Honoring protocol vs. hunger scale


Hello! Can I have some clarification on the order of priority of honoring my protocol vs. tuning into the hunger scale? I have developed a protocol that seems to be working for me. I am eating 3 meals per day with an 13 hour overnight fast and 5 hours between meals. I am measuring my portions. I arrive at each meal thoroughly (but not overly) hungry probably around -4 to -5. I am sated with each meal, definitely not past full, but I am definitely finishing everything on my plate. My question is – as I go through this program, is sticking to my protocol the most important part? Because I assume there will be times when hunger will go past -4 especially if I shorten my eating window in the future. Also when it comes to satiety, at what point do I “fine tune” this? I feel like my focus right now is sticking to my protocol and allowing urges to eat between meals and get seconds after I have finished the portions on my protocol. Does this sound about right?