The Cure for Mindless Overeating: Pay Attention

There are different reasons we overeat.

Each has its own unique resolution and today I want to talk about one very common cause of overeating: Mindlessness.

⚠️ Mindless overeating happens when we’re distracted while eating.

For example:

• Watching television 📺
• Driving 🚗
• At a party 🥳
• Staring at our phone 📱
• Working or web-surfing on our computer 💻

👉 The underlying cause of mindless eating is lack of awareness.

You may think you are overeating because of a lack of willpower, but it’s not about willpower at all.

It’s about slowing down and paying attention. 👀

Pay attention to your eating when you eat and notice what happens.

You engage your brain and your senses in what you’re doing. This makes it possible to tune in to your body and decide when you’ve had enough.

Paying attention enables you to experience the satisfaction that eating brings. If you’re doing other things, you’re not fully registering that you’re actually eating– and this leads many people to over-consume.

👉 Mindful eating basically means “Eating when you eat.”

This concept can help you lose weight and improve your health. 💗

Mindful Eating Tips:

PAUSE. Check in to see if you are hungry before automatically eating. 

You can do this by taking a couple of deep breaths to relax first. Take a moment to ask yourself if you are experiencing true hunger or if you want to eat for other reasons (boredom? stress?) If you are not truly hungry, ask yourself what you are feeling and what you can do to make yourself feel better. If you determine that you are hungry…

CHOOSE CONSCIOUSLY. Take a mindful minute to figure out what would satisfy you right now.

Something warm? cold? salty? chewy? sweet? creamy? crunchy? hydrating? carb-rich? protein-rich? fat-rich? Eat for the way that you want to feel– satisfied, nourished, content, etc.

APPRECIATE. Be grateful and thankful for your food.

Most of us take for granted how much we have available to us when this was not always the case and for some people still isn’t. Think about food as nourishment and how it is giving your body energy and nutrients to thrive.

CREATE an atmosphere. 

Eat sitting down, by a window, outside, with candles or with a friend– whatever you like to make eating more enjoyable.  If you do watch television, read or use the computer while eating– stay mindful of your food in addition to the distraction.  Focus on the experience and be present to fully enjoy your food. If you consistently find yourself overeating, you may want to turn off the TV and put away your phone.

SLOW DOWN. Put your fork (or spoon or sandwich, etc) down between bites.

Wait until you are done chewing and have swallowed before picking it up again. This can be hard! Most of us already have out next bite loaded on our utensil or in our hand before we’re done chewing our current mouthful. What’s the rush, LOL? Also, remember that there can be a 20 minute delay between when you have had enough and when your brain realizes this. It is easy to overeat and not recognize it until it is too late. Discover the point at which you feel satisfied but not stuffed.

👍 The cure for mindlessness is mindfulness. Simple, yes. Easy– not at first. Like anything new, it takes practice.

There will be times when you eat too fast, too much or make poor food choices…. it’s OK! Eating is not about perfection and every day will be different. But by reminding yourself to pause, you’re bringing yourself into the present moment and giving yourself the space and the freedom to choose your actions. 🙏