Cinch
® Inspiration Tip: Hunger Management
Are you hungry? Sounds like a simple question, doesn’t it? But the honest truth is - most of us
have forgotten what it’s like to listen to our bodies and eat in response to true biological hunger.
By definition, hunger is "the painful sensation or state of weakness caused by the need for food."
It's a signal from your body that it needs food for energy. When you’re truly hungry, your stomach,
brain, or both will send signals that it’s time to eat – your stomach may growl, you may have
trouble concentrating or feel fatigued. True hunger does not go away over time - it only gets
worse. And
any food will satisfy your hunger and take your hunger signals away.
We were born with the innate ability to eat when we were hungry and stop when we were
comfortable. However, as we grow up we tend to lose that innate sense and eat in response to
our environmental triggers. We quickly learn that sometimes it’s better to eat everything on the
plate instead of struggle with mom or dad, or that we should suffer through a plate of broccoli so
we can have dessert. We learn to eat because food smells good, it’s “lunch time” or because
we’re bored. We learn to ignore our own body signals and eat whether we are truly hungry, or
not.
So do you know what your biological signals for hunger are? Is it a mild stomach growling? An
empty feeling inside, or is it something else? If you’ve forgotten what true hunger feels like, take
some time to track whether or not you’re eating in response to true hunger and stopping when
you’re comfortable. Use the following hunger/satiety chart to help assess what hunger level you
usually are when you start eating and at what level you stop eating.
10.
Thanksgiving stuffed
9.
So full it hurts
8.
Feeling quite full
7.
Starting to feel uncomfortable
6.
slightly ate too much
5.
Just right, you feel comfortable
4.
First signs it’s time to eat
3.
Strong signs that it’s time to eat
2.
Very hungry, cranky
1.
Extremely hungry, dizzy and weak
If you start eating at a “5” or higher you are most likely eating for external reasons and not
because you are biologically hungry. On the other hand if you have waited too long to eat and
you start eating at a “1” or a “2” you are probably “over hungry” which can lead to overeating. The
goal is to starting eating at a “3” or “4.”
When you’ve finished eating, use the scale again to assess at what level you usually stop eating.
If you stop at a “6” or above you are overeating. You should aim to stop eating at a “5,” when you
are feeling perfectly comfortable. At this level you have taken in the right amount of food to
nourish your body but not so much that it will be stored as fat.
