MINDFUL EATING
In an ideal world, we would all be preparing our meals each day and sitting with our families to spend time talking and enjoying our food. We would listen to our bodies to determine when we are hungry and how much we should eat to avoid overeating. If you’ve read my previous posts, you know I am fanatical about quality of food and how that plays a part in how well our bodies function. But of particular importance, especially if you’re trying to lose weight, is how much you eat and how mindful you are when eating.
The reptilian part of our brain is responsible for primal drives, including hunger. Your body releases chemicals signaling our bodies when its time to eat. Problem is, there are other factors at work. For instance, every time you eat something you find pleasurable, your body continues to crave and seek out that same feeling of pleasure. The more you “give in” to this craving and give your body that pleasurable food, the more hardwired it becomes in your brain to continually seek this pleasure-giving substance. Even though, eventually, you build a tolerance to the pleasurable effects. When you are on a “diet”, you try to ignore these signals and the result is often a feeling of being hungry and craving these pleasurable foods all the time. In essence, this is why most diets eventually fail.
I’ve created a tool to help you become a more “mindful” eater. What is mindful eating? It is not unlike anything else you do in your life that you become mindful about. When you eliminate all external distractions, truly focus on whatever it is you are doing, and feel the accurate signals your body is sending, you are being mindful. Please use this guide as a way to become more mindful about your eating and see how much better you feel, how much more energy you have, and the weight WILL come off!
MINDFUL EATING: SATIETY SCALE
0 STARVING, WILL PASS OUT IF I DON’T EAT
1
2 DEFINITELY FEEL HUNGRY IN MY STOMACH, ENERGY WAINING
3
4
5 FEELING SATISFIED, IF I EAT MORE I MAY FEEL SLUGGISH
6
7 STOMACH FEELS UNCOMFORTABLE, NOT VERY ENERGETIC
8
9
10 SO FULL I FEEL THAT I MIGHT BURST; EX. THANKSGIVING DINNER
How to Use the Scale
*Before you decide what number you are on the scale, decide if you are feeling physical or emotional “hunger”. Do you desire pleasure or are you actually in need of food?
*Only eat when you are at a “2 or less”. Stop eating when you reach a “5 or 6”.
*Pause before eating and with each bite while eating to check in with how your stomach feels
*Remember the size of your stomach (make a fist with one hand), the amount of food it can hold (make a tight “bowl” with both hands together), and how you will feel if you overfill your stomach.