Intuitive Eating Tool: How to Use the Hunger-Fullness Guide
The hunger fullness guide is designed to help us connect with the body's natural hunger and fullness signals. The scale is ranked 1 to 10. The lower end of the scale (1-4) indicates sensations of hunger, and the higher end (6-10) represents fullness cues. In the middle of the scale (5), we experience a neutral phase where we are neither hungry nor full.
Let’s break that down a little more…
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Hunger (1 to 4)
When we initially experience hunger, we start at the higher end of the scale (around a 4). We probably notice our stomach growling, empty sensations, and hunger pangs present. From there, our hunger level will continue to "drop" on the scale, eventually getting to a one or "painfully hungry," which is the most severe hunger level. When we arrive at the more urgent level of hunger, we experience symptoms such as dizziness, shakiness, headache, loss of focus, changing mood, and nausea. This is because physiological changes happen in the body due to food deprivation. Therefore, it's crucial that we do not prolong our hunger and preferably prevent ourselves from getting to this point altogether. Honoring hunger when we initially experience it (between a 2-4) is essential in rebuilding trust with our bodies and creating an intuitive relationship with food (we will discuss this more below).
Neutral (5)
Neutrality with hunger and fullness cues between meals or snacks usually feels neither hungry nor full. However, when we eat a meal or snack, we can arrive here after experiencing hunger but before feeling fullness. This is important because as we honor hunger by choosing to eat, we also want to ensure that we are listening for fullness by reaching a point of satisfaction and contentment with our food. On the other hand, we have not honored our fullness if we stop eating because we no longer feel hungry or are at a place of neutrality. Practicing mindful eating can help us honor satisfaction.
Fullness (6 to 10)
We start experiencing fullness at the lower end of this range (around a 6). Between 7 and 8, we typically experience a level of fullness and satisfaction that feels comfortable. This is when we are likely ready to stop eating before feeling uncomfortably full (between 9-10). Just as we discussed the importance of honoring hunger above, it is equally important to honor our fullness. To do that, we need to eat enough food to reach a point of being comfortably full. We can identify fullness not only by noticing how we feel physically from food but also by whether or not the volume or types of food we eat will last us for the next 2 to 4 hours.
So, what is the importance of tuning into the body's cues? There are many benefits to being mindful of our body’s signals.
Physiological effects: When we experience extreme hunger, our blood sugar and blood pressure drop, and our bodies start signaling a decline in function. There are expected changes in our hormone and neurotransmitter production, so we are likely to experience the effects of deprivation as physical symptoms. These may include feeling tired, dizzy, shaky, moody, and nauseous. Can you recall a time when you went without eating and felt this way? Now you have a new understanding of why and maybe a new respect for how much your body does to protect you and get its needs met!
Adequate intake: Our hunger and fullness cues assist us in meeting our individualized daily energy needs. Our bodies are our best indicators of how much food we need daily, communicated through hunger and fullness. When we do not meet our energy needs, our body also sends us signals - which may be increased hunger and specific cravings, perhaps towards sweets. If we continue to nourish our bodies inadequately, our hunger cues become less reliable.
Re-establishing trust: It will be very challenging to eat intuitively if you are not trusting your body, and your body is, therefore, unable to depend on you. It is possible to lose the sense of hunger or fullness because we have not listened to or honored our body's signals. This is likely to happen when restriction with food (either intentional or not) has taken place, and we "push off" hunger. We need to re-establish that trust to regain a felt sense of our body's cues. How? By regularly feeding our bodies when we notice hunger (between 2-4) and giving ourselves time to notice fullness (between 7-8), at which time it feels natural to stop eating. By doing this, we listen to our body's cues and build trust in working/communicating in unison.
Relationship with food: The relationship we create with food is also essential to hunger and fullness. Sometimes, honoring your hunger and fullness cues will likely mean choosing foods you once felt or still feel like are "off limits." Diving deeper into these beliefs with food and creating more permission with food is necessary to honestly and adequately honor your hunger and fullness. Creating a more positive relationship with food and tuning into your body allows a deeper understanding of your food needs or desires.
So how can we attend more to our hunger and fullness cues? It starts with being more mindful and aware of them. Do you notice hunger or fullness cues throughout the day? Do they only show up for you at a particular time of day? Are you honoring them when they show up or ignoring them? Are you permitting yourself to foods that will satisfy and content you? Practicing more mindfulness while eating and throughout the day will provide more insight into how you can better meet your body's needs.
