Mindful eating
A road to weight loss ?
There is no denying the fact that an increased portion of the population is suffering from overweight and that it keeps on increasing.
Similarly, most diets are finding their limits over time: you lose weight at the beginning but then regain it all after a while. The more extreme the diet (by that I mean difficult to sustain on the long run), the faster the weight will come back.
Of course, some more balanced, and easier to sustain diets might prove more successful but it remains a daily battle for most people.
And yet we need to address the problem as it’s creating an increasing burden on society through the medical cost associated to overweight and its most common ensuing health issues.
While mindfulness is gaining ground to help us survive all kind of stressors of daily modern life, one of its subsets – mindful eating – is entering the arena as a tool to help controlling weight.
Some studies have already been done, more remains to happen to assess long term benefits, but it seems to conclude that mindful eating can help losing weight. It’s even more powerful when coupled with self-acceptance techniques.
How does mindful eating work?
Set aside 20 minutes for a normal-size meal
Take any distraction (TV, phone, book….) away
Sit in silence and notice colors, smells, textures, flavors of your food
Think about how the food came into your plate and all the human work involved
Chew and eat slowly while fully enjoying every spoonful of food you ingest.
If you want to have some more food, ask yourself first: Am I really hungry? And wait for a while.
It takes approximately 20 minutes for the stomach to signal the brain that it’s full. Remember as well that your stomach has a relatively small size.
Related to cravings for sugar, processed food, salty items or whatever it is for you, try waiting 3-5 minutes as it’s usually the time needed for the craving to subside and during that time drink water and find a distraction like reading or walking.
Most of the time, cravings are a cry for more nutrients so having the right nutrients will also reduce the cravings: it means consuming nourishing whole food (closest to nature).
Other times, cravings will have other types of triggers like emotional state, hormones, hydration…
Explore and find out what works best for you. Be a detective to get to know yourself better.
Resources
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/mindful-eating-guide#weight-loss
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/obr.12918
https://www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat/mindful-eating-may-help-with-weight-loss
