The first step toward mindful eating

When it comes to losing weight, the best thing you can do is mind what you eat. Also known as mindful eating, this habit involves eating with simple intention to care for the body.

Does mindful eating really lead to weight loss?

Science says yes. In a study on mindfulness and eating behavior styles, researchers tested to see if mindful eating is  worth promoting as a way to stave off fat. The results were clear. Paying attention to the eating process and how food makes you feel leads to more disciplined, less emotional eating. This directly correlates to weight loss.

More and more literature is emerging to support the healthier path of mindful eating as a way to hamper all eating disorders. A preliminary study looking at 44 young adult women found that, yes, mindful eating does significantly improve not only weight, but dietary restraint and self-esteem.

In the end, what matters most is taking the first step. While it may seem like a long road that’s never paid off in the past, it’s really a matter of getting back on the horse again. Everyone tries and fails. It’s only those who give up entirely who truly fail.

What is the first step toward mindful eating?

The next time you eat, say to yourself, “I am eating, right now, to care for my mind and body.”

Then, feel the care you have for your health, your self and your life.

Pay attention to the sight, smell, texture and taste of each bite. Notice how the food makes you feel once it is in your stomach. Take another bite, aware of your intention to care for your body, and so on.

If you cannot feel that care, then you most likely have a self-sabotage issue. If you hear a voice in your mind that says, “This is stupid,” then you are sabotaging yourself.

If you feel superior to these “touchy-feely” techniques, yet still cannot eat mindfully, then you are getting in your own way.

If you can’t slow down your mind enough to eat mindfully, then you have an unconscious self-sabotage issue in which your busy mind chronically gets in the way of feeling grounded and present.

These self-sabotage issues have roots in deeper psychological attachments. In this case, you may not be able to choose mindfulness because you’re self-sabotaging on autopilot. So, you’ll need to become aware of how self-sabotage works at a deeper level so that you can put a stop to it.

You can’t solve a problem that lies outside of your awareness. To learn the roots of self-sabotage and how to stop it, watch this free and enlightening video.