Mindful eating is available for anyone to practice.

-But it is particularly helpful for those who are sick of trying diets…

-Those who are tired of binge eating late at night…

-Those who are ready to finally become their healthiest self without the torture of diet culture…

I knew mindful eating was the right for me when it felt like every single diet wasn’t working.

-I wasn’t seeing weight loss results…

-I was STILL binging food at night…

-I was not eating any fruits or vegetables…

I simply was not healthy.

I felt like I was trying so hard with these diets bu they weren’t working, and I felt like such a failure!

At this point is when I knew I was ready for something different.

This is where the concept of mindful eating came along.

I saw the headlines “NO MORE DIET” and “EAT WHAT YOU WANT” and I thought to myself, now how can this be right?

But that was the whole point.

With mindful eating, I was able to reconnect with my body and understand when I was full and when I was hungry.

And you know what…this actually worked to help me feel better, loose weight, and STOP BINGING AT NIGHT!

I’m not the only one with a story like this.

Many of my clients are stuck in the rut before they see me.

-Not aware of when they are hungry or full…

-Eating all of the “right foods” but still not losing weight…

-Unaware of how their lack of sleep or enormous amount of stress is hindering their health goals…

But like those who are reading this article and my clients are ready for something more. Something effective. And something that actually works.

Let me first tell you what it is not…

• It is not another diet.
• It is not a way to quickly lose weight.
• It is not an easy fix.
• It is not restrictive.

That is what all other diets promote—easy fix, lose weight fast, no hassle.

However, what mindful eating is…

• Eating the food you love, but in healthy portions.
• Slowing down to enjoy the food you’re eating.
• Relearning how to assess your hunger and fullness cues.

Now I do understand that this is not an easy change.

It’s very challenging to wake up one morning and think “I’m going to stop binging today” or “I’m going to be completely mindful with my eating today” especially if you’ve never practiced mindful eating before.

Mindful eating takes practice, just like anything else that is worth having.

So, you have to start somewhere.

What I always recommend to my clients when we first start working together is to simply become aware of your eating habits.

Once you’ve become aware, start to understand your hunger and fullness ques. At the beginning you don’t necessarily have to listen to them, but just start to notice.

This awareness is key to healing your relationship with food and learning to practice mindfulness and mindful eating.

Without it, you could be missing the whole point of the journey.

Of course, mindful eating can be practiced everywhere, but it’s not always that easy.

By now, if you’ve given mindful eating a try, you know that it is a very introspective practice.

It is hard to do with distractions, such as being with kids, or having the TV on, or when you have too much on your to do list.

With all of these distractions, it’s really hard to practice mindful eating.

It is best to practice mindful eating when there are no distractions, it is just you and your food.

Now, for some of us, this might not be attainable—work might be too hectic, your kids might be too distracting, or the feeling of sitting alone with your food might be too uncomfortable.

Again, mindful eating is a practice, so be patient with yourself.

I would encourage you to set a date with yourself to practice mindful eating alone. Just like you would schedule an appointment or a date with a friend…get the kids out of the house, take time on the weekend, or whatever it is you need to do.

By doing this, you will be able to actually enjoy your food, whether you cooked it, or ordered food to go.

It might not be easy, it may be uncomfortable, but this is just a part of the journey.

Practice mindful eating whenever you get alone time, the more you practice, the easier it gets in more distracting settings, and the more attainable it is for anyone’s life.

While you have some alone time, why not practice yoga and meditation to deepen your mindfulness practice as well!

Mindful eating is best practiced in the comfort of your own home.

At home, you feel safe, grounded, comforted, and at ease.

When you are trying something new, and to some maybe something triggering, it is best to try it with all of those comforts.

At home, you will not have to worry about what you look like while practicing mindful eating, which allows you to fully dive into the practice.

Now something like mindful eating takes practice, lots actually. But it is completely attainable for anyone who is willing to put the effort in.

As this practice eventually becomes second nature to you, you start to branch out where you practice mindful eating, particularly outside the comfort of your house.

Where it eventually will become easy to practice it at a restaurant or at a party, maybe a place where you tend to over or under eat.

With being able to practice mindful eating at these places you may start to find freedom with your eating.

You are able to eat with ease, comfort, and enjoyment.

But it all starts somewhere.

So, give it a try in the comfort of your own home, you’ll thank yourself later.  

Now the biggest question… Why mindful eating?

Well, let me ask you these questions first

• Do you feel like you’ve tried every diet out there and none of them seem to work?
• Do you feel overwhelmed or out of control around food?
• Do you want to learn how to enjoy your food?
• Do you want to stop feeling guilty about eating food?

Did any of these questions make you go “hmm, that sounds like me”?

I can tell you from my own personal experience that I was tired of letting the food control me.

I was tired of binging snack food at parties until my mouth went numb.

I was tired of letting the guilt around eating consume me.

With practicing mindful eating, you start to learn that there is more to life than food.

You start to learn that you have time for so many more productive things when you stop thinking about food all day.

You start to learn that food can be enjoyable, pleasurable, and easy.

Not complicated, all consuming, and dreadful, which we have convinced ourselves of.

Mindful eating allows us to enjoy food the way it’s supposed to be–just food that gives us energy and nourishment.

It allows us to be at peace with our food.

It allows us to live our lives.

Are you convinced yet?

If you’re itching for more about mindful eating and want to know how YOU can incorporate it in your life, schedule an appointment with The Mindful Eating Dietitian by clicking here.