Weight Loss And Mindful Eating - Still Enough To Eat

Not now? Not Zen! The moment contains all that you ever need. 

Permanent weight loss is a journey. This journey is greatly aided with the practice of mindfulness. Mindfulness is the ancient Zen practice of bringing your full awareness to whatever you are doing. Mindfulness has been shown to be effective with stabilizing the eating patterns of compulsive overeaters, and those with binge eating disorder (BED).

The key to eating mindfully is to bring your full attention to the process of eating so that you can slow down, eat less, and truly savor your food.

Eating is one of life’s most sensual pleasures. Food is meant to be savored, not gulped down while doing something else like watching TV. Most of us are not fully present when we are eating. While eating, our attention is elsewhere. We ingest hundreds of calories, and at the same time we actually miss out on the experience!

Eating takes on a whole new dimension when you bring your all your senses to the table. A mindful meal is a meal of many moments.

Let’s take a look at these moments. There's:

• the setting and ambience

• the company and conversation

• the enjoyment of a well set table

There's the food itself:

• the colors

• the textures

• the smells

• the flavors

• the temperature

There are the many sensations of eating:

• the feeling of the food in your mouth

• the sensation of chewing the food

• the sound the food makes as you chew

• the feeling of the food sliding down your throat

• the feeling of the food in your stomach

• the moment after the meal when you feel satisfied and satiated

Most of us barely even notice these things. How many times have you eaten something yet an hour later can barely remember eating it?

When we bring our full awareness to the act of eating, eating once again becomes the sensual, and truly nourishing act it was meant to be.

When you become more conscious of your eating you will find yourself truly enjoying your food. When food is truly savored, much less is eaten. A small piece of chocolate eaten slowly and mindfully can satisfy you in a way that a whole bar of chocolate gobbled mindlessly in front of a TV never can.

Before you eat ask yourself these questions:

What am I really hungry for?

Is it food or is it something else?

What would be really nourishing for me right now?

Take a moment to get still and really listen. Your body possesses an instinctual wisdom. It knows what it wants. If it is food, tell yourself, “I am choosing to eat right now.”

This tells your subconscious that you are choosing to eat, that you fully own that action. This is about owning your choices and reclaiming your power over food. Not letting food have power or control over you.

Next, ask yourself what you do you really want to eat?

Get still and take a couple of deep breaths. Approach this question with openness and curiosity. Drop your expectations. Trust that your body knows what it truly wants and needs. Let an answer come.

Is it chinese food or salad? Maybe it's a dessert. Even if you choose to eat something that you deem isn’t good for you, tell yourself, “I am choosing to eat this right now.” Own your actions. Don’t beat yourself up about it. Even if you feel like bingeing, or pigging out.

Just observe yourself and be aware that at this time you are choosing to eat without awareness. Drop your self judgements. Be loving and compassionate towards yourself. Let yourself have what you really want. You won’t always eat perfectly. No one does. You're only human.

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