How Mindful Eating could help You Lose Weight for Good

The psychology of behavior change has been proven to be a key factor in long-term healthy weight loss and weight maintenance.  Scientific studies now show that successful (that is, long-term and sustainable) weight loss has more to do with creating new habits and changing our behavior, and way less to do with one specific diet or exercise “plan.”  

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) state that, “health behavior change is central in obesity management,” and that “successfully influencing individual health behaviors has never been as important as it is today” due to the “well-known effects of these behaviors in the prevention and management of various health conditions,” such as those associated with overweight and obesity (Teixeira & Marques, 2017).  This information is not intended to offend or make anyone feel badly about themselves; however, it is time to get real for a moment. Being overweight or obese is not healthy; overweight and obesity are preventable conditions which directly cause very serious illnesses, such as diabetes, heart disease, and even cancer. It’s time to break the “diet” mentality and begin making healthy behavior changes so that we don’t die prematurely of preventable, lifestyle related disease.  Besides preventing deadly diseases, creating healthy behavior changes will make you feel better in your body, give you increased energy and actually make you feel happier!

One healthy behavior change that has been proven to aid in weight loss and weight management is the practice of mindful eating.  Mindful eating is a method of slowing down and being more present in the moment in order to bring mindfulness into our decision making about food, as well as the experience of eating.  According to the Center for Mindful Eating, “Mindful eating helps us become aware of our thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations related to eating” so that we can learn to listen to our bodies’ natural fullness and hunger signals.  I like to call this your “moment of mindfulness” before eating. Instead of eating with the TV on, or scrolling through the phone, have a moment of mindfulness and be present with the food you are putting into your body.  Take a few seconds to notice how your food looks: is it visually appealing, does your plate look pretty? How does your food smell, does the scent of your meal make your mouth water? How do you feel, sitting in front of your food?  Are you truly hungry, or perhaps you are bored, or stressed, or sad? All of these questions help to slow us down and be more present with ourselves and bring a greater awareness to the food we are eating. In this way of slowing down, mindful eating can help with healthy weight loss and weight maintenance.  Because digestion is such a complicated process of hormone signals between our guts and our brains, it takes about 20 minutes for our brains to register fullness cues when we are eating. By slowing down at meal times, we are able to stop overeating once we feel we are full- and before we overeat.  

Studies show that the practice of mindful eating helps people feel more in control of their food decisions.  One randomized controlled study funded by the NIH included a test group of 150 binge eaters [individuals who self-identified as having periods of eating binges “characterized by recurrent episodes of eating large quantities of food, often very quickly and to the point of discomfort” (National Eating Disorder Association, 2018)] who were taught to utilize mindfulness-based therapy, and a control group (Mindful eating may help with weight loss, 2019).  This study found that the group taught to utilize mindfulness-based therapy reported enjoying their food more and having “less sense of struggle about controlling their eating” than the other test and control groups.

There is now scientific evidence that changing our behavior is a real solution to losing weight and living healthier lifestyles.   According to the NIH, “behavioral interventions targeting changes in diet and physical activity are the cornerstone of interventions for weight management …and seem to be effective in reducing weight and improving health” (Teixeira & Marques, 2017).  You can change your behavior surrounding food right now, with your moment of mindfulness! The next time you sit down to a meal, take a few moments to check in and be present. Slow down, and listen to your body.

About the author:

As an independent health and fitness coach, Vera has worked with over 200 individuals and several corporations to implement strategies to create sustainable health-positive behavior modifications.  Through earning a Master of Public Health degree and becoming a Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES®), Vera is uniquely prepared to help clients work towards their health goals.

Vera educates clients on all aspects of creating and maintaining healthy lifestyle behavior modifications.  As a qualified and highly educated health coach Vera is an effective agent of change, helping clients to create sustainable, lasting lifestyle modifications.

To learn more about creating lasting healthy habits that work for your life, contact Vera for a free consultation!

For more tips on creating your own mindful eating routine, head to the Center for Mindful Eating: https://thecenterformindfuleating.org/StartMindfulEating

References

Mindful eating may help with weight loss. (2019). Retrieved from https://www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat/mindful-eating-may-help-with-weight-loss

Mindful eating. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://thecenterformindfuleating.org

Teixeira, P. J., & Marques, M. M. (2017). Health Behavior Change for Obesity Management. Obesity facts, 10(6), 666–673. doi:10.1159/000484933