How to Use the Hunger Fullness Scale in Intuitive Eating

Years of yo-yo dieting and disordered eating can get you out of touch with internal cues, like your body's hunger and fullness signals. Learn how to use the hunger fullness scale in intuitive eating, a tool that can help you can back in touch with your food needs.

One of the lies diet culture sells is the idea that left to your own devices, you wouldn’t be able to manage eating. Without calories, points, macros, or a list of good and bad foods to keep things in check, you would just gorge yourself silly. Diet culture teaches you not to trust yourself, that you need their external rules to keep under control.

Of course, because the goal of diet culture is weight loss (usually as quickly as possible), not nourishing your body adequately, it prescribes an amount of food that is unsustainable at best, deadly at worst. Unless following the rules and prescriptions about how to eat leads to full blown anorexia (which is, needless to say, not great!), you’ll eventually break down and backlash to those rules. When you do, it’ll feel pretty out of control. That icky feeling only reinforces the need for diet rules, despite the fact that it is a totally predictable response to restriction - not a lack of willpower or you being addicted to food.

Intuitive eating teaches that you have everything you need to manage eating on your own*, we just have to build the interoceptive awareness and body trust to be able to tune in and honor those cues. And sure, there may be some situations where external advice is helpful, as human beings our species has survived for 300,000 years, the vast majority without diets, so we’re pretty good at navigating food.

One of the ways we do that is through our body’s hunger and fullness cues. Intuitive eating helps you get back in touch with those cues, often using a tool called the hunger and fullness scale. This blog post will discuss how hunger and fullness cues can help guide eating, and how to use the hunger and fullness scale in intuitive eating.

*Some people with sensory processing differences, trauma/dissociation, an eating disorder, or other medical conditions might experience significant barriers to feeling their hunger and fullness cues, especially in the traditional “stomach cues” kind of way. In these situations, having a bit of structure (like a meal plan or flexible eating schedule) can be really helpful. While the hunger and fullness scale can be adapted, I’m just briefly touching on that here, as that is a bit beyond the scope of this post. To learn more, Kevin Does ARFID, Lauren Sharifi, and RDs for Neurodiversity offer some great resources! All that to say, if the hunger and fullness scale doesn’t connect or feel helpful for you, that’s OK!

Normally this watermelon and cantaloupe caprese would not be enough food for me at a meal, but I wasn’t feeling super hungry so I didn’t bother with the store bought pasta salad I was going to have on the side. I was at a 7ish after eating, but since I knew I ate less than typical, I usually try to check in to see if I need a snack a little earlier than usual.

Understanding Hunger Fullness Cues

For all the ways diet culture tries to suppress hunger and demonizes fullness, it’s easy to forget that these cues are there for a reason - to tell you approximately when to start and stop eating so you can eat an appropriate amount of food for you. Your brain has what I like to refer to as our built in My Fitness Pal, called the hypothalamus. While My Fitness Pal is based on pretty inaccurate formulas, pretty inaccurate calorie counts, and is designed to serve as a dieting tool, your hypothalamus works to ensure you are adequately fed and at a biologically appropriate weight for you - a number that may not be what the BMI scale recommends. The hypothalamus can sense energy intake and energy stores, and regulates hunger and fullness cues in response to your needs. Just like the urge to pee means you need to urinate, a dry mouth tells you to drink water, and heavy eyes tell you to sleep (or drink a coffee 😬), hunger cues sent by your hypothalamus mean you need food.

What’s cool about hunger and fullness cues is that they can adapt to your changing energy needs. Diets make it seem like there is a very exact amount of calories that your body needs, but in reality, your metabolism changes from day to day based on a variety of factors - hormonal changes, physical activity, how much you ate, sleep, etc. Listening to hunger and fullness cues can help you appropriately respond to these changing needs.

