MINDFUL EATING FOR WEIGHT LOSS
Are you eating more and enjoying it less? Are you eating at your desk or at the computer, eating quickly, eating on the go, eating to live and not really enjoying your food? When we eat this way, we tend to eat unhealthy fast food, and we tend to overeat because it takes our stomachs 20 minutes to send our brain the message that we are full.
We are all on our way to bathing suit season, and you may be looking for a way to improve your relationship with food. At MindSet Solutions our philosophy is if you want to change your body weight, you need to change your belief system instead of focusing on calorie intake. Our hypnotherapy will reprogram your sub-conscious mind to accept the principles and practice of Mindful Eating.
What is Mindful Eating?
Mindful Eating means that you are using all of your physical and emotional senses to fully enjoy the experience of eating. Mindful Eating starts from making your food choices, and encompasses the feeling the satisfaction after enjoying a delicious and nourishing meal. Mindful Eating puts you in control of your eating habits, and as your eating behavior changes, you become aware of appetite cues, the feelings of being full and satisfied. Emotional eating is reduced and you may finally lose weight.
Beginning your journey to Mindful Eating, start with your food choices. Shop with a shopping list, do not shop when you’re hungry, and consider the health benefits of every item on your list. The center aisles in food stores are loaded with processed foods, avoid those if you can and ignore the candy displays at check-out.
- Cook mindfully – Take time to notice colors, textures, the smell of the food cooking, the sound the food makes when you are chopping or while it’s cooking in the pan, and anticipate the flavors you are about to enjoy.
- Be mindful of the portions – Use a smaller plate, come to the table hungry, but not starving or ravenously hungry. If you have skipped a meal, your first thought would be to eat quickly and as much as possible instead of enjoying your food. No need to calorie count, Mindful Eating will help you to be more aware of your body signals.
- Be mindful of the process of eating – use the “good dishes”, eating nourishing is taking good care of yourself. Chew your food well, enjoy the flavors that are released with chewing. Put down your fork between bites. Eat slowly, make sure your mind is involved in the process. If you are eating with others, make sure you are still being mindful and aware, and avoid emotionally charged topics. Keep the conversation light.
- Avoid eating at your desk, or at the computer- if you are eating alone, concentrate on the present, the food you are eating, how the food looks, the smell, taste, sensation as you chew and swallow. Do not lose the feeling of being in the present moment. Eating is a nourishing experience, not a race.
Benefits of Mindful Eating
- Weight Loss: Research from Harvard Medical School showed that practicing Mindful Eating led to weight loss, decrease in binge eating, and decreased food cravings.
- Improved Nutrition: Increased awareness at the food store supports making healthier food choices resulting in nutritious meals.
- Improved Type 2 diabetes: A study from Ohio State University showed that Mindful Eating was effective in managing blood sugar levels and weight, and was equally as effective for managing Type 2 diabetes as traditional nutrition-based approaches.
- Improved digestion: It takes about 20 minutes for us to get the feeling of being full. If we eat too quickly, we often overeat before we get the message telling us to stop. Overeating can lead to digestive problems.
- Mom and Dad – this is the time to teach Mindfulness Eating to your children.
