#2: Hunger/Fullness Cues

Written By Cherish Clouse

Hunger cues are something a lot of us take for granted.

What disrupts hunger cues:

  • Restriction

  • Skipping Meals

  • Dieting

  • Trauma

  • Negative Food Experiences

During infancy, babies will cue their hunger typically by crying and they stop eating when full. Babies are great intuitive eaters! In fact, we are all born intuitive eaters! Outside forces often cause doubt and barriers to those cues for a variety of reasons. Sometimes we find ourselves in the position of re-learning what hunger and fullness feel like. Below is a scale to put those feelings into words.

How to use the scale as an adult:

Mealtime routines should take about 20 minutes. If meals are shorter or longer than 20-30 minutes, we start there. In today’s world, my guess is you are eating too quickly. Using the scale below, rate hunger prior to a meal and rate fullness after the meal ends. This increases your awareness to how quickly you are eating and if you are being intentional with your intake.

1- Extremely Hungry:being so hungry that you feel dizzy, nauseous, and/or have a headache

2- Uncomfortably Hungry: having stomach pains and experiencing fatigue; “hangry”

3- Meal Hungry: being hungry with your stomach perhaps growling, not yet uncomfortable

4- Snack Hungry: feeling mild emptiness or experiencing a slight dip in energy

5- Neutral: Not really thinking about food

6- Filling Up But Not Full: no longer hungry but not yet satisfied

7- Satisfied: feeling full and satiated. Not uncomfortable

8- Slightly Uncomfortable: having a full feeling where but needing some relief like sweat pants

9- Thanksgiving Full: being uncomfortable full; “food coma”

10- Binge Full: being so full you feel ill or nauseous

This may seem silly but the more you check-in, the more self-aware and intentional you can be during mealtime routines!

Cherish Clouse MS, RDN, LD

Cherish Clouse
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#1: Cherish Your Health