Weight Loss And The Practice Of Mindful Eating

Eat mindfully and you will eat less. 

The path to permanent weight loss is paved with mindfulness. Mindful eating is the practice of bringing your full attention to what you are eating. Each mindful bite brings you one step closer to "en-liten-ment." It is best to approach mindful eating with an attitude of openness and curiosity. Try to drop your judgments and perfectionism. See this as a practice and a process; it cannot be done perfectly. View mindful eating as an exploration of your relationship with food. 

• When eating, just eat, don’t do anything else.

• Eat all meals and snacks while sitting down.

• Put all food on a plate.

• Put your utensils down between bites.

• Chew your food slowly before swallowing.

• Don’t pick up your fork until you have swallowed your last mouthful.

• Never eat when you’re upset, angry, anxious, or stressed out. Take the time to calm yourself before you eat. Go for a walk, make some tea, meditate, talk to a friend, or write out your feelings.

• Chew your food slowly; notice the texture, the temperature, the smell, the color, and the taste. Try to engage all your senses as you eat.

• Eat only until your body signals it is satisfied and satieted - you are no longer hungry.

• When you begin to think of something other than food, bring your full awareness back to the food. When thoughts come up acknowledge them, and then let them go by.

There will be times when you won’t be able to be fully there. That's life. It's ok. Don’t judge yourself. Accept this and let it go. Don’t try to do this perfectly. There's a reason it's called a practice. To start, have one meal a day where you eat in silence, becoming aware of the sensations of eating. If that is not possible try to eat mindfully at least part of every meal. With practice, you will bring more mindfulness to all your eating.

After you are done with your meal, ask yourself some questions.

How satisfying was the food? How has it made you feel physically? Are you satisfied? Did you eat too fast or too slow? Do you feel full or are you still hungry?

Has the food left you feeling sluggish or tired, or has it energized and enlivened you?

Take note of these sensations and feelings and try to learn from them. Jot them down in your food journal. After a few days of this some patterns will emerge. You will notice that some foods will improve your energy and mood and others will deplete them. Sometimes these effects won’t show up for a couple of days after eating. The more aware you become, the easier it will to make these associations.

Use this feedback and awareness to make better choices in the future. Don’t beat yourself up for making bad choices. Tell yourself next time you will do better. Self-acceptance is the key to long lasting change.

After you are through eating, let go of the meal completely. Get up from the table and become fully engaged in something else for a while, completely non-food related. This step is important!

Most people who are food obsessed will often continue munching on food. They will clean up, and keep eating while they are doing it. They might linger at the table and keep talking about food.

Let go! This is especially true if you find yourself bored after a meal. You will be tempted to keep on eating. Learn to truly move on after eating. Find something that fully engages your attention after eating. Take a brief break after your meal. Let your food digest before you clean up and do the dishes.

Anything can be a mindfulness meditation, even your chores. When you are cleaning up, or doing the dishes, use this time to bring your full attention to what you are doing. Notice all the aspects of your chore. When doing the dishes feel and notice the bubbles in the water, the temperature of the water, the surface of the plates, etc. You will enjoy your chores more when you approach them mindfully!

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