Was feeling pretty uncomfortably hungry by the time my pizza arrived (around a 2) because it took awhile to get a table, so I ate a bit more than usual to feel satisfied. But that’s OK - it’s not overeating it’s eating enough to appropriately respon… — Was feeling pretty uncomfortably hungry by the time my pizza arrived (around a 2) because it took awhile to get a table, and we had already been slow leaving the house to get to dinner, so I ate more than usual to feel satisfied. But that’s OK - it’s not overeating, it’s eating enough to appropriately respond to my level of hunger!

How Dieting Impacts Hunger and Fullness Cues

If you’re reading this and thinking, “Rachael, what on earth are you talking about with this hunger/fullness cue nonsense,” don’t worry - you’re not alone. Dieting and disordered eating (not to mention stress, digestive conditions, and even some medications) can interfere with your connection to hunger and fullness cues. Diet culture teaches you to ignore those first signs of hunger, or trick yourself into fullness so you can put off eating as long as possible. You learn to ignore those more subtle hunger cues, and when you finally do experience hunger, it’s an extreme and uncomfortable sensation. And what happens when you start to eat when you’re ravenously hungry? You blow past that satisfaction point and end up feeling stuffed. Through repeated cycles of restriction and overeating, hunger and fullness become extreme sensations.

Had a late breakfast after camping outside of Brevard, but since we were meeting up with my parents for lunch in a little over an hour, ate this (amazing!) pimento cheese scone that got me to a 6ish on the hunger fullness scale, vs a more filling br… — This was a late breakfast I had after sleeping in on a camping trip. I was pretty hungry, but we had lunch plans in a little over an hour. So I ate this (amazing!) pimento cheese scone that got me to a 5ish on the hunger fullness scale vs a more filling breakfast sandwich. That way I was ready for lunch again rather than feeling full when I sat down to order.

Getting Back in Touch with Hunger and Fullness Cues

The good news is that you can get back in touch with hunger and fullness cues, even if it feels like they’re “broken” from dieting and disordered eating. I use the analogy of reestablishing a friendship. Imagine your hunger and fullness cues are a friend who has been calling and calling you, but you never pick up the phone. So, they decided you’re a crap friend and stopped calling. Now it’s up to you to be the one to pick up the phone and reestablish the friendship.

In this analogy, reestablishing the friendship means feeding your body adequately throughout the day. As a general guideline (not a rule), that looks like eating a satisfying meal or snack every 2-4ish hours. If you’re not sure what that might look like, a non-diet/intuitive eating dietitian can help, or check out this post I wrote on how to plan a satisfying meal and this free handout on satisfying snacks (there's more handouts on my resources page). I also have quite a bit of guidance on meal planning for satisfaction in my book Gentle Nutrition.

Leftover appetizers from hosting was a perfect snack to hold me over through my last client session, emails, then cooking dinner, taking me from about a 4 to a 6ish. Cooking dinner while watching a comfort show helps me decompress at the end of the day, but if I’m super hungry, it just feels stressful. Having an afternoon snack creates space for me to have a grounding evening meal.

Getting back in touch with your hunger and fullness cues also means building a stronger interoceptive connection (i.e. the cues that signal what’s going on inside the body, like heart rate, muscle tension, etc.). Even if at first your hunger and fullness cues feel kinda wonky, like they aren’t making sense, or even if you can’t feel them at all, the simple act of semi-regularly checking in to your body can help you discover what various levels of hunger and fullness feel like for you. With time, you can build your own language to describe and honor those needs.

One tool to help you give language to your hunger and fullness cues is the hunger and fullness scale.

The hunger fullness scale in intuitive eating is a tool that’s used to better understand and give language to the different levels of hunger and fullness so you are better able to respond to your needs. It’s a scale of 1-10, where each number correlates to a different level of hunger or fullness. Think of the pain scale you see at doctors offices and you get the point!

Below is the hunger fullness scale I use with my clients.

