I’ve got a
great way to remove excess body fat and become fit after 40. Eat sloooowwwly.
That’s right, slow it down.
Here is my
challenge – notice how long it takes for you to consume your meal. On average its
7 minutes.
That’s not good news since it takes roughly 20 minutes for the
stomach and brain to register fullness.
By the time your brain can process
what’s going on in your stomach, you’re onto your second or third helping.
Want to slim down -- slow down!
Scientists
have noted that people who eat more slowly, referred to as mindful eating, maintain
their optimal weight with ease because they eat when they’re hungry and stop when
they’re full.Those who eat mindlessly are more prone to weight gain.
Most
of us can figure out when we’re hungry, but stopping before you’re too full is
a whole different challenge.
Recently
I participated in a “Mindful Dinner.”
Here are my insights of eating mindfully that can help you with your weight, wellness and health goals.
The
rules were simple. You selected all of your food and beverages ahead of time,
and you spent the dinner time in complete silence. The dining room setup that
night is still a cherished and vivid memory. Candles lit the room in a warm,
red-orange hue.
At
first it was strange not to be engaging in chitchat with people around you.
Initially, we exchanged somewhat awkward smiles and then settled into enjoying
our meal. Without the usual meal time distractions – cell phones, radio, TV,
conversations – our attention was drawn to the food.
The
first thing I noticed was that I was more self-conscious about the speed with
which I eat. I am sort of fast eater. During this mindfulness dinner, I had
time to think about and savor my food, a rare exercise in culinary awareness.
Since
there was nothing else to do, I spent more time paying attention to the aromas,
texture and taste. I took smaller bites and allowed the food to sit in my mouth
for a longer period of time as my taste buds sensed spices and sweetness. As I sipped the wine, I let it roll around
my tongue, the woody flavor of the chardonnay rising to the occasion to
complement my food.
My
first revelation was that by eating more slowly, I felt full and satisfied
after having consumed a little more than half of the food on my plate. As I
looked around at the end of dinner, I found that every single person had plenty
of food still left on their plates, and yet, once we could talk after dinner,
everyone noted with astonishment how satisfied they felt.
Its
proved that mindful eating works for stress eating as well as for people who just want to learn how to control total calories through awareness of
satiety.
What
I find interesting about this approach is that instead of concentrating upon
what you’re eating, you’re paying attention to how you eat.
When
you do that, you can’t help begin to question
the quality of what you eat, resulting in a shift from the usual grab and
go fare to tastier, savory whole foods.
Want to give Mindful Eating a try?
Here are some simple ways to slow it down as you both enhance your eating enjoyment while shedding some kilos:
1.
Meditate for 10 minutes every day.
Get
into the habit of slowing down your thoughts and impulses and just “be.” Mindfulness meditation is like an exercise in mental aerobics. You’re training your mind to
tune out distractions and pay attention to your breaths, and to inner thoughts
of peacefulness.
2.
It also helps to practice yoga.
A 2009 study done by the Fred
Hutchinson Cancer
Research Center
found that those who routinely practiced yoga did indeed weigh less than even
gym-goers and walkers. Yoga practitioners are used to paying attention to every
breath, and apparently every bite, too! It pays to be mindful of every
mouthful.
3.
Make the emotion—stress-eating
connection.
Every day, journal the over-eating triggers you’re
discovering as you become more observant of your meal time and snacking habits.
You’ll find that the emotional triggers span the spectrum from sadness to
elation. Be aware that you are vulnerable and be prepared to neutralize these
impulses with mindfulness.
4.
Decrease distractions.
Turn
off the TV and radio, try not to eat while you’re sitting in front of a
computer, driving to work, rushing onto a plane or talking on the phone. Yes, I
know. Our lives are filled with all of these distractions and more. It’s silly
to think that we’re just going to drop all of these interruptions and live like
a yogi. I’m just suggesting that you tone it down some and be acutely aware of
what this kind of lifestyle is doing to your body as you mindlessly pack on extra weight.
5.
Be aware of whether you’re truly hungry
or your appetite is out of control.
Physical hunger is a
biological drive and addresses the issue of “I need food to survive.” Appetite
is a psychological drive that revolves around “I want to eat.” When they work
in harmony, you’re in luck.
For example, when you wake up in the morning
feeling good and hungry since you ate a healthy dinner before 8 pm and had
nothing to eat after that, you’re now prepared to have a savory, nourishing
breakfast. You’re truly hungry (stomach is growling) and you know what you want. It’s when appetite wanders off on its own that you
rack up extra calories.
6.
Before you eat, focus on your hunger
level.
Be aware of how it feels when you’re truly hungry and
your stomach is empty. As you begin to eat, pay attention to what your stomach
feels like as it begins to fill with food. Give yourself a hunger number and
desired fullness number you want to be at when done.
7.
Create a “speed bump”.
Divide your
food in half. When you reach the half, pause for 2 full minutes and check in
with yourself. Estimate how much, if any food you need to reach your desired fullness
level. You don’t need to measure or
count – your own body needs are the best radar for the portion control. Needless
to say it helps you rein in those calories.
8.
Savor every bite.
Take
time to be aware of the amazing sensations of smell, taste, texture and visual
presentation of the food.
9.
Bite and pause.
Take a small
bite and then simply pause. During that pause, savor your food and reflect on
how your stomach is feeling.
10.
Practice in challenging situations.
It’s
amazing how persons, places and things can hasten our eating speed. Meal time
conversations, wild music, alcohol, large plates and eating out with others can
cause us to speed up our eating. Be aware of these challenges and proactively
prepare to neutralize the impulse to eat faster by increasing your mindfulness.
11.
Reap the rewards.
Practice
Mindful Eating approach for a month. Monitor your body measurements and I’ll
guarantee you’ll see a positive change within those four weeks. For a real
win-win, you’ll also probably notice that this mindfulness is spilling into other parts of your life, from how you organize your time to relationships.
Mindfulness
is all about improving the ability to savor not only your nourishment, but
every moment of your life.
Need
help in implementing mindful eating steps. Join my mindful eating coaching to address after 40 weight gain using eating mindfully approach.
No comments:
Post a comment