Tag Archive for: mindful eating

5 Ways to Be Mindful of Your Eating this Holiday Season

Can you believe that it’s already November and that the holiday season is upon us?

 

For so many of my clients, the holiday season was filled with anxiety, not only because of all the prep work, but they were also concerned about all the weight they would gain. They always worried that there were so many delicious treats and foods during the holidays that they wouldn’t trust themselves and would eat with abandon.

 

They didn’t understand that there was a way that they could enjoy the holidays and respect their body at the same time.

 

Everything changed for them when they decided to work with me on intuitive eating journey. They began eating mindfully and focused on how the food was making them feel rather than the calories they contained. They took the time to savor each bite while maintaining an awareness of their eating habits.

 

Here are 5 ways that you too can stay mindful during the holiday season.

 

  1. Slow Down. 

 

Are you typically the first person at the table to finish your meal? Before you begin eating, think about how you will proceed to eat your meal. Consciously decide that you will slow down and allow at least 20-30 minutes to eat. Take the time to appreciate the food you are eating. And remember, you can always save whatever you don’t eat for leftovers.

 

  1. Sit Down at the Table. 

 

Eating while standing in front of the refrigerator, buffet table, or while walking around will decrease your attention and satisfaction with your meal. You may have a whole plate of food in front of you when you started to make your rounds around the party, and an empty one at the end without consciously taking a single bite. Instead, fill your plate with foods you really want to eat and plan to sit while eating. Friends and family will likely join you and you can enjoy nice conversation while being more mindful of your eating.

 

  1. Savor your Food. 

 

Focus on each bite of food that you put into your mouth. Experience the taste, texture, flavors, and aroma of the food. Try to identify the different flavors of the food. Is it sweet, salty, sour, crunchy, or smooth? Do you like it, dislike it, or it’s just okay? If you aren’t fully satisfied with it, don’t finish it. Try not to feel pressed to finish foods that doesn’t satisfy you.

 

  1. Be in the Moment. 

 

Are you fully present when you are eating or are you eating with a bunch of distractions around you? Be sure to turn off the television and avoid reading or talking on the phone while eating. These activities take away from the mindfulness of eating. You may even need to take a moment to zone out of the conversation around you to fully immerse yourself in the meal.

 

  1. Put Your Fork Down. 

 

Observe what you do with your silverware during the meal. Do you keep it in your hand? Are you preparing the next bite of food on the fork while chewing what’s in your mouth? When you turn your attention to the next bite, you are not being mindful and completely miss the food that you are currently eating. Instead of enjoying the food in your mouth, you are focusing on matters beyond the present. So, this year, put your fork down on the table while you are chewing and give all your attention to the food in your mouth.

 

These mindful eating tips are a start! But pay attention if the sneaky diet mentality turns these tips into rules!

 

If so, it’s time to address your mindset, beliefs, and move away from the diet mentality.

 

Send me a DM on Facebook, Instagram, or simply email me if you want support on your intuitive eating journey.

 

 

Rebound Eating- What is it & how do I stop?

You may have heard the term “rebound eating” and find yourself asking “what is this”?

 

In a nutshell, when you restrict the foods you really enjoy eating until you’ve reaching a your breaking point, the backlash is rebound eating.

 

Think of it as your body’s last ditch effort to get your attention after you’ve decided to ignore what it’s trying to tell you—it’s also saying, “Hey! You’re seriously depriving me over here!”

 

As a chronic dieter, rebound eating is something you may have experienced in the past. Does this cycle sound familiar?

 

Reducing the number of calories you consume to less than what your body needs > deprive, deprive, deprive > hit a wall where you can’t take the deprivation anymore and your restriction takes a nose dive > binge, binge, binge > compensate with intense exercise—“I need to work this off!”> REPEAT!

 

This common cycle is harmful to your physical and mental health, and truly take a toll on your body. It leads to disordered eating patterns, and if not responded to immediately could lead to other health complications (i.e., dehydration, brittle hair/nails, fatigue, brain fog, and more).

 

How to Stop Rebound Eating

 

The only way to put an end to this cycle of rebound eating is to stop the restriction. That means to stop dieting. So what is the alternative you might ask?

 

Intuitive eating!

