Mindful Eating

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Replies

  • kkzmom11
    kkzmom11 Posts: 220 Member
    LeenaPoro wrote: »
    I've started mindful eating as well! I really enjoy the preparation: clearing the table and then setting it prettily, with a cute tablecloth and all. Some instrumental jazz playing in the background, good food and all the time to enjoy it, my cat sitting across the table (she's always hoping for scraps and is a great conversationalist)... Breakfast, lunch and dinner are small moments of bliss to me now. Perhaps I over-do the planning and preparation at times, but it's not like I have anything better to do at the moment in my life. :sunglasses:

    you should come over and do this for me. except i have a dog. LMAO
  • cindybgood
    cindybgood Posts: 7 Member
    I started "eating mindfully" about 8 months ago and have lost 10 pounds. My definition of "mindful eating" is being aware of what I am putting into my body...stopping to think about whether or not the food I am about to eat is going to provide my body with good nutritional value - or is it just empty calories. I tracked my foods for several months which gave me a good overall idea of where my calories and nutrition are coming from. I now am aware of what I am eating and make better choices - whole foods rather than processed foods, more nutrient dense foods, etc. I feel better, have more energy and don't get the "carb" cravings that I used to. Changing your eating habits for the long term will get you much further and healthier than dieting!
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    edited August 2015
    Liftng4Lis wrote: »
    I'm mindful that it all comes down to CICO.
    Pinnacle_IAO wrote: »
    Liftng4Lis wrote: »
    I'm mindful that it all comes down to CICO.
    Right, no matter what we call it, at day's end, you're either in a slight deficit or you're not.
    Mindful eating sounds cool so long as it produces results.

    Dang! This and this. :)

    smiley-face-thumbs-up-clipart-thumbs-up-clipart-65.jpg

    Patttience wrote: »
    Liftng4Lis wrote: »
    I'm mindful that it all comes down to CICO.

    This use of the word mindful is not the same as the way its used by the op. YOu use it as meaning that you are aware of something external to you. The OP uses it to mean awareness of her experience in the present moment.

    Well, that's you interpretation anyway. Mindfulness comes in many forms. I think striving for CICO takes a lot of inner work and awareness. In the end, weight management is calories in/calories out, and how mindfulness around food is practiced is individual.
  • kkzmom11
    kkzmom11 Posts: 220 Member
    for me, being mindful is that i can enjoy whatever i like, but when my body says it's had enough, that's my cue to stop eating or drinking.
  • GillianLF
    GillianLF Posts: 410 Member
    Sorry if I gave the wrong impression. I did a retreat with the monks of Plum Village but they came to Ireland and we spent time in a wonderful spiritual place called Newgrange. I really do want to get to Plum Village some day. I got a taster (no pun) of what it would be like.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    I blogged my mindful eating of a bagel.
    http://jgnatbuzz.blogspot.ca/2015/04/pleasurable-bagel.html
    I track my calories and eat slowly. Win-win!
  • joeloftus304
    joeloftus304 Posts: 1 Member
    I chose to set a weight goal and follow my food intake versus target calories. i find this has helped control my eating better than following a "diet". still eating my same foods but portion control and making better selections for sides (veggies not fries, etc) has me down 10 lbs in about a month. meticulously posting what you eat and drink and being totally honest is my key
  • Mindfullyjo
    Mindfullyjo Posts: 40 Member
    Thich Naht Hanh (Thay) is a truly wise and compassionate teacher who has made mindfulness accessible to people from all backgrounds, faiths and beliefs. How lovely to have been at the Newgrange retreat with the monastics! If Thay is a bit too 'Buddhist' (zen) for some people, then you might want to look out Jon Kabat Zinn on this video - giving a talk to the staff at Google: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nwwKbM_vJc
  • derekspiewak
    derekspiewak Posts: 31 Member
    I've done it before, and I liked it. I find that it helps a great deal if you are actually hungry before you begin eating, and not just eating because you think you should on a discursive level of thinking.

