May 28 Weekly Challenge: Mindful Eating
themedalist
Posts: 3,218 Member
Theme: Healthy Eating
Challenge: Mindful Eating
Our challenge this week is to practice mindful eating at least one meal a day. Since mindful eating is a term that has gained popularity recently but can have lots of different connotations, let's start with a definition:
"Mindful eating involves paying full attention to the experience of eating and drinking, both inside and outside the body. We pay attention to the colors, smells, textures, flavors, temperatures, and even the sounds (crunch!) of our food. We pay attention to the experience of the body. Where in the body do we feel hunger? Where do we feel satisfaction? What does half-full feel like, or three quarters full?
We also pay attention to the mind. While avoiding judgement or criticism, we watch when the mind gets distracted, pulling away from full attention to what we are eating or drinking. We watch the impulses that arise after we've taken a few sips or bites: to grab a book, to turn on the TV, to call someone on our cell phone, or to do web search on some interesting subject. We notice the impulse and return to just eating.
We notice how eating affects our mood and how our emotions like anxiety influence our eating. Gradually we regain the sense of ease and freedom with eating that we had in childhood. It is our natural birthright.
The old habits of eating and not paying attention are not easy to change. Don't try to make drastic changes. Lasting change takes time, and is built on many small changes. We start simply."
--Jan Chozen Bays, MD, author of Mindful Eating
This week, let's focus on really paying attention when we eat. Let's notice why, when, and how we eat. Let's be fully present during mealtimes and let's get more enjoyment from our food!
Mindful eating can be one of the keys to losing weight or maintaining a weight-loss and it's also a useful technique in recovering from many eating disorders. Mindful eating is a flexible and adaptable practice. There is no right way or wrong way to eat mindfully. It's up to you. Experiment this week and see what works best for you.
This Week's Challenge: Using the guidelines in the resources below, choose at least one meal a day to focus on mindful eating. Take your time eating and enjoy the experience!
Please post any frustrations, suggestions, or questions you may have for our group. We can all learn from each other!
Make it a great week!
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Suggested Resources:
9 Simple Tricks to Eat More Mindfully — Starting Now
http://dailyburn.com/life/health/mindful-eating-tips-weight-loss/
Mindful Eating: 5 Easy Tips to Get Started
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/12/mindful-eating-tips_n_3941528.html
6 Ways to Practice Mindful Eating
https://www.mindful.org/6-ways-practice-mindful-eating/
Free Mindful Eating Resources:
https://megrette.com/free-appetizers/
Megrette Fletcher is a Registered Dietician and diabetes educator and the cofounder of The Center for Mindful Eating. She is also the author of several books on Mindful Eating. You can get a free e-book on Mindful Eating as well as access to the Center's free weekly e-newsletter, Food for Thought, from the link above.
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And since it’s Monday, let’s MOVE!
Please post your workout today on our Move It Monday thread:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10637806/move-it-monday-weekly-challenge
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Went to the grocery store and got lots of healthy foods. Love this week’s challenge. Got the dust off my bike and will add riding to my routine. Thanks Denise.2
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themedalist wrote: »
Hi
Would you please provide the source for the graphic with all of the icons with mindful eating in the center.?
I really like it.
Thanks
M.1 -
Michaela_LaGata wrote: »
Hi
Would you please provide the source for the graphic with all of the icons with mindful eating in the center.?
I really like it.
Thanks
M.
Unfortunately, I'm not sure where that image came from as it's been a year since I found that image. Normally, I try to only use images with the source embedded in the image as is the case with the second image, but here I clearly didn't do that.0 -
Hey, I'm a newbie, super excited for this week! Got my meals all planned out this week! Went to the grocery store yesterday, was able to find everything (except butter extract for a shake recipe, didn't even know that was a thing) so I'm all good! I get a lot of time alone during my lunch, so that's the best time to be reflective
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I've been maintaining my food diary for a while now, and feeling pretty good about what I'm eating and how much... But number 5 is a challenge for me! I'm constantly multi-tasking while eating. I will try to have at least one meal or snack each day and be present and mindful while "just eating" Thank you! 5
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I think the meal I'll practice mindful eating this week will be breakfast. That meal is the one that begins my day. I do intentionally make it a date with my husband, so there is conversation, but I think that is an element that is lost nowadays. I do indeed like to consider the source of my food, and since I go to the Farmenrs Market on Saturday, I know that my blueberries come from Jessica's farm in Santa Maria and that the eggs in my quiche casserole come from Mike & Sons' Egg Ranch in Ontario, the green onions come from the family that sells lots of vegetables for Asian cooking - sorry, I'm blanking on which town their farm is in.
I am so grateful that I live where fresh produce is abundant and available and that these farmers tend it and give up their weekends to bring it to my neighborhood.3 -
I've been maintaining my food diary for a while now, and feeling pretty good about what I'm eating and how much... But number 5 is a challenge for me! I'm constantly multi-tasking while eating. I will try to have at least one meal or snack each day and be present and mindful while "just eating" Thank you!