 

Making peace with food and giving yourself full permission to eat while connecting to your inner wisdom to guide you is the way to stop this destructive cycle. When you embrace intuitive eating and bring all foods back into your eating world, you no longer obsess about those foods.

 

Intuitive eating is a practice you are cultivating, and it’s a lifelong journey (it’s not a quick fix!). If you truly want to end the cycle of restriction-deprivation-rebound eating/binge eating – repeat, then consider committing to stop dieting.

 

Pop your name and email into the boxes below for a free experience to Break the Spell of Diets in 3 Days.

 

Want more? Join an amazing supportive community of women inside my membership called The Intuitive Nutrition Circle (aka The IN Circle) where the are learning to integrate gentle nutrition into their intuitive eating practice. Click here for all the deets.

5 Side Effects of Dieting (and what to do to bounce back)

So why do you keep falling into the mind trap of “I need to keep dieting to be healthy”?

This is a common misconception that many people think! However it’s not the case! There has been major bodies of evidence suggesting that dieting is not a sustainable strategy for weight loss and does not promote a healthier life. In fact, “dieting for health” has been associated with many problems that actually work against you and impact your health negatively. In other words, when it comes down to it—dieting is causing you more harm than good!

Here are some of the common side effects to dieting (and what to do to bounce back):

1.Rebound weight gain. Did you know that about 80-95% of people that diet to intentionally lose weight will gain the weight they had originally lost (plus more!) back? Weight regain after a diet is very common! This is because during periods of dieting, you are restricting your body from specific foods or even food groups. Once you have restricted long enough, you are likely to crave these foods more and more because you are denying your body what it needs! Then the moment your diet is “over” you will find yourself bingeing, or overeating, the foods or food groups you were dramatically restricting.

What to do? Stop dieting. While this might be a scary thought, it’s truly the only way you will cultivate a healthier relationship with food.

 

2.You’ll be obsessed with food. As you go on diet after diet, dramatically restrict your intake, and ignore what your body is telling you it needs, this sends the message to your brain that “I am starving! I need food! Please feed me!”. These signals are a biological survival mechanism that prevents you from starvation and – newsflash – you can’t’ fight biology! By choosing to ignore these messages, you are likely to think about food nonstop. Soon your whole world is going to revolve around food. You’ll find yourself thinking about your next meal, or the foods you can or can’t eat while out with friends or family—this is no way to live!

What to do? Stop dieting. Dieting triggers overeating and food obsession. Once you stop dieting, you will find that you no longer obsess about food.

 

3.No longer able to detect hunger-fullness signals. With whatever diet you find yourself on, you’re usually relying on external cues to guide your eating. Whether it’s food rules, a diet plan, calorie tracking, points, the scale—these things are teaching you to ignore your own natural biological signals that were made to help detect hunger, fullness, and satisfaction. If you choose to ignore your own body signals and allow external cues to control you, your hunger and fullness signals can’t hang on for long. If you don’t use them, you’ll lose them!

What to do? Stop dieting. When you give up dieting and begin to nourish yourself consistently, you will reignite your signals of hunger and fullness.

 

4.Slowed metabolism. Dieting typically means; “I can only eat ____ amount every day”, or “I’m going to eliminate ______ from my diet.” Either way, the bottom line is you are ignoring what your body is asking for and denying what it needs. Without enough calories or energy from food, this forces your body to find other sources to keep the body going. If food is not available to be used for energy, the next best thing is muscle! Yes, your body will break down your muscle to keep it going. With a low level of muscle, also known as low muscle mass, this creates a slower metabolism. A low muscle mass combined with a slowed metabolism causes your body to become more efficient at storing fat and using less energy—both of which are not so great for your health!

What to do? Stop dieting. When you stop restricting and begin to nourish your body adequately and consistently, your metabolism will kick back into gear.

 

5.Negative emotions when diets fail you. Let’s face it, dieting can feel like a never-ending rollercoaster. You start off so strong and high up. You’re following your “diet rules”, eating what you “should be”, and putting all your energy into being “good” on your diet. But the moment you “mess up”, it takes a sharp turn and you immediately feel shame, guilt, anxiety or like a failure. This emotional up and down is extremely damaging to you mental health, as well as deepens the negative relationship you have with food.

