Mastering the Hunger Scale

How often do you spoon your way to the bottom of a carton of ice cream while watching TV or plow through a bag of cookies when you're in front of the computer? Now think, how many times do you do this when you're not even hungry? Learning how to distinguish physical hunger from emotional hunger can be tough, but it's the key to avoiding overeating.

So, how do you tell the difference? You can use the Best Life Hunger Scale, a 10-point scale that gauges your hunger so you can accurately determine whether it's genuine or not.

Here's how it works: For a few days, jot down your hunger level before and after each meal and snack using the scale below as a guide. Ideally, you should eat when you're at a level 3 or 4. Try not to let yourself get to a 1 or 2; at this level, you're more likely to overdo it. You should stop eating when you reach 5. If you go into a meal in the 5 to 10 range, you're probably eating because you're bored, stressed or for some other emotional reason.

Here's a breakdown of each of the levels of the Hunger Scale:

10	Stuffed. You are so full, you feel nauseated.
9	Very uncomfortably full. You need to loosen your clothes.
8	Uncomfortably full. You feel bloated.
7	Full. You feel a little bit uncomfortable.
6	Perfectly Comfortable. You feel satisfied.
5	Comfortable. You're more or less satisfied, but could eat a little more.
4	Slightly uncomfortable. You're just beginning to feel signs of hunger.
3	Uncomfortable. Your stomach is rumbling.
2	Very uncomfortable. You feel irritable and unable to concentrate.
1	Weak and light-headed. Your stomach acid is churning.