    Hunger is the greatest spice known to mankind. It can make the plainest foods taste exquisite.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    logging and keeping a diary taught me how to be mindful in my dietary habits. I haven't logged in over two years and have had no issues maintaining and now even cutting a little extra.
  • nancycola
    nancycola Posts: 98 Member
    In a search I was happy to discover this post. Sorry to be late to the conversation!
    I just wanted to add that I came across an article that had a few helpful tips to make mindful eating a bit more doable.

    - Try to eat the first 3 minutes of your meal without distraction of your computer, TV, phone, etc. This will give your brain just enough time to "register pleasure" and get you the "beginning of satiety".
    - On the fullness scale from 1-10, shoot for a 6. This is the point when you're no longer hungry and your belly is comfortably full.
    - To get to the 6, put your fork or utensil down a few times during your meal to see where you're at and whether you're still hungry.

    I've done these on and off and they've really helped. I'm posting this in case it helps others on MFP and as a reminder to myself.
    Cheers!
  • Mindfullyjo
    Mindfullyjo Posts: 40 Member
    Thank you Nancy for these useful tips and glad there are others out there practicing mindful eating.
    I'm now at my desired weight and in some ways I find it harder to maintain than to lose weight. So reminders and encouragement are essential!
  • WendyLaubach
    WendyLaubach Posts: 518 Member
    I definitely still have to count calories, though I'm getting better at instinctively judging how much I need. At the same time, mindful eating helps me be happy and satisfied with the amount I've calculated I should eat by counting calories, which is absolutely crucial to my sticking with this (four months now, and 48 lbs. lost).

    I distinguish sharply between "mindful eating" and "instinctive eating"--the latter, to me, is munching without much awareness and paying no attention to when I should stop. Someday I hope to be able to eat instinctively without overeating, but it's going to take me more time learning new habits.

    My body is quite capable of letting me take in three times as much as I need, just in case I'm going to have to fast for the next three days while trapped in a cave by a saber-tooth tiger. That's not a skill I need right now. I need to eat an amount that's not quite sufficient to get me to my next meal in a few hours. Later I can graduate to eating an amount that's "just sufficient" instead of slightly short.
  • KaruBlack
    KaruBlack Posts: 43 Member
    I am trying this right now. I did count every calorie but I learned that I was chasing the number and wasn't aware of what I ate, just how many calories. This made it so I never actually lost any weight. Now I'm trying to think about what I put in my body. The idea of sitting at the table is great. I haven't done that in years and just sit in front of the TV. I will start sitting at the table and not use my phone to watch Netflix at lunch time. I'll try this for the next two weeks. Thanks for the great suggestions!
  • ObsidianMist
    ObsidianMist Posts: 519 Member
    I've always been a naturally mindful eater, to the point that people would often make fun of me for how much attention I paid to my food with I ate it.

    that said, I still managed to put on 30 pounds. lol
  • robingmurphy
    robingmurphy Posts: 349 Member
    Mindful eating is supposed to give you the time and space in your brain to make better decisions in alignment with your long term goals around food. It doesn't mean you have to use that space that way - it's totally possible to continue to choose to overeat.
  • positivepowers
    positivepowers Posts: 902 Member
    6502programmer wrote: »
    Nance_61 wrote: »
    I pretend the voice is Alan Rickman - doesn't always help

    I can see that working most of the time...

    Metatron-Alan-Rickman-Scenes-dogma-14012386-672-304.jpg

    Sorry, the only thing I can hear Alan Rickman say is, "Yippe ki yo mudderf***er!" RIP Alan . . .

    I try to practice mindful eating, but I have to tell you that I fall back into my old (destructive) ways about 1/2 way through the meal, so I've decided, while I am perfecting mindful eating, to practice mindful preparation. That means I weigh, measure and log every bite, so that, even if I "phase out" while eating, I only eat that which I have planned.
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