What to do? Stop dieting. When you decide to stop this rollercoaster and learn to trust yourself and to value yourself for who you are rather than based on a number, your mental health will improve dramatically.

 

By now you’ve noticed a common theme – my recommendation to stop dieting. Please know that I understand how difficult this can be. I’d like to walk this journey with you. Comment below or DM me if you’d like to chat.

 

Common Misconceptions about Intuitive Eating

For those new to Intuitive Eating or have just recently discovered it, there are usually a ton of ideas floating around in your head about this eating philosophy such as:

 

  • “This whole thing seems too good to be true!”
  • “Something has to be wrong with this philosophy”
  • “There is NO WAY this whole thing actually works!” 

Although this philosophy and idea around eating may SOUND too good to be true—there is actually nothing wrong with Intuitive Eating!

In spite of this, there are many myths and misconceptions floating around about Intuitive Eating, and the methods behind it, that often deter people from taking the steps to becoming an intuitive eater.

Let’s take a look at some of the common misconceptions associated with Intuitive Eating.

Misconception #1: “If Intuitive Eating is all about eating whatever and whenever you want… doesn’t that mean I’ll be eating all the time?

 

When many people hear about Intuitive Eating, the thought of “eating whatever and whenever they want” is frightening because they feel they will be out of control or only eat “junk” foods if they allow it into their eating regimen.

The key misconception here is that while there are no foods “off limits” with Intuitive Eating, it doesn’t mean eating all the time. Intuitive Eating is not the “see it, want it, eat it diet.”

 

Through the principles and teachings of Intuitive Eating, you will learn to ask yourself questions before choosing to eat. Those questions relate to whether you are physically hungry in this moment, if you’re experiencing emotional hunger, how you felt the last time you ate this food and so on.

 

Misconception #2: “It seems like Intuitive Eating is just another diet!”

 

Intuitive Eating is not another diet plan or rule book to follow. However, many people turn it into a diet. This is generally because they haven’t fully rejected the diet mentality, and that mindset is distorting the messages and principles of Intuitive Eating.

 

Furthermore, if someone is promoting Intuitive Eating as a way to lose weight, then that is NOT Intuitive Eating. It is unethical to promise weight loss through Intuitive Eating. Intuitive Eating focuses on bettering one’s relationship food.

 

Counting or tracking anything is NOT Intuitive Eating. It is a diet!

 

Misconception #3: “Intuitive Eating doesn’t care about nutrition.”

 

Principle ten of Intuitive Eating is “Honor your health though gentle nutrition.”

 

This principle focuses on nutrition in a gentle fashion and combines having a healthy relationship with food and a healthy balance of food.

Intuitive Eating is a process of attuning your mind, body, and food.

 

Gentle nutrition is the integration of your inner attunement (thoughts, feelings, beliefs, hunger-fullness cues) with the external environment.

Intuitive Eating is often criticized because it encourages people to eat what they want, which the naysayers believe will lead to poor nutrition choices and weight gain. However, research shows the opposite. Attuning to feelings of hunger and fullness before, during, and after a meal, as well as considering satisfaction, is associated with improved nutrient intake and eating a wider variety of food.

 

Misconception #4: “Intuitive eating is just about eating when you’re hungry and stopping when you’re full.”

 

Intuitive Eating is SO MUCH more than hunger and fullness.

Intuitive Eating emphasizes:

  • Challenging diet culture and the diet mentality
  • Granting yourself unconditional permission to eat
  • Discovering the feeling of satisfaction
  • Learning to challenge the food police
  • Recognizing and honoring feelings without using food
  • Honoring gentle nutrition
  • And so much more!

 

Join me to learn more: Monday March 14, 2022 > Free Webinar

3 Steps to Eating for Healthy Living: The Intuitive Eating Blueprint

Register HERE. (replay available)

 

 

 

5 Ways to Enjoy Thanksgiving Without Food Guilt

It’s Turkey time!

What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think about Thanksgiving?

Turkey? Stuffing? Pumpkin pie? Feeling stuffed?

What emotions come to mind when you think about Thanksgiving?

Gratitude? Overwhelm? Feeling disappointed in yourself at the end of the day for how much you ate?