How to Use the Hunger Fullness Scale in Intuitive Eating Guide

To use the hunger and fullness scale, simply take a second to check in with how you feel, and pick the number on the scale that best corresponds. It’s helpful to pause and take a few seconds to slow down and breathe before checking in to help connect with your stomach cues. Keep in mind that hunger and fullness isn’t only felt in the stomach - fatigue, anxiety, shakiness, headaches, etc are all signs of hunger, and reduced interest in food or feeling non-stomach symptoms of hunger start to fade can be signs of fullness.

Different levels feel different for different people, but below are some things I frequently hear from my clients about the various numbers on the scale:

10 - binge level of fullness, so full that you feel physically sick
9 - Thanksgiving day full, uncomfortably full, food coma, feel like you have to change into sweatpants
8 - slightly uncomfortably full, how you feel leaving a good restaurant meal, slightly distended roundness/fullness to your stomach, mild discomfort in the belly
7 - satisfied but not uncomfortable, stomach feels satiated and there is a roundness to it, but it’s not physically uncomfortable, no longer thinking of food, minimal desire to eat more food
6 - filling up, but not full, stomach is no longer empty and is starting to feel more full, but you still desire food
5 - neutral, how you feel a couple hours after a satisfying meal
4 - thinking about food, snack hunger, energy levels slightly low, slight empty feeling to stomach but no pangs
3 - meal hungry, stomach feels empty but not uncomfortably so, maybe some very slight gnawing but nothing too strong, low energy, thinking a lot about food
2 - uncomfortably hungry, hangry, starting to get shaky/dizzy, slight headache, pang/significant gnawing
1 - very uncomfortable hunger, dizzy/faint, severe headache, nauseous, so hungry you’re not hungry

If you’re not sure where you fall on the hunger fullness scale, that’s OK! It can take time to build intreoceptive awareness. When I’m teaching clients how to use the hunger fullness scale, I encourage them to think of it like a multiple choice question. Rule out the options that don’t make sense, then go with your gut instinct on what remains. Remember, the goal isn’t that you are able to perfectly identify that you are at 3.47 or something like that. It’s a tool for building back the connection with your body and the goal is the practice, not the perfection of it.

Roasted chicken with peas, zucchini and rice. If you still feel hunger after eating a balanced plate (meaning containing fat, protein, carbs and fiber) like this, especially if it persists longer than 10-15 minutes, you likely just need more food! Experiment with getting another serving of what looks appealing and see if it helps the hunger go away.

Keep in mind that different people have different versions of the hunger and fullness scale, where the numbers might represent different things. Just go with what feels best for you! There’s no right or wrong with it. Also, if the numbers feel overwhelming for you, drop them and just focus on uncomfortable/comfortable hunger, and comfortable/uncomfortable fullness.

“When should I start and stop eating using the hunger fullness scale in intuitive eating?”

First, gentle reminder not to get too rigid with using the hunger and fullness scale in intuitive eating. It can help provide guidance, but there can be a tendency to use it to turn intuitive eating into a hunger and fullness diet. If you notice yourself getting stressed or using it to restrict, then it might not be a tool that’s helpful for you right now.

That said, it’s a smart idea to aim to eat when you’re at a 3 or 4. Because these are not an uncomfortable level of hunger and blood sugar isn’t too low, you can still make rational, intentional choices about food. Still, life happens and sometimes you’ll find yourself sitting down to eat at a 1 or 2. If so, your brain might be going into panic mode, so just try to take some deep breaths and remind yourself that it’s just hunger, and you have the cure in front of you.

For fullness cues, different levels are appropriate in different situations. A 7 (satisfied, but not stuffed) is often taught as being “ideal,” and it’s a good stopping point most of the time. That said, there may be times where eating till an 8 feels more appropriate, like going out to eat, or if because of your schedule, you have to go awhile before eating again. Or, you might just miss the mark and end up feeling a little overly full and that’s OK too! On holidays or special eating experiences, I am definitely eating to a 9! Just ask my husband about the time I walked back to our hotel with my pants unzipped through downtown Breckinridge after an incredible multi-course meal!

