Even though it’s officially, “Once I’m in the house I’m not coming out season,” we still need to keep mindful of that winter cushioning and holiday weight that can creep upon us. Here’s a tip from myfitnesspal.com that focuses on using a hunger scale to help us from overindulging this season.
EATING INTUITIVELY: HOW TO USE A HUNGER SCALE
Many of us might wish our stomachs came with a gauge to alarm us when our tank is full or near empty. Wouldn’t it be great if our body told us how many more calories we needed to consume to gain, lose and maintain our weight? It’s a bummer Mother Nature didn’t think that one through and give us this helpful visual reminder. But here’s the good news: There is a tool that can help you tune in to your hunger and fullness meter so you don’t overfill your belly or wait too long to eat between meals.
WHAT IS A HUNGER SCALE?
The ability to feel hunger and fullness is a quality that we were each born with. Babies and little kids don’t need to be told how much milk or food they need to consume to stay healthy; instead, when they are satisfied, they become disinterested in food and simply stop eating. As we mature, this ability becomes blunted—we learn to ignore it, confuse it with thirst or forget it altogether.
Luckily, we can train ourselves to tune in to our ability to feel hunger and fullness by visualizing a Hunger Scale. Imagine a meter ranging from 0–10, with zero being empty and 10 being slammed full. While everyone has their own definitions, physical experiences, and symptoms of what hunger and fullness ranges look like, for a reference point and further explanation, the ranges are described here for you.
For the full range of the scale, read more here