I'm with you..its hard to just focus and unplug sometimes. No radio no streaming unless soothing instrumental music.
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I think the meal I'll practice mindful eating this week will be breakfast. That meal is the one that begins my day. I do intentionally make it a date with my husband, so there is conversation, but I think that is an element that is lost nowadays. I do indeed like to consider the source of my food, and since I go to the Farmenrs Market on Saturday, I know that my blueberries come from Jessica's farm in Santa Maria and that the eggs in my quiche casserole come from Mike & Sons' Egg Ranch in Ontario, the green onions come from the family that sells lots of vegetables for Asian cooking - sorry, I'm blanking on which town their farm is in.
I am so grateful that I live where fresh produce is abundant and available and that these farmers tend it and give up their weekends to bring it to my neighborhood.
That is wonderful and how it used to be for our grandmothers.
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Hey, I'm a newbie, super excited for this week! Got my meals all planned out this week! Went to the grocery store yesterday, was able to find everything (except butter extract for a shake recipe, didn't even know that was a thing) so I'm all good! I get a lot of time alone during my lunch, so that's the best time to be reflective
Welcome to our group, @katie94p! We are happy that you’ve joined us. It’s sounds like you are well prepared for this week’s challenge.0 -
We are off to a great start this week! My mindful meal was lunch yesterday. A souped up burrito with fresh tomatoes and topped with spring mix. I really paid attention to the flavors, textures, and smells and I enjoyed the meal a lot.2
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themedalist wrote: »We are off to a great start this week! My mindful meal was lunch yesterday. A souped up burrito with fresh tomatoes and topped with spring mix. I really paid attention to the flavors, textures, and smells and I enjoyed the meal a lot.
Nicely done @themedalist!
I threw away most of the junk food my guests left. I feel free!!
All 3 of my meals were really healthy. Today I am trying eggplant Parmesan for the first time.
Mindful eating is so important. We should be able to enjoy eating just as we enjoy other things in life. Of course it is easier said than done.3 -
I love this! It's so awesome. I never really thought about mindful eating. I always thought it was just about watching what you eat and not about the experience of eating. I did a little mindful eating yesterday, and I realized as I thought about the experience of what I was eating - the texture, taste balance, sweet vs. salty - I was eating slower and not just stuffing my face cause I was hungry and the food was good. The slower I ate, the more I enjoyed the experience, the longer it lasted, and the less I ate. I read somewhere it takes your brain 15 mins to tell you that your full, and this is why people who eat fast tend to overeat. I'm definitely going to try to keep this up as much as possible.2
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@MmamabearR, I love the idea of actually appreciating the food you are eating. I'll try to do that with lunch today even it is only a peanut butter sandwich and lebne (why not - I love peanut butter, the bread is yummy, and my apricot lebne is out of this world)!
@prgirl39mfp - Eggplant Parmesan is so delicious - wish I could sell it to my family. and @themedalist , your burrito sounds amazing. I made chicken tacos over the weekend and my daughter mentioned how delicious they were with all the fresh vegetables in them.
@talers - so true about unplugging. I'll try to keep my device off at lunch today.2 -
This will be a challenge for me. I usually multi task while eating my meals and I usually stand while eating at least my lunch. This is a habit I have wanted to break so now is the time.
I am picking breakfast as my meal to focus on eating mindfully. This morning I had my breakfast outside at our picnic table. It was pleasant and enjoyable. I was entertained by a baby squirrel we call Skippy. I did eat as slowly as I could and taste each bite.3 -
I enjoyed this today as well! For lunch, I had tuna and carrots and actually noticed the crunch of the carrots and salt of the fish. I turned my phone over and put my ringer on silent so that I could really focus on it. It was actually really really good. Lol.
I had coffee out on my back porch this morning. It was really nice. I spent some time meditating and mindfully drinking my coffee.3 -
I need to not listen to news on radio only relaxing instrumental in background while eating.
I am inspired by all here. You are awesome.
I really like the Just For Today Discussion Group. As well as this one.
Just for today I am committing to mindful living in all that I do especially mindful eating and mindful physical activity and movement.
I'm also committed to Kitchen closed by 7:30 and oral hygiene by 7:30, bed by 9:30 for early rise.
I'm dictating this message on my phone while on my nice recumbent exercise bike not being very mindful about the exercise haha.4 -
This is hard since I too eat and look at my computer or tv. Picking one meal as a start is a great idea, or coffee on the porch as someone posted. Baby steps. Maybe watching something while I exercise will benefit me more and make time fly, instead of doing it while eating.
