The Ups and Downs of Mindful Eating – One Week In
It is now one week since I began my attempt at mindful eating. This life change has been easier to implement than I’d been expecting, but there have been a few bumps along the way. Overall though I do feel that this is working and it is benefiting my life in other ways as well. I remain confident that mindful eating is something that will be a permanent solution to my dramatic weight fluctuations.
A Weight Shocker on Sunday
I approached the weighing scales on Sunday morning full of confidence. Not only had I eaten less than usual the previous day, but I’d also had an intensive Muay Thai workout at the gym – I was expecting something dramatic and I wasn’t wrong. My weight had gone up half a kilogram! My initial reaction was disappointment but I remembered that this type of thing happened before; it doesn’t necessarily mean that I’m doing anything wrong. The workout at the gym probably added to my muscle mass. I did do quite a bit of conditioning at the end of the session. This was more proof of why it is not such a good idea to rely on the weight measurements to judge progress; it can be misleading.
Even though I know the limitations of weighing myself too often I can’t think of a better way to gauge my progress – I also want to share it with you guys. I like see the numbers drop and this can be a big motivator; on the other hand I also know that there is a risk of disappointment. My goal with mindful eating is permanent change but at the moment the weighing scales is just too much of a temptation. Once my weight is back down in the low seventy kilogram area then this will be less of an issue.
One Week of Mindful Eating
Last week my weight was 84.4kg (186.7 pounds) and my weight this morning was 82.2kg (180.8 pounds). I expect my weight loss to slow down now but I’d be happy with losing 1kg a week until my weight is back down to about 73kg (160.6kg).
Update 2021:
I now realize that my comfort eating was driven by a feeling of emptiness inside. In this video, I discuss the approach I took to eventually deal with this emptiness.
Congrats on your loss! This looks like it’s working for you (and is again a reminder for me).
I’m not fond of scales as a bad result can tip your mind in a negative way.
Even though I don’t like scales, I do keep a set around – because when you often have rocks in your luggage, it’s important to know what they weigh.
Each scale I buy breaks soon after purchase – a month, six months… so I know that the weight won’t be 100% correct. And I need correct.
So, do you think all this breaking has something to do with the rocks?
😉
Hi Catherine,’ congratulations on your loss’ – that’s something you don’t hear too often at funerals 🙂 I’m not sure about the rocks; maybe you should get a new hobby – pet rocks is just so nineties.
You should allow about 1 kg for weight fluctuation during your “diet” period. You’ll see that you can loose 2 kg in a week but then put back 1 kg the next week. That means you’re still down 1 kg, but, as you said, you put on more muscle!
Also, it matters a lot when you check your weight: in the morning, dehydrated and on an empty an empty stomach; in the afternoon, on a full stomach; or in the evening, after gym, with tons of water in our system!
Do you do any cardio exercises? They are the best way of burning calories.
Hi MVS, thanks for your comment. I weigh myself first thing in the morning so that it is a reliable comparison; this is also when I get the most flattering result:-) I do about 30 minutes of cardio most days; I was putting on weight despite of this though. Hopefully with exercise combined with mindful eating I’ll drop back down again. I don’t plan to increase my exercise regime at the moment so any improvement should be due to mindful eating.
Collecting rocks is not a hobby – it’s a lifestyle!
(and yes, I know how weird that sounds…)
Woe betide anyone who comes between Catherine and her rocks 🙂
Paul, they are not my rocks 😀
It’s awesome to read about your progress, Paul. I’m one of the lucky ones that never had a weight issue, although I have gained a few kilos since I’ve moved to Thailand. Many people consider this a good thing though, because I appeared to skinny before.
Mindful eating seems such a great way to get one’s weight under control. I’ve lived in the USA for quite some time and often talked with people on all kinds of diets. Most of these diets seem to be a big burden for the dieters. Too many restrictions and too much suffering. I always recommended a simple strategy, which seems close to the mindful eating concept: “Don’t stop eating when you’re full; stop eating when you’re not hungry anymore.” I believe that time and amount of food that goes in between those two moments in time is critical.
Hi Claudio, I was really skinny up until my thirties; I used to take nutritional supplements to beef myself up. I really do think mindful eating takes all the effort out of weight control. The really wonderful thing though is it brings so many other benefits as well.
Keep up the good work Paul. We’re rootin’ for you. I’ve never cared for the scale myself. I like to go by the way I feel and how clothes fit.
You mentioned 1/2 hour workouts so that made me think: have you ever tried Crossfit? Intense workouts in a short amount of time. I think a gym just opened up in CM but you can do it at home.
Also finally got around to listening to the Pixies – Doolittle. And I loved it! Thanks for the music idea ~
Thanks Lani, I haven’t heard of crossfit before but I’ll look into it. At the moment though I want my daily fitness sessions to be focused on Muay Thai so that I can make progress in the lessons.
I’m glad you liked the Pixies 🙂
Good for you for sharing this–I’d be scared to death!
Thanks Megan, I’ve shared a lot worse so I probably have a fairly thick skin by this stage 🙂
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