The hunger scale is a chart that’s used to determine your level of hunger.
It ranges from 1-10, with 1 being “Starving” and 10 being “Painfully full”.
We recommend familiarising yourself with the hunger scale, or even saving it to your phone, and scoring your hunger when it comes to food.
The best times to check your hunger levels are when you’re thinking about getting something to eat, whilst you’re actually eating, and after you’ve finished your food.
This can help you to grow more accustomed to your body’s natural cues, and if you aim to stay within a certain range, you might be able to avoid a lot of discomfort.
As the hunger scale isn’t an official guide, it can vary somewhat, so our definitions might not fit your experiences perfectly, but they should give you a good starting point to begin tracking your hunger.
You might find it useful to note down any times that you feel particularly hungry to see if there may be a pattern.
If so, it can help you to adjust your routine to avoid discomfort and over-eating.
Using the hunger scale with Semaglutide
Although the hunger scale is most often used by people who want to follow an intuitive eating approach to food, it’s also incredibly useful for people that are getting used to taking Semaglutide for weight loss.
Because Semaglutide can suppress your appetite, you should check the hunger scale more when you’re actually eating, and take your time in finishing meals so that your body has a chance to register that you’re satisfied.
Many people continue eating past being at a comfortable stage – often to finish the food that’s on their plate to avoid wasting it.
However, when it comes to weight loss, the hunger scale can help us to determine how much food we actually need, meaning that we’re less likely to over-eat and consume more calories than we really need to stay satisfied.
You’ll probably find that whilst you’re taking Semaglutide, you may not feel as hungry (or your hunger might not be as severe as before), and you might start to feel full after small amounts of food.
This is completely normal when you’re using a GLP-1 receptor agonist for weight loss, and you should adapt to what your body is telling you, otherwise you could risk experiencing some unpleasant side effects.
What range should I be aiming for?
It’s generally recommended to stay within the range of 3-7 on the hunger scale.
If you reach 2, you’ve become too hungry and may risk over-eating as a result.
However, if you reach 8, you’ve eaten too much and are likely to be feeling uncomfortable.
Generally, we should be aiming to stay within a physically comfortable range of hunger, and checking in with the hunger scale can help us to react faster to the natural cues from our body which tell us when to start and stop eating.
At the end of the day, it’s all about getting to know your body and how much food you actually need.
You may be surprised the first time it tells you that you don’t really want a slice of cake after dinner, but it’s a message that’s worth listening to!
