What is Mindful Eating?
Mindful eating is a way of eating that includes being aware of what, when, and how much you are eating. This will help you to eat better, lose weight, and reduce stress. The mindful weight loss guide contains all the information you need to know about mindful eating.
Mindful Eating as an Effective Method of Managing Obesity
Mindful eating is easier to implement than calorie counting and it allows for a more holistic view of the diet. It is well document that traditional ‘diets’ don’t work – at least not in the long term. I have read statistics that show that as few as 5% of people who have lost weight via a diet are able to keep the weight off long-term.
Mindful eating helps people not only lose weight but also manage their emotions, habits, and behaviours. Mindfulness can help people with weight loss, emotional regulation, and other health goals such as quitting smoking or reducing alcohol consumption.
How a Mindfulness Practice Can Help with Mindful Eating
The worldwide obesity epidemic has become a major concern for many. The current solution to this problem for most people is calorie counting, i.e., people are told to eat less and exercise more. There are also more niche diets such as limiting carbohydrate or fat consumption. However, this method does not work for everyone and can be counterproductive when one is stressed out or overworked. I personally also find that when I tell myself that I can’t have something, it only serves to make me want it even more.
A much healthier solution to the obesity epidemic is mindful eating – a tool that involves tuning into what you are eating, why you are eating it, and how it affects your body. Mindful eating has helped people in managing their weight because it encourages them to focus on their hunger cues rather than just calories in food.
How to Practice Practicing Mindful Eating Everyday
Here are a few top tips on how to practice mindful eating:
– Eat when your body tells you that it is hungry or that it needs fuel, not when your sense of time tells you that it is lunchtime or dinner time. Don’t just eat breakfast out of habit, wait to ‘break your fast’ when you are hungry.
– Remove distractions: sit at the dining table, turn the TV off and put your phone out of sight
– Before you start eating, have a glass of water and wait a while – often thirst is mistaken as hunger
– Put down your knife and fork between bites and chew slowly and intentionally, noticing the texture and flavour of each bite
– Stop eating at the very first suggestion that you are full – remember, you can always have more later