The Hunger Scale

One of the simplest and most useful tools I've found is the hunger scale. Imagine the continuum of hunger-fullness on a scale from 1-10, one being famished, ten being so full you are at imminent risk of barfing. Five is just right, neutral, not hungry, not full, comfortable. You can use your own words to associate with each number, obviously (you don't have to go with "at imminent risk of barfing," for example.).

So next time you reach for some food, take a moment to rate yourself on the hunger scale. If you are at a four or below, it's time to eat. If not, it's not. Then, while you're eating, stop every now and then to check your progress up the hunger scale. I try to stop at a five whenever possible, but I usually end up at a six, and a seven only if the food is really tasty.

This sounds very simple, but it's actually quite difficult to do for many reasons. First of all, it requires slowing down and paying attention to our bodies, which does not come naturally for most of us. Secondly, most of us eat for a million reasons besides physical hunger. We are not used to the idea that the purpose of food is simply to nourish our bodies.

Try keeping a small pad of paper with you and just writing down your hunger number when you start eating and when you stop eating every meal for a week. Don't try to change anything yet, just note it and start to be curious about it. If you do this, I am sure by the end of the week you will have a lot of information about your relationship with food. My next post will talk more about what to do with that information.