How do you know when you're full?

This is an interesting article.
But the greatest challenge to any nutritional shift is, of course, changing your mind. "You should constantly check in with yourself while you're eating," advises Megrette Fletcher, a dietitian and executive director of the nonprofit Center for Mindful Eating. Fletcher uses a 20-point scale in which --10 is starving, 0 is neutral, and 10 is stuffed. "At zero, your focus becomes, How much more do I need to eat for a level of fullness that is nourishing to my whole being?" Fletcher says.
This is also another interesting scale for hunger:

1: Very hungry; starving; desperate. Your stomach is "screaming."
2: Moderately hungry; ready to eat. Your stomach is "talking."
3: Mildly hungry; beginning hunger. Your stomach is "whispering."
4: Neutral. You feel no sensations of hunger or fullness.
5: Mildly full. You feel satisfied.
6: Very full. Your stomach is beginning to feel a bit distended.
7: Much too full. Your stomach feels stuffed.

6 comments

Hi - I have just discovered your blog via Diminishing Lucy's Blog Hop and I have to say - I love it! I love that it's fresh, feminine and thoughtful! I can't wait to read more!

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Thanks for the reminder about taking pain seriously. My back does feel better today but I'll certainly be mindful in the future!

(Also, love your blog! Thrilled to add you to my daily reads!)

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Good post, this is something I do myself after hearing about it at Weight Watcher. I know when I have had enough to eat by listening to my body's natural sigh.

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Well hello all of my new friends!! Sorry it's taken a while to get back to you -- I've been in NY visiting my dad.

Andrea -- considering most people think I'm a tomboy (or an actual boy) it's absolutely delightful to have someone call me feminine :)

Dani -- I'm just always going to tell people to err on the side of caution, especially when it comes to back pain. It affects just about everything. I wouldn't want anyone to go through the pain I go through. Glad to have you on board!

Julie -- I know that i have a natural sigh... somewhere... i just never listen to it :(

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I didn't know how to listen to my body until I met Alex. He is so good at knowing when he was full - and I have been learning from him. I wonder if learning that you're full is partly a social skill we learn from others like we learn to talk and listen. I don't think that's a crazy idea.

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I definitely think there's a social learning aspect to it -- it's why after my mom died I'd eat like my brother or father.

But I need to just get back to what I know. As a baby I was a very moody eater, but at least I was sure of what I did and what I didn't want, and when I wanted it.

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