How Mindfulness Helps Us Lose Weight
You know, the hardest part of losing weight isn't choosing what to eat. I mean, we all know that we should avoid a lot of fried foods and greasy snacks, that eating a lot of candy and baked goods isn't doing us any favors, and that it's important to include plenty of vegetables and fruits for optimal health.
There's really no mystery to what we should be eating. And there's no question that either stuffing ourselves or relying on a cup of coffee and half a piece of toast to replace a full, balanced meal is a bad idea.
No, the real challenge may be changing how and why we eat. Many of us don't rely on hunger cues very much (or at all). Instead, we eat because we're bored, lonely, sad, irritated, or anxious. And we don't always think while we eat. We're distracted or in a hurry.
All of this leads to mindless eating. We operate on auto pilot and don't pay attention to how we feel – physically or emotionally.
That's where mindfulness comes in. Instead of reverting to unhealthy patterns of seeking pleasure (eating that chocolate chip cookie) and avoiding pain (ignoring worries about money or bad feelings about a disagreement), we begin to notice our patterns and behaviors and take more thoughtful action.
Note: Even if you don't struggle to maintain a healthy weight, a lot of what I'm writing is applicable to dealing with clutter and compulsive shopping too! So keep reading....
The role of mindfulness
According to researchers at Brown University, the reason many of us are overweight has at least as much to do with our minds as it does with our bodies. We make choices about what to eat based on deep-seated habits and on how food makes us feel, instead of what it does to our bodies.
Everyone likes to eat food they enjoy, including those who are fit and slim. The problem arises when we have unnoticed or unresolved emotional issues that we consciously or unconsciously medicate with food.
Here's how mindfulness can help, according to Judson A. Brewer, a research psychiatrist at Brown:
- Greater self-control. Mindfulness helps build the prefrontal cortex of your brain, which enables decision-making and self-control. This is essential when you're trying to change habits.
- Mental clarity. Mindfulness lets you calm your mind and emotions so you can see and make choices more clearly.
- Reduced stress. Mindfulness makes you more resilient to stress, which may be causing overeating. Mindfulness helps soften your reaction to people or situations that usually stress you out.
Notice your cravings.
When we're mindful, we can notice our cravings instead of just acting like an addict and giving in to the sudden desire for French fries or a bowl of ice cream. This is the beginning of being able to resist them.
At first, noticing might be uncomfortable. We might feel guilty, desperate, or out of control. But we may also start to notice that the cravings come and go. According to mindfulness expert Ronald D. Siegel, assistant professor of psychology at Harvard Medical School, "Urges and cravings come in waves, and we can ride them out."
Author and habit-change coach Leo Babauta quit smoking, lost about 70 pounds (almost 32 kg), and became a runner over the course of several years. He's written about the wave-like behavior of urges and how he "surfs" them, or rides them out.
"The little-known fact about urges," he writes, "is that they typically last for 15 minutes or less. They always arise and pass away."
The reason we're vulnerable to cravings is because we either give in immediately or try to deny the urge. Instead, Babauta suggests we acknowledge and accept the desire, and ride it out. Here's his step-by-step guide:
- Notice when you have an urge. Don't try to deny it, but become mindful about it.
- Notice where the physical sensation of your urge is located in your body. Is it in your stomach, chest, mouth? Focus on that area and pay attention to what you're feeling.
- Notice whether there's an emotional sensation along with your urge. Do you feel nervous, inept, angry, or something else? Don't judge yourself; simply pay attention.
- Allow your feelings to rise and peak; then watch them subside. This is nothing to feel panic or guilt about; it's just a sensation rising and falling.
7 steps to mindful eating
Mindfulness lets you remain aware of what's happening at the present moment within your body and mind. You're observing yourself in the same way you might observe someone else or an event that's happening around you. By eating mindfully, you can become clearer about your behavior and choices.
1. Discern your eating habits.
The first step is to understand your current eating habits. For a week or ten days, keep track of when, where, and what you eat. Every bite! Until you make yourself see that fun-size candy bar or mango smoothie, you're going to keep underestimating (or denying) how many calories you take in.
Next, review your log to discern patterns. Do you stop by Starbucks every morning, or always grab a cookie after lunch? Maybe you reward yourself with a heavy meal or several drinks after a busy work week. Start to understand your food triggers.
2. Identify your emotions.
If you're eating something besides your regular healthy meals, what emotions are you feeling? Are you bored, stressed, lonely? Maybe you're feeling guilty for eating something you know isn't good for you, and your response it to eat even more. Make it a habit to pay attention to your emotions.
3. Find a substitute.
Part of overcoming old, harmful habits is replacing them with new, better behaviors. Now that you've become aware of your eating habits, triggers, the emotional needs you're trying to meet, and how you reward or punish yourself with food, consider possible replacement activities.
Of course, you can always choose healthier foods or beverages, but you might also incorporate music, massage, time in nature, a hobby, your pet, a new book, fresh flowers, a relaxing bath, or something else that satisfies you.
4. Eliminate distractions.
One reason we overeat is that we're distracted by other activities such as work, TV, checking social media, texting, even conversation. This doesn't mean you have to eat alone and in silence. But help yourself pay more attention to your food by slowing down, chewing carefully, and even putting your fork down between bites. Look at, smell, and taste your food. Consciously give thanks that you have enough.
5. Pay attention to your hunger.
If you eat until you "feel" full, you may be eating more than you need to. You don't want to just keep eating until your plate is empty or until your brain notices that your stomach is full. By removing distractions and eating more slowly and thoughtfully, you can start to notice your body's cues.
Serve yourself smaller portions, slow down, and eat until you're no longer hungry. That will probably arrive sooner than you think.
6. Drink more water.
I'm guilty of serving water with a meal and then not drinking it. But starting a meal with a glass of water helps you feel fuller with less food, and staying hydrated has been shown to improve mental focus, which lets you remain mindful and in control of your actions. And sipping on water throughout your meal slows you down and gives you time to converse or read without mindlessly ingesting more food.
7. Give thanks.
Even those of us who were taught to say grace before meals may be observing that habit perfunctorily. So when you give thanks, do it with awareness. You have enough food for good health. You aren't suffering from hunger or food insecurity. In fact, you have many delicious options.
When you become consciously grateful for the meal in front of you, you'll eat with more care, enjoyment, and satisfaction.
Practice self-acceptance.
Eating healthfully, exercising, or changing any habit is a challenge, and pretending that it isn't just makes it harder. And when you mentally berate yourself for every failing, you start feeling hopeless and horrible – which might actually push you to eat more as you desperately try to self-soothe, according to Dr. Siegel. I've certainly done this, and it's a self-defeating cycle. You spiral down (and continue eating) until you give up any possibility of change and go back to your old habits.
And you gain back any weight you may have lost, which "proves" that you're incapable and that you "deserve" to be fat and miserable.
Self-compassion is an essential part of success at changing any habit. This journey is not going to be a straight line, because no one is perfect. But how would you help someone you loved who was trying to make a change? Would you tear them down every time they made a misstep, or would you try to encourage them, remind them of how far they had come, and boost their confidence in their ability to take charge and accomplish their goals?
So why shouldn't you do that for yourself?
Be proud of a little progress. Make adjustments and keep going. Over time, mindfulness will help you get good at the skill of changing – and that's how you'll finally find success.
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