A common complaint among people who are watching their weight is, always feeling hungry. Yet many people think they are hungry when actually, they may be feeling bored, sad, stressed, and excited or scared. It’s normal to occasionally eat when we aren’t really hungry. Some of these instances include but aren’t limited to;
– People who eat in response to feelings or emotions may have a hard time stopping, and end up overeating.
– Some people eat in response to physical cues, such as seeing an ad on television for a juicy fast-food burger or driving past a bakery and smelling freshly baked bread. This will be referred to as mindless eating. First, we must practice recognizing our own personal hunger and satiety (“I’m getting full”) signals. Secondly, we need to act on them. Most babies and toddlers just naturally eat only when they’re hungry, and stop when they’re full (not stuffed). Many people are out of touch with their body’s hunger and satiety signs, and it’s no wonder because as we mature, this ability becomes blunted—we learn to ignore it, confuse it with thirst or forget it altogether. This could be due to being told to finish your meal even though no longer hungry or being told that you shouldn’t eat because you have already eaten too much. Also, Eating disorders, disordered eating, dieting (which I loop in with disordered eating), as well as stress, certain medications, and digestive disorders, can all disrupt the connection to your body’s hunger and fullness cues.
Dealing with Emotional Eating
Here are few ways to help you manage emotional eating:
- Make a list of activities that you enjoy doing (other than eating!), such as walking, reading, gardening, etc. Keep this list handy and refer to it when you get the urge to eat.
- Call up a friend or family member who can take your mind off of eating.
- Try waiting out the urge. Give yourself 10 minutes. Then, after 10 minutes, if you really want to eat, have a small portion.
- Drink a glass of water or cup of tea. Hunger can be mistaken for thirst.
- Keep healthy snacks around, such as baby carrots, cut up fruit, nuts; rather than high-fat, high-calorie treats.
- Don’t deprive yourself. It’s not uncommon for people trying to lose weight to completely cut out all favorite foods, but then end up bingeing on them later. Allow yourself to have a treat on occasion.
- If you think your eating is due to depression, anxiety or stress, seek out help from a mental health professional.
The Hunger Scale
The Hunger Scale encourages you to pay careful attention to your body and what it is telling you. Here are some ideas about how to use the scale to help you know when to start and stop eating. Repeating these over time will help you become more tuned into and able to manage your hunger so you feel more in control of your eating habits.
0 = Empty. You’re seeing red…you can kill for food.
1 = Nearing Empty/Ravenous. Energy levels are low, and productivity is down. I may feel shaky, and I have poor concentration and mood swings.
2 = Really Hungry/over-hungry. Pit-in-the-stomach hunger and food are dominating my thoughts. I need to find some food fast, and my energy levels are dropping. I’m likely tempted to order unhealthy food at a restaurant and make poor food choices.
3 = Hungry/hunger pangs. It’s time to eat a meal, and if I wait any longer I’m going to start feeling physical symptoms that are unpleasant.
If your hunger lands from 1 – 3, eat with caution. It’s easy to overeat when you are this hungry. Carry snacks with you and plan ahead so that you don’t feel this way often. If you are from 1 – 3, it’s important to remember that bulking up our bellies with fiber is an ideal way to deal with hunger. Also, remember to slow down – it takes at least 20 minutes for the brain to get the message that you are full. So chew well and slowly, and savor every bite.
4 = Slightly Hungry. I’m beginning to think about my next meal. I can absolutely wait to eat. If I eat now, I won’t need much to fill me up.
5 = Neutral. I am neither hungry nor full. Food is not on my mind.
6 = Slightly Satisfied. There is food in my belly, but I could eat more. If I stopped now, this meal may not last me longer than two hours.
Eat slowly to allow yourself to see how full you are getting. Listen for the body signals that tell you that you are no longer hungry. Look out for the signs that you’re comfortably full and try not to reach the point of feeling stuffed. Stopping when you’re halfway through your meal to check your fullness is a good way to make sure you don’t overeat. Stop eating when you are around 5 or 6, even if that means leaving food on your plate. Stopping at a higher number or convincing yourself that you need to leave a completely clear plate means you have probably taken in more food than your body needs.
7 = Completely Satisfied. I’m no longer hungry. While it might be easy to eat more for comfort reasons or for the fact that the food tastes amazing, I feel content and satisfied and I don’t need to eat more.
8 = Full. I ate my fill and may need to loosen the belt buckle at this point. Those last three to four bites put me over the edge.
9 = Stuffed/Nearing Uncomfortable. I overate. Polishing off my whole meal was not a good idea. It’s easy to zone out and disconnect from conversation at this point, because all I can think about is how overfull my stomach feels. I may even begin to feel nauseated.
10 = Sick. Ugh, why did I eat so much? I’m feeling stuffed like a turkey at a holiday party. At this point, I may put on some baggy clothes to get comfortable and either go to sleep or you no longer feel like socializing; you’d rather be by yourself or go to bed.
Before you can accurately use the scale to tune in to your body’s hunger and fullness and eat intuitively, you first have to determine if your Hunger Scale is operating properly or if it needs to be recalibrated. If you’ve been severely restricting your calories for a while or find yourself yo-yo dieting and going through periods of binge eating, it’s tough to determine true hunger and fullness because the body is all out of whack. Those innate senses have been turned off and ignored for too long, and they need to be brought back to life before jumping into intuitive eating.
A great way to recalibrate is through eating balanced meals that include a variety of food groups (fiber-rich carbs, fats, proteins) with appropriate portions and following a pattern of eating every four hours, give or take. This helps your body get back in tune with a rhythmic pattern of eating and allows normal peaks and valleys in satiety. Until your meter has been recalibrated, it’s tough to really get a clue on hunger and fullness. If you feel nervous about doing this, it might be smart to work with a registered dietitian to help you design a meal plan that meets your “recalibration” needs.