Do you struggle to lose weight? You may be familiar with crazy diets that don’t work or trying to starve yourself in an effort to shed those pounds.
If none of that has worked for your weight loss, consider mindful eating. This is a method of eating that can help you with weight loss and other positive changes in life.
Mindful eating can help you live a healthier lifestyle and keep the weight off too!
What is Mindfulness?
Mindfulness means focusing your attention on the present moment. With regard to eating, mindfulness means paying attention to every bite of food.
A few years ago, I felt like life was passing me by and I wasn’t getting the most out of it. Always thinking about yesterday or stressing about tomorrow, I picked up a book called, Miracle of Mindfulness.
After reading it, I felt like I gained more time in my daily life simply by living each moment to the fullest. I still keep the book close by and read it on a regular basis as a reminder of being present in each moment.
I also learned how to enjoy and experience every bite of food instead of eating mindlessly without real awareness.
Living life with mindfulness has helped me to enjoy the little things that we typically miss when focusing on anything but the present moment.
3 Ways You Can Eat Mindfully for Weight Loss
How many times have you sat in front of the television with a bag of chips that you eat without being fully aware of every bite? Before you know it, you ate the entire bag!
That was something I did quite often. The problem was that I didn’t fully enjoy it because I was mindlessly eating the chips (or something else.)
Mindful eating can help halt those habits and help you get greater enjoyment from the foods you eat.
Here are 3 ways you can eat mindfully to lose weight and enjoy every bite!
1 – Reduce Eating on Autopilot
Have you ever felt hungry or unsatisfied after polishing off a bag of chips or pint of ice cream?
Changes on your multitasking at the same time and not too focused on what you are eating.
Instead, try eating without doing other activities at the same time like texting, television or driving. Make eating (even if its chips) a solo event and savor every bite. Pay attention to chewing and flavors and how you feel while eating it.
When I am home, I prepare a plate of food and eat it at the table. I like to make a thing of it, give thanks, and enjoy every bite. Even if I am eating just a snack, this ritual helps me to focus on enjoying my food without doing another activity at the same time.
By being present in the moment, you will have more control over your habits.
2 – Eat when Hungry and Not when Emotional
How many times do you feel upset or stressed and grab some junk food? We all do it!
When I am driving, I look around and see people eating in their car. It’s hard to practice mindful eating when you have a lot of other things to concentrate on! How can one possibly enjoy their food?
Take a breathe and make a decision to eat when you are truly hungry. Being stressed or bored is not a good reason to eat.
Here’s what I did to break the habit. When I was stressed or bored, I went outside for short walk to introduce new habits into my life. If it was later in the evening, I do a short home yoga exercise to relax and calm my mind. It really works!
You can even curl up with a good book or phone a friend!
Find something else to substitute for food when you feel bored or anxious.
Learn how to lose weight happily with the 2B Mindset program!
3 – Be Choosy about the Foods you Eat
Do you just reach in the fridge and pull out anything? Change that up by thinking carefully about what you want to eat.
Which foods might satisfy your hunger and make your body feel good?
I love pizza. In fact, I can eat several slices of it.
The bad news?
I will feel sick to my stomach and sluggish within a few hours. I know this so if I want to eat pizza, I think very carefully about how I want to feel.
I get to make that choice. I might give myself permission to eat it, accepting responsibility for I will feel later.
Or I might make a better choice to get more fulfillment out of how I might feel later.
Caving into your cravings is usually impulsive without much thought. Be mindful about what you put in your body.
Conclusion
MIndful eating can help you be in control of your body and the food you put into it. When you change your mindset, many positive things can change in your life like more daily enjoyment, stopping emotional eating and mindless snacking.