@77tes the Eggplant parm was delicious, no one else liked it
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MmamabearR wrote: »I love this! It's so awesome. I never really thought about mindful eating. I always thought it was just about watching what you eat and not about the experience of eating. I did a little mindful eating yesterday, and I realized as I thought about the experience of what I was eating - the texture, taste balance, sweet vs. salty - I was eating slower and not just stuffing my face cause I was hungry and the food was good. The slower I ate, the more I enjoyed the experience, the longer it lasted, and the less I ate. I read somewhere it takes your brain 15 mins to tell you that your full, and this is why people who eat fast tend to overeat. I'm definitely going to try to keep this up as much as possible.
Well done, @MmamabearR! Your post is precisely WHY I'd a mindful eating challenge would be helpful. Eating should be a very pleasurable experience. But when we're distracted by TV or our smartphone, we are not getting the full experience. And for some of us, that can lead to overeating.1 -
I am really enjoying your posts. I really appreciate that for most of us, mindful eating isn't easy. There's a natural inclination to multitask.
@PinkyPan1 and @HGSmith0920, having breakfast or coffee outside in the morning is a wonderful idea. I'm going to do that tomorrow morning. I have a slight fear that I will be breakfast for mosquitos if I don't keep moving, but I don't know that until I try.3 -
Michaela_LaGata wrote: »I need to not listen to news on radio only relaxing instrumental in background while eating.
I am inspired by all here. You are awesome.
I really like the Just For Today Discussion Group. As well as this one.
Just for today I am committing to mindful living in all that I do especially mindful eating and mindful physical activity and movement.
I'm also committed to Kitchen closed by 7:30 and oral hygiene by 7:30, bed by 9:30 for early rise.
I'm dictating this message on my phone while on my nice recumbent exercise bike not being very mindful about the exercise haha.
@Michaela_LaGata, wonderful concept of "Just for Today" Today is all we have. Today and its many strings of present moments is where our focus should be.2 -
Signing off to mindfully enjoy my breakfast while the office is still quiet!2
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I’ve been eating breakfast outside each morning after someone in another group mentioned they had done it & oh what a difference! Mindfully tasting each blueberry.. several times I will find myself sitting back & just pleasantly pausing, taking in the sunlit leaves, the meal before me, breathing in the fresh air... it’s my/our new routine!5
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MadisonMolly2017 wrote: »I’ve been eating breakfast outside each morning after someone in another group mentioned they had done it & oh what a difference! Mindfully tasting each blueberry.. several times I will find myself sitting back & just pleasantly pausing, taking in the sunlit leaves, the meal before me, breathing in the fresh air... it’s my/our new routine!
I love this, @MadisonMolly2017. We are such creatures of habit that unless we purposefully shake things up a bit, we will keep doing our same routines. Sometimes there’s a better routine, such as mindfully eating outdoors, just waiting to be discovered that will bring us greater happiness.3 -
@themedalist Yes, I have to say this one change (3 days now) has already become something I really look forward to. I notice how the weather & sunshine is different each time, the breezes, the temperature...
It has opened up a brand new way of thinking about my meals...and use of space. For example: breakfast outside, lunch at table in kitchen (but with fun music), snack in a tray in my cozy bedroom with my cat, and dinner perhaps we should use our dining room! Creating a variety of experiences...2 -
prgirl39mfp wrote: »This is hard since I too eat and look at my computer or tv. Picking one meal as a start is a great idea, or coffee on the porch as someone posted. Baby steps. Maybe watching something while I exercise will benefit me more and make time fly, instead of doing it while eating.
@77tes the Eggplant parm was delicious, no one else liked it
Great ideas. I often media on while I I am exercising.3 -
themedalist wrote: »I am really enjoying your posts. I really appreciate that for most of us, mindful eating isn't easy. There's a natural inclination to multitask.
@PinkyPan1 and @HGSmith0920, having breakfast or coffee outside in the morning is a wonderful idea. I'm going to do that tomorrow morning. I have a slight fear that I will be breakfast for mosquitos if I don't keep moving, but I don't know that until I try.
I try to recall and also tell our young people that are ancestors and Grands often ate mindfully... they ate organic food not calling it organic... it just was and they ate little if any junk food because it didn't exist for the most part.3 -
Michaela_LaGata wrote: »
I try to recall and also tell our young people that are ancestors and Grands often ate mindfully... they ate organic food not calling it organic... it just was and they ate little if any junk food because it didn't exist for the most part.
So true! Visiting my grandmother was about eating produce from her garden and helping can it for the winter - all delicious, and so many veggies!
I think about how back in the day that if you ate cookies, someone in the house MADE those cookies, so quantities were limited.
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This morning my DH made his special waffles for breakfast - a rare treat! They were delicious, crispy with the sweetness of maple syrup. Eaten mindfully, enjoying that he thinks about how we would like to celebrate the end of the school year.
However, a bit later I was feeling shaky and miserable and realized that my body was really not up to starting the day with all those sugars and carbs - 3 times as many as my usual breakfast. Good to know even though a bit disappointing. Healthy eating can make you a wimp with the sugars. 3
