The Hunger & Fullness Scale
The hunger-fullness scale is a practical tool that can be helpful in building and responding to your bodies internal signals. Many of the clients that I work either have problems recognising & responding to their hunger signals or experience extreme levels hunger. If this sounds like you, then this article can help you to learn more about using the hunger and fullness scale as part of your recovery journey.
Hunger can be felt and experienced in a variety of ways & differs from person to person, meaning there is no "right" or "wrong" way to feel. Contrary to what you might believe, hunger is more than just the sensation we feel when it's time to eat, in fact an empty stomach is often one of the last signs of hunger which comes on only at the point you are completely ravenous. There are many earlier signs of hunger that you may not recognise or associate with hunger.
Other signs of hunger include:
Mood changes - irritable, snappy, low
Energy - fatigued, sleep, lethargic, tired
Head - dizzy, light headed, distracted, unfocused, poor concentration, thinking about food
Stomach - rumble, empty, gnawing, gurgling, pain
Body - salivating, weak, anxious
Getting to know your hunger
When you know you are starting to feel hungry, write down all the sensations listed above that you are experiencing. Are there any others you notice?
15-20 minutes after eating write down all the sensations that are still present.
How to Use the Hunger & Fullness Scale
The hunger scale helps to identify levels of hunger typically ranging from 1 - 5 with 1 being extremely hungry & 5 being neutral. At the other end of the scale is 10 which is uncomfortably full. When we let ourselves get over hungry (i.e a 1 or 2) eating can feel chaotic and out of control. This reinforces the idea that you cannot be trusted around food, and may cause you to control and restrict what you eat.
Once you have identified the various ways that you experience hunger (mood, energy, head, stomach, body) you can personalise the scale to fit with your unique experience and start to practice using the hunger scale. Throughout the day start to tune into how your body feels by asking yourself "How hungry am I on a scale of 1-10?" Allow a number to float into your mind, trying not to overthink it.
If you have engaged in disordered eating behaviours for a while, it can be challenging to know what you feel which is why It is essential in early recovery to “eat mechanically” rather than in response to hunger as signals can be dysregulated and unreliable. You can read more about this here! You can still practice reconnecting with your hunger by eating a meal or snack every 3-4 hours, whilst checking in with the five areas where hunger can be detected 15-20 minutes before your next eating opportunity (mood, energy, head, stomach, body)
For most people eating feels best when it occurs between a 3-4 on the scale. This is not always possible as sometimes we might need to eat when we are not physically hungry, like if we had a work meeting that runs over an eating window. In these situations eating before hunger kicks in will ensure you don’t get overly hungry (closer to 9 or 10 on the scale)
When using the scale remember that it’s not about perfection or fixating on numbers, it’s about reconnecting with your body, rather than relying on external triggers or habits.
LOOKING FOR MORE SUPPORT?
If you are looking for more support in changing your behaviours around calories, get in touch to find out more about my one-on-one coaching and how I can help you to find food freedom and embrace living a rich and meaningful life.
Love Harriett