Forget the “clean your plate” mentality. Honoring hunger cues is a vital component of a healthy weight management program.
Babies at birth are usually very efficient at honoring their hunger cues as any young mother can attest.
What does a baby do when he is hungry? He cries.
What does he do when he is no longer hungry? He stops eating. He will usually turn his head away or use the thrust reflex (stick his tongue out) when you bring a spoon to his mouth.
As we age, we can learn how to override our hunger cues. We can eat when we are not hungry or abstain when we are.
This can make weight management more difficult.
The Hunger Scale below is an easy tool to help gauge hunger. How hungry do you feel on a scale of 1 to 10?
A “1” would be a feeling of extreme hunger– as if you haven’t eaten all day and you are starving. (Ideally, you would never let yourself get to a level “1”).
A “10” would be a feeling of extreme fullness– as if you had three plates of food for Thanksgiving dinner and you have to lie down because you ate too much. (Ideally, you would never let yourself get to a level “10” either).
Try to start eating when you feel a level “3”– a little hungry. Maybe you haven’t eaten in 4 or more hours and your stomach starts to grumble a little bit.
Try to stop eating when you feel a level “5”– no longer hungry. You don’t feel full or stuffed. You are simply no longer hungry.
If you eat regularly throughout the day, you will be eating again in a few hours anyway. So there is no need to stuff yourself.
Eat regularly throughout the day (e.g., three balanced meals OR three balanced meals with one or two small snacks).
Fill your plates with healthful foods (e.g., the FUEL plate) and let your hunger be your guide.
Your body can usually tell you how much you need to eat… you just have to listen.