Have you ever heard THIS come out of your mouth, “I’m so busy I forgot to eat all day!” Yes, you got up and grabbed maybe a coffee on your way to work and then at noon you went out and grabbed some lunch. Then you got busy at work or with the kids at home and forgot to eat. You threw together a quick dinner and barely ate because you had to get the laundry done and get the kids to bed.
It happens….and it happens whether you are married, single, have kids or don’t have kids. You get caught up in your busy day and you don’t really ‘think’ about eating. Planning your meals ahead of time helps and using a food log is also powerful. With a food log you write down what you eat during the day, when you ate it and the basic portions you took in at that meal.
Then there is the flip side where you eat all day and just shovel in food whenever you get the itch. Many people eat when they really aren’t hungry. You eat out of boredom, stress, not paying attention. Have you ever finished a whole bag of chips by yourself while watching a movie? You go to reach for another chip and they are all gone? Opps! Check out the calorie count on a small bag of Doritos…ouch. That’s enough calories for one whole meal. You could have made healthier choices and actually eaten more food than that 1 bag of chips.
I came across a great article about this topic of Mindful Eating and thought I would share it with you. These tips are from Susan Albers, PsyD, author of Eat, Drink, and Be Mindful. She uses the following exercises or ‘tips’ with her clients to help them develop minidful eating:
1. As you eat, pay close attention to all your senses. Use your tongue to feel the texture of the food. Gauge its temperature. Take a whiff of the aroma. Ask yourself, “How does this really taste? Is this something I really want? Does it satisfy my taste buds?”
2. Change how you eat; slow down and bring the meal to life. For example, use chopsticks, eat in a new location or include new foods in your diet. Put down your fork intentionally at least three times during a meal to give yourself a moment to pause.
3. When you eat, just eat. It’s tempting to eat as you work, talk on the phone or answer e-mail. Try turning off the TV while you eat and avoiding other distractions to keep you focused on your food. Even if it is just for a few moments, put down whatever you’re doing and foucs on your snack.
4. Get to know your hunger. Pay attention to the cues your body is sending. How does it let you know you are hungry? With a rumbling stomach? Or low energy? Before you take a bite, ask yourself, “How hungry am I on a scale of 1-10?”
5. When you have the urge to eat, ask yourself if you are physically or emotionally hungry. If you are emotionally hungry, set a timer for 2 minutes and find an activity to distract you, or another way to soothe yourself. At the end of the 2 minutes, ask yourself again. This will help you slow down the rush to eat in order to fix your feelings.
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I hope that was helpful…..now get out there and eat “mindfully”, if you don’t mind:)
Take care, DAWN
