Lucy was one of - the so - many women who are going under diet in their life time. She has tried it all, Dukan, Atkinson, Montignac, Cavemen etc… but it didn’t work. And this is not surprising! There is a well-documented research from Katan in 2009 that suggest that most diets don’t work. So she decided not to listen to what people were telling her to do but to listen to herself, just eating what and when she really needs it: “I got up one day and made a commitment to a new way of being. I wouldn’t diet. I wouldn’t calorie-count. I would try to listen to my body and what my body needed at all times.” And it worked, from feeling more at peace with food, eating a lot less and making healthier decisions to getting more energy. Yes like many other things, when it comes to eating, literature is full of theories – often contradictory – about what you should or shouldn’t eat. We just end up not knowing what to do and who to follow. And why not trusting your own body’s wisdom? This is exactly what Mindfulness is about. And a growing body of studies suggests that mindfulness applied to eating may help for weight loss and preventing weight gain[i]. What is Mindfulness? I like to define Mindfulness as the practice of the 3A: Attention, Awareness and Attitudes. It is about paying attention and be aware of what is happening inside you (your thoughts, your feelings, your body sensations) and around you in the present moment with specific attitudes. When applied to eating (aka “mindful eating”), it is about being aware of WHAT you eat (foods high in sugar, salt etc), WHY you eat (are you bored, tired, sad, happy) and HOW you eat (are you on autopilot?). How Mindfulness can help you?
How to get started? Try with these practices:
ASK YOURSELF: What are your eating habits? Think about the last meal you had and ask yourself:
[i] Tapper, K., et al. (2009). Exploratory randomised controlled trial of a mindfulness-based weight loss intervention for women. Appetite, 52:2, 396404.
Koithan, M. (2009) Mind-body solutions for obesity. Journal of Nursing Practice, 5:7, 536–537. Lillis, J., et al. (2009) Teaching acceptance and mindfulness to improve the lives of the obese: a preliminary test of a theoretical model. Ann. Behavioral Medicine, 37, 5869. Hugo, J.E.M., et al. (2010). Coping with food cravings. Investigating the potential of a mindfulness-based intervention. Appetite, 55:1, 160163. |
AuthorHi ! I'm Nadege Esteban. As a Mindfulness Trainer and Coach, I promote mindfulness as a way of living and working… and I gave myself this personal mission: to inspire as much as possible people to give mindfulness a try and hopefully to adopt it in their daily life. Be Inspired
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