Happy Fri-yay! How are you? I hope all is well and your week has been great.
We are gonna talk about a tool today that will come in very handy in navigating your nutrition - but first, I want to make sure that you don't miss my upcoming Annual Summer Juicy Booty June Challenge!
We start Monday, and it will be 14 days of straight-up strength training with a Juicy Booty emphasis!!
If you have been struggling to get back into the swing of things, I got you!
If you want to see the fruits of your lifting, I got you!
If you want to see how simple it can be to keep your fitness game STRONG, no matter the season of life, I got you!
Sign-up here!
Now, let's pop into the scale situation.
I bet you thought I was talking about a body scale.
Nope, not today anyway!
We are talking about the hunger scale. This scale is something I help my STRONGER You clients get a grasp on and eventually master. In other words, how to tune into your body while you’re eating - learning to tap into your body’s own cues. Our bodies talk to us all the time; we just have to have the tools and skills to actually
listen!
It takes a whole lot of practice, that's for sure! Am I right?!
It takes tuning into the physical sensations, slowing down, eating undistracted - of course, when you can, ditching the dieting mindset, just to name a few.
So, I have a Hunger Scale that I thought might super helpful.
Make sure you save this scale, maybe even copy and paste it. Print it out or put it in your phone's note section and refer to it regularly.
It helps you rate (on a scale from 1-10) how you’re feeling on the hunger/fullness scale.
Most people feel best when they stick within the 3-6 range. Here’s the scale:
- You’re beyond hungry. You feel absolutely ravenous, might feel light-headed or headachey, dizzy, and your body is weak.
- Uncomfortably hungry (or “hangry”). You’re grouchy and might feel a little tired.
- You want to eat, and your stomach feels empty, and it may be growling.
- You are thinking about food and starting to feel hungry.
- You’ve eaten enough food to stop the hungry feeling, and your mood is good.
- You’re satisfied and feeling full.
- Your body is full, but your mind wants to eat more, so you take a few extra bites.
- After taking a few “extra” bites, you begin not to feel as well. You begin to regret your decision. You know you should probably stop eating.
- You keep eating, and with even more food, you feel bloated, tired, and uncomfortable.
- You still continue to eat even though you're stuffed. You might be sweating, your heart pounding, and you feel miserable.
One of the things I like about this scale is that it’s very relatable. I definitely have been everywhere on that scale at one point or another. I think we all have!
Here’s why it matters!
When you get too hungry, it sets you up to overeat, and when you overeat, you feel tired, sick, and tempted to skip meals. It can turn into a yo-yo cycle. No Bueno!
When you tune in and learn or relearn about YOUR hunger cues - dieting mentality robbed us, you'll be able to know when it's time to stop eating because you're satisfied not stuffed, what portion sizes that you need, and be in control of your food because you hold the POWER!
Finding your sweet spot is a big part of mindful eating.
It might take A LOT of practice, but it’s definitely worth it!
How hungry do you get before you eat – and how “full” do you feel before you stop? It can take some retraining to live within the 3-6 range, but it’s definitely worth the effort! :)
Have a great weekend!
In Strength
Xo
Candace
P.S. Don't forget to grab your spot for the Juicy Booty Challenge here!
Don't hesitate to reach out with any questions, comments, or feedback that you may have. I love hearing from you!
