 |
|||
| |||
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
| ||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||
|
Mindfulness - The Key to Avoiding Overeating
I made myself a sandwich today and thought I'd be efficient and do some work over lunch. I was brainstorming some ideas for my next article. Deep in though, the ideas came easy to me. By the middle of page two, I looked down and noticed that I was on my last bite. It was weird, like when you fall asleep and wake up feeling like you just blinked and the alarm went off. I didn't taste my sandwich at all. After cleaning up my plate, I thought, I could go for a little something sweet, maybe I'll have a piece of fruit. My body just ate lunch, but my mind missed out on the whole experience. So there's my article topic! Most of you have had an experience like this. In our hurried world, we have become excellent multitaskers. We eat while working, watching TV, reading, driving, dressing?you name it. While this seems to help with our time management, it may be one of the factors contributing the ever increasing incidence of obesity in our country. Mindfulness is a Zen term used to describe being fully aware and alive in the moment. It is the process of being aware of your sensations and thoughts without trying to judge or control them. To eat mindfully is to experience the meal with as many of your senses as you can, and be fully present in the experience. Mindful eating is not a new concept. Behavioral diet programs have suggested tips associated with it for years. You've probably heard things like chew each bite 25 times, put your fork down in between bites and eat all your meals at the table. These tips are all ways to slow down while we eat. New evidence shows that while eating slowly is important, it is also important to pay attention while you eat in order to feel fully satisfied. Normal eating is described as "eating when you are hungry, and stopping when you are full". Sounds simple enough? But this can only happen when you are fully attuned to your body's signals for hunger and satiety. Chronic dieters often lose this ability- through training (constant dieting and "willpower") they have learned to tune out physical hunger and eat only according to their current list of "shoulds" and guidelines. Even people who do have the capacity to recognize the body's physical signals, have to pay attention to it. In addition to recognizing hunger in general, it is critical to determine the difference between mind hunger and body hunger. By mind hunger, I'm referring to all of the other reasons that we eat- a stressful day, a celebration, boredom, sadness, fear of feeling an emotion? We have learned that when our body or mind is yearning for something, we give it food. It is a quick and easy fix. Maybe what we really needed was a nap, or a hug, or someone to listen or to learn how to express ourselves better. Learning to not feed mind hunger with food is a long process, this is a behavior that we learned long ago, and need to relearn other coping techniques. But just being aware is a great start. When you think you're hungry, ask yourself if food is truly what you need. As you eat, just notice how hungry you are, how your food tastes, notice that more you eat, the less enjoyment you get. As your body reaches the point of satisfaction/satiety, your food doesn't taste as good as it did on the first bite. See if you can find this point. Geneen Roth explains it best, "Eat what you want. Eat until you've had enough. Satisfaction is both emotional and physical. There's a physical point of satisfaction. It happens often that somebody is eating, and then there's one point at which your body says, 'I've had enough now, anything you put inside me is for your mind, not for me, your body.' You've got to be paying attention there, so that means you've got to be present. If you're distracted, if you're doing something else, you're going to miss that signal." To make your meals more mindful: Jonna Reynolds is the founder and CEO of Evolve Wellness Coaching. She helps clients achieve their weight loss goals by looking at all the factors that contribute to their success. Specializing in holistic weight management, behavior change and binge eating disorder, her approach combines exercise physiology, behavioral psychology, nutrition, life coaching to help clients make permanent life changes. Jonna holds national certifications in Wellness Coaching (Wellcoaches Corporation), Lifestyle and Weight Management Consulting (since 2003), Personal Trainer (since 1993), Group Exercise Instructor (since 1989) from the American Council on Exercise (ACE). Jonna received her BS degree in Health and Exercise Science from Colorado State University in 1994, and has done extensive post graduate work in Exercise Physiology, Wellness Management, Nutrition and Psychology. For more information on services or to request a speaker on this topic: (480)248-2428http://www.evolve4life.com To sign up for the free EVOLVE4LIFE Newsletter:http://www.evolve4life.com/newsletter.html
MORE RESOURCES:
