Struggling to listen to your hunger and fullness? Read this
You know how when you need to pee, you just know? Your body sends you clear signals, right? Well, just like we have clear signals from our bladder that we need to pee, we also have signals about how hungry or full we feel.
The bummer is that various things in our modern world encourage us to lose touch with these innate appetite cues, and instead we end up focusing on external rules about when, what and how much to eat – like busy work schedules, diets, intermittent fasting, detox plans and loads more. Sadly, this often leads to a disconnection with, and distrust of, our own body’s natural appetite cues.
The awesome news though, is that you already have aaall the knowledge and skills you need within you to help guide when, what and how much to eat. One of these is your hunger and fullness cues.
The four tools below will help build your self awareness, confidence and skills in not only noticing, but also listening to, your hunger and fullness.
(Important note: Of course, the idea of listening to these cues isn’t to become a slave to them. Only allowing food when hungry or being on high alert to avoid feeling overfull at all costs are just more food rules. Rather, these are supportive tools that can be used to increase the awareness and trust you have in the messages that are coming from your body.)
1. Your hunger and fullness sensations
First, let’s explore how your body tells you that you’re hungry and full. Next time you’re hungry, get a piece of paper and write down what hunger feels like to you (or right it in your phone, I don’t mind). Hunger feels different for everybody, but some common experiences of it include:.
Pangs felt in your belly
Growling or rumbling in your belly
An empty or hollow feeling
Feeling slightly queasy
Light-headedness
A slight headache
Shakiness
Feeling fatigued – mentally and/or physically
Difficulty concentrating
Difficulty making decisions
Feeling irritable or cranky
Feeling panicked
Feeling like you must eat ASAP
Then, find a time when you’re full and write down what that feels like.
Finally, find a time when you feel neither hungry or full and write down what that feels like.
If you’re struggling a bit with this, here’s a helpful mindfulness scan to help you focus your attention.
Sit somewhere quiet and away from interruptions. Focus your awareness on your brain. Then your mouth and tongue. Next your throat and neck. Then your chest. And finally your belly area.
As you work your way down, can you detect any signals that your body is giving you about hunger or fullness? Does anywhere feel tense, empty, heavy or dry? Is your stomach growling or moving? Do you feel nauseous or settled?
Broadening your awareness to your whole body, can you notice any other sensations?
Do you feel fatigued, nervous or panicky?
If you notice any emotions emerge, acknowledge them then try to put them aside and bring your focus back to physical sensations.
Now that you’ve become aware of your body cues, can you tell in this moment if you’re hungry, full or neither?
2. Your hunger and fullness levels
Now that you’re familiar with what hunger and fullness feel like for you, this gauge is helpful in bringing awareness to the levels of hunger and fullness that you may experience. Consciously notice your hunger and fullness levels for a few days and observe your hunger using the gauge before and after each time you eat; as well as at random times throughout the day. Again, write down your observations.
3. Can you notice any patterns?
Many people notice patterns around their hunger and fullness. Here are some questions to consider. Get a piece of paper (or use your phone) and write down your answers. Remember. the idea here is to keep exploring and increasing your awareness around your hunger and fullness, not to judge or criticise your actions surrounding your experiences of them.
Do you get hungry at the same time(s) most days? What time(s)?
Do you feel more / less hungry on certain days of the week? What days?
Do you feel more / less hungry when certain things are going on in your external world? (E.g. work deadlines, an argument with a partner, social media use, being at a social event like a party or family dinner). If so, what are they?
Do you feel more / less hungry when certain things are going on in your internal world? I.e. your thoughts (e.g. “I’m a failure” or “I’m so excited”), feelings (e.g. stress, nervousness, worry, loneliness, sadness, excitement, contentment, happiness) and bodily sensations (e.g. butterflies in your tummy, tense muscles, racing heart, heavy eyes). If so, what are they?
Do you often get to a high level of hunger before eating? Are there certain circumstances where this tends to happen?
Do you often experience a high levels fullness? Are there certain circumstances where this tends to happen?
Does your menstrual cycle have an impact on your hunger and / or fullness levels? If so, what stages of your cycle?
Does sleep or fatigue have an impact on your hunger and / or fullness levels?
4. Eating with your hunger and fullness
Now that you’ve identified your hunger and fullness cues, let’s practice listening to them. The aim of this exercise is to increase your confidence in feeling your hunger and fullness, and responding to them (not to judge or control your appetite). Please also remember the idea isn’t to only ever eat when you’re hungry and always stop eating when you’re full – again, it’s to become more confident in honouring your hunger and fullness. If you don’t feel hungry until 11am, that’s okay. If you feel hungry frequently, that’s okay. If you eat beyond fullness, that’s okay. Whatever the case is with your hunger and fullness, that’s okay.
Put aside a couple of days when you can purely honour your hunger when it strikes. Try to have a variety of foods available to you.
When you get hungry, eat something. Also think about your level of hunger. If you’re very hungry, eating a full meal would likely be more suitable for example. If you’re slightly hungry, you may prefer to have a snack.
Whatever you eat will also be more satisfying if you actually feel like it – tune in to your taste preferences and desires.
Once you’ve eaten, note your level of fullness. Keep going your about day until hunger appears again, then eat something again.
Jot down your experiences and observations. See what thoughts, feelings or behaviours occurred. Do these offer any further insights?
So, there you have it lovely ones. Some practical tips to help you tune into your hunger and fullness more. Use these on a regular basis and let this internal knowledge guide your eating, rather than external rules like the time of the day or diet plans. If you’d like further guidance on this, or anything else relating to food or nutrition, please email me here or book a free 15 minute call with me here.