Many people who are starting the Intuitive Eating journey, and even those who have been practicing for a while, struggle with Thanksgiving. The whole day is centered around eating, possibly leaving you uncomfortably full by the end of the evening. No wonder it’s a challenge for so many people!

I want you to know it doesn’t have to be this way. Thanksgiving does not have to be a source of anxiety at all. It can be a day full of love and gratitude for all the things in your life that you are thankful for.

But how? I’ve got 5 strategies for you!

1.Reframe Your Beliefs

If you go into Thanksgiving Day thinking you will “blow” it, then it will become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Your thoughts/beliefs inform your feelings, which inform your actions which inform your results.

Maybe in years past you went into the holiday dieting, and with the first bite of a food you deemed “bad”, you figured “I blew it, I’ll just start again after the holidays”. Well, now you are going into the holiday as an Intuitive Eater, or an Intuitive Eater in training. Therefore, changing your self-talk can greatly impact your beliefs and ultimately your actions.

Try saying this to yourself: “I am capable of enjoying the Thanksgiving feast while honoring my inner signals of hunger, satiety and satisfaction.”

2.Honor Your Hunger throughout the Day

It can be tempting to skip breakfast or lunch when you know that you have a holiday dinner ahead of you. However, this is forcing your body to ignore its hunger cues earlier in the day and when you finally sit down to dinner, you will be ravenous. Then what happens? You eat past the point of comfortable fullness!

Instead, enjoy a well-balanced breakfast and lunch and you’ll see how much more you enjoy dinner.

Hint: Skipping meals to save calories for a big dinner is part of the sneaky diet mentality. What other ways is the diet mentality sneaking back into your thoughts? Let me know in the comments below!

3.Be Aware of Competition Eating

Family dinners with lots of people can be challenging! You might find that you take extra or larger helpings of food out of a fear that there won’t be anything left if you are still hungry. This is a form of “rebound eating”. Just the thought of being deprived leads you to “overeat”.

Here’s the thing! Even if you have a big family, there’s likely going to be enough food for second helpings should you still be hungry (who doesn’t have Thanksgiving leftovers!)

Try to resist the urge to overfill your plate. When you first sit down to dinner, assess your hunger level, and take the amount of food you think will fill your hunger. Keep in mind that if you are not quite satisfied when you finish eating, you can always take more. YOU are in charge!

4.Create A Colorful Balanced Plate

Some people think that nutrition is not considered in the Intuitive Eating philosophy. That is the farthest thing from the truth! Gentle Nutrition (Intuitive Eating Principle 10) takes into consideration taste and nutrition when making food choices.

When filling your plate at your Thanksgiving meal, consider whether most of the food groups are present. Protein, whole grains, veggies, and healthy fats all make for a balanced plate that will leave you feeling satisfied, energized and will keep your blood sugars stable.

5.Check-in with Yourself

Being around the family at holiday time can be a source of stress for many people. And this stress can be a disruptor to attuning to your hunger and fullness signals. Take the time before the big dinner to center yourself and focus on you. Then throughout the meal, take some time out to check in with yourself to assess how you are feeling. If you are feeling overwhelmed, take a few breaths to refocus your attention on your meal and to check in with your fullness cues.

There are lots of uncomfortable emotions that can come up this time of year.

If you’re struggling with emotional eating, I invite you to explore the Total Food Freedom: End Emotional Eating and Enjoy a New Relationship with Food Program, on sale now for BLACK FRIDAY!

Check out this killer deal (and see how you can get bonus time with me!)

Offer expires Friday 11/26/2021 at 6 pm EST.

Best wishes for a Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!

 

Mindful Eating: It’s More Than Just a Way to Eat

How familiar are you with the term “mindfulness”?

Mindfulness, and mindful eating, are terms that seems to be thrown around by many doctors, social media influencers and maybe even your friends these days!

But what exactly is mindful eating and where did it come from?

What is Mindful Eating? 

Mindful eating is rooted in the Buddhist concept of mindfulness and is a form of meditation that helps you recognize and cope with emotions and physical sensations.

In order to properly shift into the mindset of mindful eating one must use, or adopt, the concept of mindfulness in order to reach a state of full attention to the eating experience, cravings, and physical hunger and fullness cues.

