Whenever the topic of changing your eating habits comes up, it almost always leads to the discussion of weight loss. There is nothing wrong with intentional weight loss if that is something you feel is important to you and will improve your life, but is mindful eating a way to lose weight?
Short answer: No, not really.
Mindful eating is more about being present while you are eating and making choices that will improve your relationship with food. It is not a diet or a way to lose weight.
While many people do discover that the pounds start shedding once they practice
mindful eating, this shouldn’t be the main focus. If all you do is think about eating as little as possible in order to lose weight, mindful eating is not going to be effective for you.
However, there are some ways that mindful eating can help you if weight loss is something you are interested in.
You Stop Overeating
One of the more common reasons mindful eating may help you to lose weight is because you tend to eat just until satisfaction, without overeating. Mindless eating is closely tied to overeating because you’re not really paying attention to what you’re doing. You may lose track of how much you’ve eaten and eat past the point of feeling full.
When you’re mindfully eating, on the other hand, you’re more in tune with your body and know when to stop eating because you feel satisfied. This can help lead to weight loss because you’re not consuming extra calories that your body doesn’t need.
It Helps You Understand Your Cravings, Hunger, and Fullness Cues
The more mindful you are throughout the day, the more you understand your body’s signals for hunger, fullness, and even cravings. Your body is incredibly smart, and constantly telling you what you need to know. The problem is that you might not be listening.
For example, you might be so used to ignoring the hunger cues that you don’t realize you’re actually hungry until you’re so famished that all self-control goes out the window and you binge eat. On the other hand, you might not know when you’re actually full because you’re so used to eating until your plate is empty.
Learning to listen to and understand your body’s cues is an important part of mindful eating. Once you start paying attention, you might be surprised at how often you eat when you’re not actually hungry. This can help lead to weight loss because you’re not consuming excess calories.
You Make Better Food Choices
When you eat mindfully, you’re also more likely to make healthier food choices. This is because you’re paying attention to what you’re eating and how it makes you feel, both physically and emotionally.
You’re more likely to choose foods that are nourishing and satisfying, and avoid foods that are processed and unhealthy. This is not to say that you can never eat unhealthy foods again, but mindful eating can help you make better choices overall. And when you make better food choices, you’re more likely to lose weight because you’re not eating as many empty calories.
You Enjoy More Nutritious Foods
Mindful eating can also help you enjoy your food more. When you’re present and truly savoring your food, you’re more likely to be satisfied with less. This is because you’re getting more pleasure from the experience of eating.
You’re also less likely to feel deprived because you’re not focusing on what you can’t have, but rather on what you do have, meaning you’re less likely to give in to cravings.
When you enjoy your food more, you’re also more likely to make healthier choices because you don’t feel like you’re missing out. This can lead to weight loss because you’re not eating as many unhealthy foods.
It Reduces Stress
As we all know, stress is not good for our health. In fact, it can lead to weight gain in a number of ways.
For one, stress can lead to emotional eating, meaning you eat even when you’re not physically hungry. Stress can also lead to unhealthy food choices because you’re more likely to turn to comfort foods when you’re feeling stressed. And finally, stress can lead to overeating because it can interfere with your body’s ability to regulate hunger cues.
Mindful eating can help reduce stress because it allows you to focus on the present moment and be in the moment, rather than worrying about the past or future. When you’re not as stressed, you’re less likely to emotional eat, make unhealthy food choices, or overeat. This can lead to weight loss because you’re not consuming as many extra calories.
Conclusion
While mindful eating is NOT a weight loss strategy, it can be a helpful tool to use if you’re trying to lose weight. This is because it can help you make better food choices, eat less, and enjoy your food more. All of these things can lead to weight loss over time.
If you’re interested in trying mindful eating, there are a few things you can do to get started.
First, make sure you’re eating in a peaceful and relaxed environment. This means no distractions like TV or phones.
Second, take your time with your food. Chew slowly and savor each bite.
And finally, pay attention to how you’re feeling both physically and emotionally. Are you really hungry? Or are you just eating because you’re bored or stressed?
If you can start paying attention to these things, you’ll be on your way to mindful eating and hopefully, weight loss.
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