The Hunger-Satiety Scale

 

By: Izzy Vojsovicova

 

If I could choose just one thing to share with others from what I learned during my time at university while studying to become a dietitian, it would be the Hunger-Satiety Scale.

If you’ve never heard of it before, please keep on reading. I’m convinced it’s something everyone could benefit from, especially now, after the holidays, when many are struggling with weight and portion sizes. The U.S. diet industry is worth over $90 billion and continues to grow—but could something as simple as understanding and applying the Hunger-Satiety Scale profoundly impact our health?

 
 

Breaking Old Habits

We’ve all probably heard at some point that we shouldn’t leave the table before finishing our meal, as if the emptiness of the plate were magically connected to our stomach, directly indicating whether we are full or not. Or maybe we rely on calorie and food trackers to determine the "perfect" portion size, regardless of how we feel. On the flip side, we might feel guilty for eating more after finishing a plate, even if we’re not satisfied. Have we forgotten how to tune into our internal cues instead of relying solely on external ones?

Before I introduce the scale, it’s important to acknowledge that these internal cues can be disrupted. Sleep deprivation, eating disorders, illnesses, and chronic dieting can all interfere. The Hunger-Satiety Scale is a powerful tool, but its effective application requires navigating challenges like emotional eating and misinterpreting bodily signals. Professional support from dietitians or health coaches can help individuals overcome these hurdles and develop a sustainable, health-oriented mindset toward eating.

 
 

Understanding the Scale

The Hunger-Satiety Scale helps us better understand our body’s hunger and fullness cues, fostering a more intuitive approach to eating. It typically ranges from 0 to 10, where 0 represents extreme hunger and 10 indicates painful fullness, with 5 being a neutral state of comfort.

The goal isn’t to treat this scale as a strict rule but as a flexible guide for determining when and how much to eat. Over-fixation on the scale can lead to guilt, if one eats past fullness, perpetuating negative cycles associated with dieting and eating disorders.

In general, we want to avoid the extremes: 0 (starving) and 10 (painfully full). The same goes for levels 1 and 2, where intense hunger might lead to overeating, resulting in uncomfortable fullness (level 9), when our clothes start to feel tight. Ideally, we aim to stay between levels 3 and 7 in our daily lives.

Here’s a further breakdown of the scale:

  • Level 3: Just before the extreme hunger, there are feelings of so called “polite” hunger, which is the signal we should honour and start to eat to prevent unwanted feelings. 

  • Level 4 is when we first start noticing mild hunger.

  • Level 5 is a neutral state, when we don’t feel any hunger or fullness. 

  • Level 6 represents feelings which tell us that it is the ideal time to stop eating, because it usually takes our stomach around 15-25 minutes to signal our brain that we are comfortably full 

  • Level 7 is when we feel fully satisfied and comfortable.

  • Level 8 is oftentimes reached if we eat too quickly and our body doesn’t have enough time to signal fullness. We might recognize this level as feeling too full, beyond physical need of food. Taking at least 15 minutes to eat helps prevent this.

 
 

As you could notice, hunger and fullness are not just narrowly defined feelings. Both represent a wider spectrum with certain differences as we move on the scale from 1 to 10. 

Many people might have forgotten to listen to these subtle body signals and it might seem that hunger is only that feeling we recognize as stomach growling. Or that the true satiety is that feeling after consuming our holiday dinner. 

In reality, both satiety and hunger start much earlier and we can all learn how to tune into these signals again and redefine what hunger and fullness mean to us and change how we feel in our bodies.

Action Steps

I encourage you to start using the Hunger-Satiety Scale before, during, and after meals. Notice what hunger and fullness feel like to you. Explore the differences between levels 3, 4, and 5, and learn what it feels like to reach level 6 and 7. Ask yourself:

  • What does being hungry mean to me?

  • What is my relationship with hunger?

  • What emotions arise as hunger increases?

Make this practice a habit, and over time it will feel natural and perhaps even your eating experience will become more mindful. What’s more, focusing on the flavors, textures, and sensations of the food consumed fosters greater awareness and helps distinguish between true hunger and emotional triggers.

 
 

Individual Experiences

Hunger and fullness signals vary from person to person. It’s okay to go above the optimal level of fullness occasionally—life is unpredictable, and flexibility is key. Problems arise when we regularly exceed optimal fullness. A fast-paced world challenges our eating habits, but rigidity makes life more complicated. Finding balance is essential.

Conclusion

Understanding and applying the Hunger-Satiety Scale can help us align our eating habits with our body’s natural rhythms. This practice improves our overall relationship with food, prevents overconsumption, and supports a stable, healthy weight that is more resistant to fluctuation,  ultimately leading to a healthier and more balanced lifestyle in today's world. Something, I believe, we can all strive for.

 
Tips, WellnessBrendan KlattAmaranth Foodshungersatiety, scale, satiety, hunger, fullness, body signals, emotions, diet, eating disorder