The plate in our fancy 7-course meal - a strawberry rhubarb shortcake with lemon curd and goat cheese cream! I was already solidly at a 9 and lowkey had my top button undone, but how can you turn down this gorgeous dessert??

Other times, a 6 might feel better for you, like if you know you want to save room for a big dessert, or if your stomach feels a little wonky. For example, I usually eat to a 6 at breakfast because my stomach is a bit unsettled in the morning. Sometimes it’s enough to feel comfortable until my lunch break, and other times i need to grab a quick bite to tide myself over between morning clients. If I eat to a 6, I try to check in with my hunger cues a little earlier than normal so I don’t get too hungry. I also find aiming for a 5 or 6 a helpful spot when you’re having a snack, depending on when your next meal is planned.

Remember, when using the hunger fullness scale in intuitive eating, you’re aiming for these numbers, not trying to perfectly hit them every single time. That would be impossible.

Had a really yummy meal of fish and veggies at a fancy restaurant, but I was only like a 5-6, because, you know, we need carbs. Dessert at Milkbar brought me to a 7. I ate about half because it was pretty sweet and my taste buds got sick of it. — This was dessert after a dinner I enjoyed at a conference. I had a really yummy meal of fish and veggies, which I thought would come with some sort of bread or carb. Womp womp. It didn’t and while it was delicious, I was only around a 5 or 6, so my colleagues and I visited Milkbar next door for dessert. Shout out to that cereal milk soft serve!

When to Use the Hunger Fullness Scale

Again, there’s no rules here! Sensing a pattern? That said, I’ve found for clients who are trying to reestablish cues, it can be helpful to check in throughout the day, not just when you’re eating. That way you’re likely to catch hunger at those more subtle levels when you’re not just checking in immediately before eating. Some of my clients have tried checking in at transitions (for example, students changing classes) while others have set alarms on their phone as a reminder.

Getting back in touch with fullness, it can be helpful to tune in to changing sensations while you eat. What would it be like to check in every so often during a meal and see how your hunger fullness levels have changed? Consider checking in with a bite in the beginning, middle, and end of the meal to notice how things shift for you.

When I first plated this tofu stir fry (with rice!) my eyes were bigger than my stomach, so I scooped the rest back in the pan for lunch leftovers. If you’re full and don’t have enough leftovers for a meal, you can always have it as a snack.

The Hunger Fullness Scale is a Tool, Not a Rule

I know I’ve said this already, but it bears repeating: the hunger fullness scale in intuitive eating is not a rule, but rather a tool. For some people, it can be a helpful intro into intuitive eating. For others, an early focus on hunger and fullness can feel like a diet. If that’s you, consider focusing on honoring hunger first before thinking about fullness, or focus on other principles of intuitive eating.

I hope this post has been a helpful intro for you! If you’re still feeling overwhelmed by hunger and fullness, keep in mind this is just an intro, and the hunger fullness scale is one tool in the intuitive eating toolbox. If you’re interested in learning more about hunger, fullness, and intuitive eating, we work with clients throughout the US providing intuitive eating coaching. Reach out to see if it’s a good fit for you and your needs!

This post on How to Use the Hunger Fullness Scale in Intuitive Eating was originally published Feb 2015 and has been updated to give you the best content possible.

Sources:

E. Tribole & E. Resech (2020). Intuitive Eating, 4th Edition: A Revolutionary Anti-Diet Approach. St. Martin’s Essentials.
Austin, J., & Marks, D. (2009). Hormonal regulators of appetite. International Journal of Pediatric Endocrinology/International Journal of Pediatric Endocrinology, 2009, 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1155/2009/141753
Martin, E., Dourish, C., Rotshtein, P., Spetter, & Higgs, S. (2019). Interoception and disordered eating: A systematic review. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews/Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, 107, 166–191. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.08.020

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