What does your hunger feel like? Can you identify it? Put the feeling into words?
There are a lot of reasons why we eat that don't involve true hunger. Using a hunger scale is a great way to help us figure out what our hunger feels like and identify times that we're eating when we're not hungry.
The hunger scale helps us to rate our hunger, usually with either colors or numbers. You can use the hunger scale above to identify what each of these colors feels like for you.
For example, what does it feel like when you're starving? Do you get a headache or maybe you're extra moody? How does it differ from being very hungry and so forth. Work your way through the scale until you've put words and feelings with each color.
Use the graphic below for a little extra guidance in defining your levels of hunger:
Now that you've identified your hunger, use it to determine why you're eating and what your eating pace should be.
Eating in the red and orange range? Try eating slowly. When we're overly hungry we tend to eat quickly to satisfy our hungry and often overeat. Being mindful and slowing down can help reduce the likelihood that we overeat and feel too full later!
If you notice that you're eating in the blue or purple range, you're probably eating for reasons that aren't actual hunger. Ask yourself what it is you are truly craving or find an activity to keep you busy.
There are lots of hunger scales out there so find one that works for you!