It can be more clearly defined as—paying attention to your eating experience by utilizing all of the 5 senses (seeing, tasting, hearing, smelling and feeling), while also observing and taking in the emotional and physical responses that take place before, during and after the eating experience.

Mindful eating is NOT a diet, or just a way to eat—but it is mindset. It has nothing to do with calories and macronutrients nor does it focus on weight loss. The intention is to help savor the eating experience and encourage full presence during a meal.

Mindful eating is process oriented verses outcome driven. It focuses on the journey, or process of the eating experience, which is better understood as process oriented. This is compared to dieting or following a meal plan which focuses on meeting objectives, or meeting a goal (realistic or not), also known as outcome driven.

The overall goal of mindful eating is to shift your focus away from thinking about food externally, or unconsciously, to exploring, enjoying and remaining present with food and the eating experience. It’s all about bringing awareness to each plate or bite of food.

Five Fundamental Concepts of Mindful Eating:

  1. Eat slowly with no distraction.
  2. Look inward to hear hunger/fullness signals.
  3. Learn to differentiate between the different types of hunger (biological hunger and emotional hunger) and act on those feelings appropriately.
  4. Consistently engage all five senses.
  5. Learn strategies to cope with any guilt, shame, anxiety (any negative feelings) around food and eating.
  6. Take stalk of how foods make you feel.
  7. Have a real appreciation for food and the eating experience.

Although these concepts may seem totally out of reach, mindful eating is something everyone can benefit from and get involved in!

The Benefits of Mindful Eating: 

  • Reduces stress
  • Increases enjoyment and appreciation for eating and food.
  • Improves digestion
  • Aids in decreasing disordered eating behaviors (binge eating, emotional eating, etc.)
  • Allows you to take charge of your food, instead of feeling that food “controls” you!

4 Ways to Get Started

  1. Prioritize mealtimes. Give yourself plenty of time to organize, prepare and eat your meals. Rushing mealtime can not only hinder your ability to hear what your body is telling you (i.e., hunger/fullness), but also doesn’t give you time to appreciate and be present with your meal. And plus—no one likes to be rushed!
  2. Check in & ask yourself questions. Don’t be afraid to set your fork aside and ask yourself—
    • How am I feeling at this point in my meal?
    • Are there feelings of pleasure, regret, stress, anxiety, disappointment?
    • Are there any memories being brought up while I’m eating this meal?
    • Where is my hunger/fullness level at?
    • How is my body feeling right now?
  3. Use your five senses. As mentioned, mindful eating encourages to utilize your five senses.
  • Before eating your meal, really look at your food. Take note of the color, the smell, the look, overall appeal, etc.
  • During the meal, check in with the textures, tastes, temperatures, etc. What is sticking out to you? What do you like? What do you not like?
  • After the meal, reflect on your experience. What do you like? What did you not like?
  1. Be aware of your desire or intention. Although this will take some practice, being able to identify your desire or intention for eating is very important. Believe it or not, there are many different types of hunger or reasons for eating! We eat because we are hungry (of course) but also when we feel happy, sad, bored, excited, anxious, nerves, and so much more! Try to identify your desire to eat and act on it appropriately.

 

Beware of The Mindful Eating Diet 

Many people begin the process of mindful eating and turn it into another diet of rules. And when they “break” the rules, they spiral into the guilt-shame cycle. This is especially true of those who’ve dieted for quite some time. This is why it’s so important to shift out of the diet mentality and change your beliefs around food, eating and your body. Otherwise, a beautiful practice such as mindful eating, becomes yet another diet.

 

Need help breaking the spell of diets so you can truly enjoy mindful eating? Pop your name and email below and get started in my free 3 day break the spell of diets online experience.

 

 

A Closer Look at What Intuitive Eating Is—and What it is Not!

Have you ever taken a deep dive into understanding what Intuitive Eating really is? There are many misconceptions around the concepts and lessons promoted within Intuitive Eating—but the confusion stops here.

Intuitive eating is a self-care eating framework that helps you attune to your internal body signals, break the cycle of chronic dieting, and heal your relationship with food and your body.

Intuitive Eating is NOT a diet, it is NOT a meal plan, and it is certainly NOT “for weight loss”.

