Goodbye Sugar Day 6: The Hunger Scale
When you tummy growls, there are a few factors to think about. When I originally lost all of my weight, I neglected to eat enough calories to make my body happy. My first objective to start eating enough calories like a normal human was met last year (woohoo!) but a new hurdle rose after that. I’m talking about the hunger scale. What I get hung up on now and have been working on correcting is my quickness to eat the moment I felt hungry. Now, I try to follow the level on the hunger scale when I start to feel hungry.
Level 1: Starving
Feeling dizzy and like you are about to pass the fuck out means you are on level one of the hunger scale. If you are on this level, OBVIOUSLY EAT SOMETHING! Trying to shred weight doesn’t mean feeling light headed and not being able to live a life worth living. So eat if you are at this point!
Level 2: Tummy Rumblies
When your tummy starts to growl heavily, that’s a key sign it’s time for food! I try to make sure my tummy has been at it a hot minute before I start to eat now. I usually get this feeling right after I get done with work because I know dinner time is approaching. Don’t ignore your body, it wants food! If you get too far into this level, the odds of over eating when you finally decide to eat rises. Eat when you’re hungry!
Level 3: Feeling A Little Empty
While at work, I get this feeling a lot. I think this level of hunger comes from not having enough water, being bored, or right before another meal. It’s okay to be in this area for a bit until it’s meal time. However, if this feeling happens to me while I’m bored at my desk, I will ignore the feeling until it’s lunch time. This level requires discretion and is where a lot of people mess up because it’s more cloudy and hard to judge at this level. This is the spot where I go eat everything in the house when alone because I think I can have a little something which then turns into a lot of something. If you feel a little empty, it’s okay to have a small snack but don’t use up all of your daily allotted food during this time.
Level 4: Content
You don’t need to eat when you are content. If you are bored be very careful of this level. Sometimes I go and get a snack when I feel perfectly fine because I’m bored. Are you part of the clean plate club? My mom always used to say I have to finish everything on my plate before dinner was over. Now I only put as much food as I feel like I can finish on my plate. But, in the case there is still too much food there and I’m to the point of contentment, I have been having myself put away my food for later.
Level 5: Stuffed
I hate this level the most. The feeling you get after you eat a jar of peanut butter, bag of chips, half a gallon of ice cream and all of your leftovers from dinner. This feeling is not only uncomfortable in your body but also your mind. You feel regret, ashamed, and like a monster. This spot is the one I am working on avoiding at all cost. I haven’t gotten here since I started but I am scared of what will happen if I do. I hate the feeling, so hopefully I can learn to avoid ever having to go back to this level.












