People who struggle with weight often have difficulty identifying the difference between true physical hunger and head hunger. To lose weight, it is necessary to be aware of the differences. Sometimes this is a challenge because head hunger can be so convincing (loud) and persistent that we believe it is physical hunger. We need a strategy to be able to recognize them and respond accordingly in a healthy way. A great tool in your weight loss strategy belt is to use the chart below to rate your hunger. It will help you to identify the type of hunger you're experiencing.

Physical hunger starts to occur about two to four hours after your last meal. Symptoms include an empty or rumbling feeling in your stomach. If you ignore this signal you body sends you a stronger physical signals in the form of a headache, dizziness or lightheadedness. This type of hunger is your body's way of telling you it is time to nourish it. The physical hunger gives you true physical cues.

Head hunger occurs at any time and has no physical symptoms. You may believe they are physical cues from your body but if you pay attention, they aren't. Thinking compulsively about food, emotional situations, specific personal triggers, or food cravings may cause you to think that you are hungry when you're really not. Watching television, being bored and wanting to eat is head hunger. Grazing is head hunger. You almost feel as though you're feeding an empty hole and can't eat enough to feel satisfied.

Consider your stomach as a fuel tank. You wouldn't overfill your own vehicle's fuel tank? No! The same applies to your body too. Visualize a food gauge similar to your fuel gauge.

To help you to identify which type of hunger you're feeling and what action you should take, the Rate Your Hunger chart is helpful. Again, by using this chart regularly, consider your stomach as your fuel tank with its very own gauge.

RATE YOUR HUNGER CHART:

1: Extremely uncomfortable, feel "starving" physically, dizzy, irritable, headache.

2: Very hungry, feeling lightheaded, rumbling or empty feeling in your stomach.

3: Hungry and need to eat.

4: Signals of true hunger are starting to occur.

5: Content and satisfied, neither full or hungry sensations.

6: Knowing that you have eaten and feel satisfied.

7: You don't need to eat any more food as you feel satisfied physically.

8: Uncomfortably full, you are overly full.

9: You need to loosen your clothes because you're very uncomfortable.

10: Stuffed to the point of feeling sick (similar to the full feeling at Thanksgiving).

You can use this chart to rate your hunger. Check in with yourself every time you want to eat. Is it head hunger or true physical hunger? Listen to your body and it will tell you. As dieters, we're not used to listen to our body. Some of us don't trust our bodies. We're so used to a diet telling us what to eat and when to eat it that we've turned off the physical cues. When you're aware of your body and use the Hunger Chart, you'll get back in tune with it. You'll be able to distinguish the various levels in the chart.

On the chart, if you're at number 6 or 7, you have satiety. You're comfortable and feel physically nourished. If you're above this number on the chart you have overeaten. If you are at number 5, you are neutral, nether hungry or full. If you are at a number 4, then you are beginning to get hungry and need to consider eating soon. If you let your hunger go for a while you will start to feel the physical signs of hunger of number 3. To avoid overeating because you're overly hungry, set a goal to eat at the number 3 level. You will tend to eat too fast and eat beyond a comfortable feeling of satiety or fullness to get rid of those bad physical feelings. Pay attention and tune into your body. Begin eating when you are at a number 3. Stop eating when you are comfortably satisfied at a number 6 or, at a maximum, of a number 7.

Keep a log of your feelings of hunger using the Hunger Chart. This will assist you to become more familiar with your body's physical cues. You can identify if you are waiting too long to eat or eating beyond a comfortable, satisfied level. Also note what and how much you're eating and the hunger rating when you started eating and the level you at to and stopped.

Just as with your vehicle's fuel tank you are in charge of how much you put into it, you're in control of your own body's fuel tank too. Weight loss and maintenance will occur naturally by eating when you're truly hungry and stopping when you're satisfied.