Helpful information-Am I hungery or is it head hunger? Bob Greene's Hunger Scale

I came across this yesterday...it really helps when deciding if we have head hunger or true hunger...1-5 are helpfull for us bandsters to help tell the difference.  If we venture into 7 or higher we are risking damaging our stomach and esophagus....


This tool will help you avoid eating mindlessly. The more in touch you are with your hunger, the less you need to count calories.

First, decide how you're feeling:

10: Stuffed. You are so full you feel nauseous.

9: Very uncomfortably full. You need to loosen your clothes.

8: Uncomfortably full. You feel bloated.

7: Full. 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: Uncomfortably hungry. Your stomach is rumbling.

2: Very uncomfortable. You feel irritable and unable to concentrate.

1: Weak and light-headed. Your stomach acid is churning.

You should eat only when you're feeling 1, 2, 3 or 4.

Put your fork down at 5 or 6 and wait until the next scheduled meal or snack.

If you're trying to lose weight, stop at 5, the point at which you're eating a little less than your body is burning.

This scale is so helpful, especially if you are as disconnected from your body's signals as I am.  I haven't had my surgery yet but I took a class on weight loss and the teacher gave out little wallet cards with this information on it so that we could have it at our fingertips everywhere we went.  I come across it from time to time and it really helps reinforce the information.