Use this ‘hunger scale’ to learn when to start or stop eating
We’ve all done it – eat a snack while watching TV and suddenly you realize the entire package of chips or cookies is gone. How did that happen?
“Many of my patients say they eat mindlessly at one time or another,” said Chrisanne Urban, a registered dietitian at Marshfield Clinic. “They get so wrapped up in what they’re watching or doing that they don’t notice what or how much they eat.”
So what makes you stop eating? Is the plate empty or your tummy full?
It might surprise you to know children are very good at eating when they feel hungry and stopping when they are full. Most of us are born with this ability but lose it somehow in adulthood.
A hunger-satiety rating scale from “Why Weight: A Guide to End Compulsive Eating” by Geneen Roth rates hunger or satiety, meaning a full-feeling, on a one-to-10 scale:
Learn to read the hunger scale:
- Starving, dizzy, irritable
- Very hungry, unable to concentrate
- Hungry, ready to eat
- Beginning signals of hunger
- Comfortable, neither hungry or full
- Comfortably full, satisfied
- Very full, feel as if you’ve overeaten
- Uncomfortably full, feel stuffed
- Very uncomfortably full, need to loosen belt
- Stuffed to the point of feeling sick
“It’s best to start eating at a 3 or 4 on the scale and stop at a 5 or 6,” Urban said. “Listening to your body’s signals of hunger and fullness can help you achieve or maintain a healthy body weight.”
Like any tool, this will work for some people better than others, but keep at it for a while to see if it helps you. Print out the scale and put it in a spot in your kitchen where you’ll see it often.
It takes practice, it’s certainly worth a try and eventually the memory of that overstuffed feeling just might help you stop eating sooner.
I'm a mindfulness teacher and have been asked to talk to a residential group on holiday eating and how to maintain a healthy one. I saw your article and hunger scale and the image and wanted to get your permission to share the hunger scale and image when I teach mindful eating there. Will that be okay?
I would appreciate it if you could email address I've added to the form.
Thank you very much.
Julie Pearl
Hi, Julie. We encourage you to share the article and image unaltered; thank you for reaching out! Here's a printable version of the hunger scale: https://shine365.marshfieldclinic.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Hunger-Scale-PRINTABLE-520912749.pdf. I also emailed you a printable version of the entire article in case you'd like to share with your class that way, too.
Your class may also like these articles, one that is an interactive quiz.
https://shine365.marshfieldclinic.org/wellness/moderation-avoid-holiday-overeating/
https://shine365.marshfieldclinic.org/heart-care/9-tips-avoid-holiday-weight-gain/
https://shine365.marshfieldclinic.org/wellness/test-your-holiday-food-smarts-quiz/
-Kirstie
Very active. Used a activity monitor and routinely reach 20,ooo steps daily. Weight stable a 176 #. Hungry late night, so eat a big 4th meal before bed. Next morning weight still 176. IF I drink a lot of water just have to go more often. Height is 5'7".
At this time would like to get down to 165/170. Do eat lots of fruits and garden vegetables for lunch.
Cutting down calories doesn't seem to do the trick. I'm 72 and just finished trimming (7) trees that are 15 feet tall, + more that day. Have tired the last few days?