Experts explain the hunger scale and how to use it

How hungry are you right now on a scale of zero to ten? Unless you are too hungry or too full, it may be difficult for you to answer. The hunger scale will help you determine this number.

The Hunger Scale is a tool that helps you tune in to your body and notice the tiniest signs of hunger. “Many people who have dieted their whole lives feel disconnected from their feelings of hunger and satiety and could benefit from reconnecting with them in a mindful way,” says nutritionist Emily Van Eck, RD. intuitive eating advisor in Austin, Texas. “When you diet and follow rules about what, when and how much to eat, you naturally ignore your body’s cues.”

Van Eck says the scale doesn’t tell you a right or wrong way to eat, but if you can figure out where you are on the scale, you can figure out how much and when to eat, and even avoid feeling bad. hungry or full This may sound simple, but for people recovering from years of dietit can take some getting used to, Van Eck says. And it’s a great way to help you practice intuitive eating (we can think of several reasons why you want it).

Here’s how you can use the hunger and fullness scale to tune in to your body, improve your relationship with food, and eat more intuitively.

Meet the experts: Emily Van EckRD, Nutritionist and Intuitive Eating Consultant in Austin, Texas. Vikas Jayadevadoctor of medical sciences, primary care doctor in Tia.

What is the hunger scale?

The Hunger and Satiety Scale is a tool anyone can use to determine their body’s hunger and satiety signals. If you’re going too long between meals, overeating, or undereating, you might want to check this out. It’s basically a scale from 0 to 10, where each number corresponds to a satiety level, or how full you are. Zero is incredibly hungry, 10 is painfully full, while five is a truly neutral state of comfort.

The scale itself has been used for decades in some form of eating disorder treatment, says Van Eck. The current version (which is used most often) has been developed Evelyn Tribol and Elise Reschcreators of an intuitive approach to nutrition.

The Hunger and Fullness Scale can help you eat more mindfully and promote healthier eating overall, says Vikas Jayadeva, MD, a primary care physician at Tia.

Hunger and satiety are much more than just a grumbling stomach or feeling full. The scale asks you to look for signs of “moderate hunger,” including body-wide sensations like a headache or stomach rumbling, a drop in energy levels, mood swings or difficulty concentrating, to determine what you’re getting into, Van Eck says.

It is especially difficult to notice satiety if you eat quickly or have many distractions that cause you to overeat. Also, hunger can be easily ignored if you’re focusing on everything else during a busy day, leading to unpleasant side effects such as headaches or irritability.

Hunger and satiety signals to pay attention to

Examples of hunger signals:

• Hunger pangs

• Abdominal rumbling or discomfort

• Low energy

• irritability

• Difficulty with concentration

• dizziness

• nausea

• Headache

• Frequent thoughts about food or cravings

Examples of fullness signs:

How to use the hunger scale

Start by simply focusing on your hunger, Van Eck says. Give yourself a week to get granular with your hunger cues: How often do you eat? When do you usually start to notice that you are hungry? What is this feeling? It should be research, says Van Eck. Check yourself at different times throughout the day to reflect on your fullness and notice any patterns. You can even experiment with new practices—like how would you feel if you had a snack after dinner to hold you over instead of letting your stomach grumble until it’s time for dinner? You can also keep a diary to track how hungry you are before eating and how full you are after during the study phase.

It is easiest to use the hunger and satiety scale while eating. Before you sit down to eat, put yourself somewhere between zero and ten. You can even use your number to determine the portion size of your food, says Dr. Jayadeva. (If you’re sitting for four, you might only need a snack, but if you’re sitting for one or two, it’s time for a full meal.) Then, near the end of the meal, reassess what you’re getting into. scale. Ideally, you want to stop at six or seven, a comfortable level of fullness, says Dr. Jayadeva. In general, you want to avoid getting into uncomfortable or painful territory on either side of this scale, and being more in tune with your body can help you avoid that.

Another thing to remember: You don’t have to use the hunger scale forever, Van Eck says. It’s a tool that can help you reconnect with your body, but once you do, you won’t have to think about numbers all the time. And don’t despair if it’s a little difficult at first. “Just because you’re not feeling these signals right now doesn’t mean you’re broken,” Van Eck says. “It just means you have to work at it.”

Who should use the hunger scale?

Anyone looking to develop a healthier relationship with food—whether you’re struggling with binge eating, dieting, or emotional eating—can benefit from this scale, says Dr. Jayadeva. If you feel like your nutrition is out of whack, or if you often find yourself on the edge between hunger and fullness, using this scale can help you get back in the middle and increase your intuitive eating.

The hunger scale is not immediately recommended for people with a diagnosis eating disorderssays Van Eck. Because they’re more likely to be disconnected from their hunger and satiety signals — and even have a distorted perception of them — scales may not have the same effect. “They often don’t feel hungry, for example, until they pass out, and they feel full after eating too little, so if they used (scales) then, they would still be very malnourished,” Van Eck. says Instead, they may benefit more from eating at specific times throughout the day and working with a nutritionist and/or therapist before moving on to intuitive eating on their own, she says.

Scales are also used in weight loss counseling, adds Dr. Jayaveda. “It can help with weight loss by encouraging people to do it eat wisely and tune in to your body’s needs,” he says. “Focusing on hunger and satiety rather than strict diets can promote healthier eating habits and reduce overeating.”

You may also like it