been that long since I have eaten. I am working on it though. Getting more mindful of my eating.
Thank you so much for sharing this hunger scale! I too always feel hungry so this is a great way for me to know when I actually need to consume something rather than just endless snacking.
This scale is pretty cool and we never thought about it that way! My mummy often goes from one end of the scale to the other – which isn’t good!
I never leave the table feeling over full , I eat enough till I am just satisfied and feel comfortable.
Good read and interesting. Thank you for sharing 🙂