One of the central reasons to why most people struggle with their weight is the modern day availability of foods. While this would not be a problem if we just ate what we needed we are actually eating more than we ever have. We have lost our connection to natural hunger patterns and we now do much of our eating in an automatic almost trance like state.
Mindfulness is a mental state achieved by focusing one’s awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations. If you apply mindfulness to eating it can be very helpful in controlling your food intake. There are 5 stages to eating mindfully –
Hunger – Pay attention to how hungry you are and ask yourself why do you want to eat?
Choosing Food – Get a balance of foods you know are healthy/fill you up yet also gives enough taste and enjoyment.
Remove Distractions – Turn the TV off as well as all electronics (these have been shown to make you eat more) and sit at a table to eat.
Savour the foods – Eat slowly, pause between mouthfuls and really look to savour and notice the tastes of food in your mouth.
Notice when Full – Attune to your physical hunger signs and stop when full leaving the rest for later.
Underpinning all of the above stages is an observing approach towards your thoughts. Take a non-judgemental attitude while allowing the thoughts to pass through your awareness.
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To help you do the above process you may find it easier to ask yourself these questions when about to eat –
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– Do I feel physically hungry?
– Do I want to eat because I am thirsty / feeling emotional or want some comfort?
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– What would I like to eat?
– What would my body want me to eat to feel great and full up?
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– Have I turned off the TV /Lap Top / Mobile Phone / Tablet / Ipod ? (Yes…all electronic devices…. #scary )
– Am I sitting at a table?
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– How does each individual food element taste?
– Am I eating at a relaxed and calm speed?
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– Am I still physically hungry?
– Do I need to eat any more or shall I save it for later?
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Try this technique and see how it affects your eating patterns.
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