Weight-Loss - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Feeling Tired? Cant Lose Weight? Tap Into Protein Power! You're always hungry right? The last thing you have time for is to plan meals ahead. Don't despair, you body was designed to be refueled continually. Losing Weight: Healthier Wallet Lose Weight - Get A Break ---------------------------------------- The American Obesity Association (AOA) wants to give new meaning to getting a deduction. Losing weight should get you a deduction. How to Lose Weight On A Gluten Free Diet Many celiacs lose weight before they are diagnosed; indeed it is often one of the reasons people go to their doctors in the first place.Once on a gluten-free diet the symptoms disappear, and as a result of better absorption or simply eating more, some people gain too much weight. Theres Still Time for Your New Years Resolution and Lowering Body Mass Index This year, we all made some of the typical New Year's resolutions. We want to quit smoking, spend more time with our kids, and drop a few pounds. Understand the Science of Obesity And Youre On Your Way To Conquer It Many people think obesity means that a person is overweight, but that's not exactly true. An overweight person has a surplus amount of weight that includes muscle, bone, fat and water. Preventing Overweight and Obesity - Are You Responsible Enough? Obesity is now assuming epidemic proportions. Worldwide there are over 1 billion overweight people and out of that more than 300 million in the obese category. Finding the RIGHT Diet Pill Hundreds of products on the market today claim to be the best weight loss product available. How can you know which one is right for you, or which ones even work?Of course, the best possible way to lose weight and get in shape is to eat right and exercise. Glycemic Index: A Magic Weight Loss Solution or a Soap Bubble Ready to Burst? Glycemic index ranks different carbohydrate foods depending on their potential to raise blood glucose levels.The ranking is on a scale from 0 to 100. The Solution to Healthy Weight Loss The overweight and obesity epidemic is a worldwide problem.There are no official statistics for spending on dietproducts, but estimates vary from $40 to $100 billion in theUS alone, much of that on scams and fad diets that promisethe impossible. Weight Loss Can Be Achieved In As Little As 5 Days By Increasing Your Metabolism One-size-fits-all diets don't work.. Why Weight Loss Products Dont Work Did you know that less than 2% of dieters lose weight and then manage to keep it off?YOU ARE NOT TO BLAME, if you've tried many different diets and weight loss products and have still been unable to lose the weight. Your dieting efforts have been condemned to failure right from the start. The RESULTS Diet! R.. The History of Tumescent Liposuction Liposuction is also referred to as lipoplasty, suction-assisted lipectomy and liposculpture. It is the most commonly performed cosmetic surgery today. Weightloss Supplements - How Weightloss Patches & Diet Pills Can Control Your Appetite All of us that have had a love-hate relationship with diets know that it is very easy to succumb to the phenomena known as the "yo-yo diet". What is the yo-yo diet, and how can we prevent ourselves from taking that path which can only end in disappointment, unhealthy weight gains and weightlosses, and damaged self esteem?Yo-yo dieting, as it has been termed, is the cycle of losing and gaining weight that seems to be so prevalent in the United States. Gaining Weight After Gastric Bypass? Bad Snacks May be the Cause As I become acquainted with many of our LivingAfterWLS.com community members I'm finding that old snacking habits have crept back in to our lives. Winning the Battle of the Bulge: Successful Strategies Let's take a look at how your attitudes and perceptions affect the results you acheive and how slight modifications can achieve mighty results.When attacking any problem, it is always best to break it into small sections that can be approached individually. 7 Tips to Help You Beat Your Sugar Habit Are you often overcome with an urge to splurge on candy, cookies, and cake - and do you then hate yourself for caving into your cravings?Do you pop by the drug store for paper goods but always leave with junk food, too? And do you feel like an incurable sugar addict with zero will power?Take heart. You can quit (or at least cut back on) both sweets and processed, "much-like-sugar carbs" such as white bread, white rice, and pasta. Water - How Important Is It In Our Daily Diet And With Weight Loss? The importance of drinking water is mentioned in almost every article on weight loss. It is a very important fact that we need to drink water whether we are dieting or not. After Gastric Bypass: Pass the Water, Hold the Ice I just read this conventional diet tip - and we've heard it before - "Burn away fat with ice cold water! Ice cold water is calorie-free and fills you up so you can eat less. Drink ice-cold water and you'll even burn a few extra calories as your body warms it up!"If you are in the phase of rapid weight loss or have lost quite a bit of weight you know exactly why gastric bypass patients don't drink ice cold water - we're already freezing - even in the heat of summer. Six Secret Tips That Can Help You Lose Weight Fast 1. Include in your diet things that contain more water like tomatoes and watermelons.
|
| Arcade Games | site map |
| © copyright NextAge Technologies Ltd @ 2006 |
