Mindful Eating is Easy – Day Three
It is now day three of my attempt to eat mindfully and so far it has gone well. I am definitely eating a lot less than usual. According to the weighing scales I’ve already lost 1kg; although I suspect that this is not entirely accurate. The one thing for sure is that eating mindfully does mean that I’m ingesting far fewer calories. Best of all it doesn’t even feel like I’m putting in that much effort. So at the moment mindful eating seems easy, but only time will tell if it remains this way.
Villenave-d’Ornon Mindful Eating Is Not About Deprivation
The most surprising thing is that mindful eating does not feel like a diet or other weight loss program. I’m not depriving myself of anything; if I’m hungry I eat and if I fancy a certain type of food I don’t deny myself. All that is happening is that now instead of automatically going to the fridge out of habit I just question myself about my hunger levels. Once I realize that I’m not hungry the urge to eat disappears.
The power of mindfulness to work in this way should be nothing new to me; I once experienced the exact same with alcohol cravings. At times I was able to control my addictive urges by just observing the craving; once it was examined it disappeared. This technique wasn’t able to completely cure my addition because it was impossible to stay mindful for long periods; you can’t be mindful while drunk or in withdrawals. With food though I’m able to stay mindful most of the time; just acknowledging that I’m not actually hungry makes the craving disappear.
I Haven’t Tasted Anything in Ages
The other part of my mindful eating attempt is to actually concentrate on the food that I’m ingesting. This means appreciating the taste, smell, and colour. What a difference this makes. I can’t remember the last time that I really appreciated food; I’m always mentally elsewhere when I’m eating; reading a book or working on the computer. When I’m eating with my family my mind is usually panning my next project or the work that I’ve left unfinished.
I remember reading that one of the reasons we overeat is that we don’t concentrate on our food. Our failure to appreciate the taste and other sensations associated with food means that we still feel empty when we are finished eating – this makes a lot of sense to me. I am finding that by concentrating on my food there is not only a lot more pleasure to be had but also a greater feeling of satisfaction afterwards. I’m also feeling full after much smaller portions.
One other interesting thing worth nothing about my attempts at mindful eating is that it does sort of feel like extra meditation. I’m not sitting in a lotus position or anything while eating, but I do get that mental peace that comes along with my normal meditation practice. I am optimistic that this new way of eating is going to lead to a more mindful life generally; although I’m sure that there will be times when I do better than others.
It is still early days in my attempt to eat more mindfully. I intend to provide regular updates about my progress on this blog. If you missed my original post on my mission to eat in this new way you can find it here.
Paul, I am so glad that you are writing about your experiences. I was mindful for that first day, for one meal, and then I forgot! So little reminders from you are needed.
Btw – my lunch was amazing. I went to the fridge and asked myself what I REALLY wanted. Lunch ended up being two tomatoes (the kind that you stick your nose in and inhale), low fat fetta, half an avocado… and that’s it. And instead of eating in front of the computer, I ate in front of my plate, watching and savouring what I was eating. Nice.
Hi Cat, I do intend for these blog entries to be a way of reminding myself and keeping my focus. Doing something for a few days is usually easy, but it is long-term where the real work is. Hopefully charting my progress will keep me on track. Your lunch the other day sounds enjoyable; I think we waste so much food by just putting it into our mouths without appreciating it.
I’ve had a similar struggle & found that regular fasting (coupled with prayer) helps. Although you’ve professed to be a staunch Buddhist, there’s no harm really in taking a look at some of the well-written Christian books (I do not mean to belittle what you’ve put your mind into believing, Paul). In particular, I wish to recommend `God’s Chosen Fast’ by Arthur Wallis. I first read the book some 20 years ago and have since never stopped referring to. In it, Arthur Wallis writes so vividly as though each word is written just for me. Fasting has many benefits, both medically & spiritually.
Hi Steven, different things may work for different people. I wouldn’t say I’m a staunch anything and I do try to keep an open mind. In regards to eating I’ve found that mindfulness is the perfect tool for me; if something works perfectly already then spending time investigating other methods seems a bit unnecessary. If something isn’t broken then why try to fix it? Of course this does not mean that these other methods won’t perfectly well for other people. I hope you had a good Christmas.