This week’s blog post concludes our 5 part blog on the 5 questions YOU need to ask yourselves when it comes to what is standing in your way of a healthy weight. We’ve covered the first 4 questions so far: Why? When? What? and Where?. And today we’ll cover How do we eat? I hope this has helped you to determine your challenges and empowers you to overcome them on your path to a healthy weight!
So, How do you eat? Are you always eating on the run? Is lack of time your reason for rushing through your meal? Are you eating at your desk while working, or in the car, or while walking to work? Although you may not think this makes a difference to your healthy weight, it actually does! Consider preparing your lunch and snacks the night before. Pack yourself a container of cucumbers, celery and radishes, these are all negative calorie vegetables. What I mean by negative calorie is that your body burns more calories to digest these veggies than the caloric intake of them, at the same time they tide your over to your next meal!
To most of us, eating right means eating more fruit and vegetables; whole-grain breads and cereals; leaner cuts of meat; and cutting back on high-sugar, high fat foods that provide empty calories.
But the truth of the matter is that eating right means much more. How you eat is equally as important as what you eat. It means eating mindfully—relying a little more on our intuition and eating with increased awareness. Not just awareness of the foods on our plate, but awareness of the entire eating experience. Eating with increased awareness is especially important for anyone trying to achieve or maintain a healthy weight.
Choosing to eat mindfully means you're giving your full attention to both food and eating. It means you don't eat and watch TV or sit at the computer at the same time. It means you don't eat while you're driving, while you're working, or while you're talking on the phone. People who eat and multitask tend to eat too fast, take in excess calories, miss the subtle signs of fullness, and don't enjoy their food as much. Mindful eating makes it possible for you to fully experience your food so you can actually eat less but feel more satisfied.
Although eating mindfully with increased awareness may be different for every person, try embracing the following strategies:
• Eat when you're hungry, stop when you're comfortable.
• Don't wait until you're starving to eat. If you do, you’ll overeat
• Select foods satisfying for your body and your mind and eat them
in moderation.
• Savor the flavor, appearance, and aroma.
• Slow down, don't chew too fast. Chew your food 30 to 50 times
before swallowing.
• Just eat. Don't do anything else. Don't eat while watching TV,
sitting at the computer or in your car, driving, or while working.
Remember, eating right is not just about mindlessly gobbling up carrots and celery. It’s about giving eating and your body the attention they both deserve! So start practicing mindful eating strategies and you’ll begin to savour your food, find eating more pleasurable and get greater satisfaction from eating smaller quantities of food that, in turn, can help you achieve your healthy weight goals.
I’d like to close with the following quote:
"Only one who devotes himself to a cause with his whole strength and soul can be a true master. For this reason mastery demands all of a person."
Albert Einstein
I hope you devote yourselves to achieving your healthy weight goals.
To your health,
Nadia
Your weight loss partner
1-877-405-4471
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