Mindful eating

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  • cee134
    cee134 Posts: 33,711 Member
    oat_bran wrote: »
    Does anyone have any tips or resources on how to eat more mindfully?

    I'm a very fast eater. I notice that at times I eat compulsively fast, almost inhaling my food. I also tend to not really think about the food I'm eating while I do that. I tried to focus on what I'm eating but my thoughts drift off constantly. And I think that this leads me to not registering that I'm full and overeating.

    As stated, eating slower will help. Also finding out what fills you up. Protein and fiber seem to work well for some people. Protein and fat for others, it depends.
  • vingogly
    vingogly Posts: 1,785 Member
    edited November 2017
    J72FIT wrote: »
    Maybe. Mindless eating IMO is a major factor in being overweight...

    Here are my reflections on this after 50 some years of fighting to lose weight - and how I believe we can keep it off. There are in my opinion three main root causes for our being fat, and here's what I've concluded are the solutions:

    Mindless eating
    1. Slow down, enjoy what you eat and eat what you enjoy. If you don't like what you're eating and wolf it down to get it over with, what's the point of eating?
    2. Don’t do other things while eating, make it a separate special time and an enjoyable one.
    3. Become aware of your satiety cues before eating, and half an hour after eating: rate your hunger on a 1-10 scale.
    4. Don't eat when you're full or satisfied, and don't let yourself become extremely hungry
    5. If you finish and want more, wait at least 20 minutes because it takes that long for your brain to get the message that you're full.

    Lack of activity
    1. It appears naturally thin people tend to fidget; they're always moving around. (see: The Fit Tend To Fidget).
    2. Obesity has apparently always been with us: people were making obese statues 30,000 years ago (See: Venus of Willendorf)
    3. In a hunter-gatherer culture, obesity had survival value when food was scarce. It no longer does so.
    4. Fidgeters (the "naturally thin") can get away with mindless snacking; non-fidgeters can't
    5. The takeaway is: If you naturally are not very active, you have to make a conscious effort to become so. (the thin fidgeter can get away with mindless snacking, you can’t).


    Emotional eating
    1. Many of us have learned to use food for self soothing when we're angry, anxious, lonely, etc.
    2. We also have beliefs surrounding food's role in our lives, some of which are counterproductive.
    3. Find other ways to have your emotional needs met - and if you think you might have an eating disorder, get professional help.
  • timtam163
    timtam163 Posts: 500 Member
    edited November 2017
    I find that this goes hand-in-hand with just listening in general, tuning into the world around me. Practice listening and being mindful and aware throughout your day and you might notice ways in which you can improve your focus and improve the quality of your time with your food (and your dining companions). This carries over into being more in tune with emotional sensations, and if you're well-practiced at tuning them out it'll be hard initially but gets easier with practice.
  • robingmurphy
    robingmurphy Posts: 349 Member
    Susan Albers "Eating Mindfully" is probably my favorite book on the topic: a.co/ixqgdr2

    "Mindful Eating Awareness" is a close second, though: a.co/fZL54Fo
  • ehloring
    ehloring Posts: 13 Member
    I define mindful eating of being conscious of what I am putting in my mouth rather than how I am eating. How I eat is my behavior. To me being mindful is planning to have good food available to eat, planning on how I will fit a piece of cake into my calorie alottment for the day. When I go to a party, I take a plate and only eat what I put on that plate- never picking or grazing from bowls. That is being mindful.
    I also have the problem about thinking I am hungry after I eat. I also try to bulk up on vegetables and even put down a layer of lettuce or fresh greens on my plate before I put the food on it. Anything to prolong the meal so my brain will get the message.

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