Benefits of Intuitive Eating

There are currently over 120 studies that show Intuitive Eating:

  • Increases body appreciation
  • Improves life satisfaction
  • Increases motivation for movement
  • Increases intake of nourishing foods
  • Improves overall health
  • Decreases disordered eating behaviors (i.e., bingeing)

But What Exactly is Intuitive Eating?

Intuitive Eating was developed by two registered dietitians, Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch. It “integrates instinct, emotion and rational thought”. (www.intuitiveeating.org)

It is a process that enables you to attune to what your body needs and allows you to trust what your body is telling you.

With Intuitive Eating, there is no diet plan, counting calories, macros, weight check-ins, or “off limit” foods—it’s exactly the opposite!

Intuitive Eating instead focuses on teaching you to eat and think OUTSIDE of the diet mentality and diet culture messages.

The focus is on internal cues like your hunger, fullness, and satisfaction, while helping you to move away from the external cues you are so accustomed to using to guide your eating, such as food rules and restriction.

In other words, Intuitive Eating…

 …4 Things that Intuitive Eating Helps You Achieve

(1) Encourages you to become the expert of your own body.

 Believe it or not, we are ALL born Intuitive Eaters! We are all born knowing how much we need to eat, when to eat, and what we would like to eat, yet unfortunately, as we grow up, this ability is clouded by the messages of diet culture and the environment in which we grow up in.

Does this sound familiar?

  • Having to finish your plate at dinner time in order to watch TV or get dessert.
  • Hearing the messages that “thin is best” or “to be thin is to be healthy”
  • Feeling that choosing “good” vs “bad” foods is a direct reflection of how you should feel about yourself.

All these messages, both from your caregivers and diet culture, teaches you to ignore your internal cues and not trust your body.

As you grow older, you often find yourself feeding into these messages, rules and regulations set forth by diet culture.

You are led to believe that in order to “be healthy”, you must follow a diet and/or restrict your foods, but this is not true at all. Your body knows what is needs and wants, it’s just time to listen to its messages.

(2) Helps develop trust in your body and gives you the confidence to make food choices based on your needs.

The diets have stripped the trust you had in your body when you were born. That might sound distressing, but the good news is that you can regain that trust in yourself again!

When you fully ditch the diet rules and give up dieting for good, you will learn to trust your body again, and you will be amazed at what your body is capable of telling you!

 

(3) Allows you to develop a healthy relationship with food.

Intuitive Eating takes the focus off weight loss, the scale, diet plans, cleanses, and everything that has to do with “diet culture” and instead focuses on developing a better relationship with your food choices and your body.

Intuitive Eating is rooted in ten principles to help move you away from the rules and regulations of dieting. These 10 principles help you attune to your thoughts, feelings, and signals, while learning to integrate health recommendations from the outside world.

 

What Intuitive Eating is NOT

Now that you know a little bit about what Intuitive Eating is all about, let’s discuss what Intuitive Eating is NOT!

4 Things Intuitive eating is NOT…

(1) A diet.

With Intuitive Eating, there is no counting calories, daily weigh-ins, lists of foods to eat vs not eat—in fact all of these things are discouraged when practicing Intuitive Eating.

(2) The hunger/fullness diet.

While Intuitive Eaters do check in regularly with their hunger and fullness signals—there is SO MUCH more to it than this!

Intuitive Eaters approach every meal with curiosity—they ask themselves questions such as:

  • How hungry am I today?
  • Do I want a second serving?
  • How will I feel after I eat ____?

Approaching a meal with curiosity versus judgement (like many dieters do) allows you to learn from situations, like getting to a place of overfullness after a meal or allowing yourself to get too hungry at the end of a long day. Important lessons are learned from these experiences.

(3) A non-dieting weight loss approach.

Intuitive Eating places NO emphasis or pressure on losing weight. The conversation around body weight is instead from a weight-neutral lens. In other words, it promotes physical and mental well-being regardless of one’s body size.

Intuitive Eating does not promise weight loss or any expectation of losing weight.

(4) The “eat whatever I want, whenever I want” mindset.

Yes, Intuitive Eating does promote giving yourself unconditional permission to eat and promotes eating in a way that makes you feel your best—but this doesn’t mean it is a free for all.

At the beginning of your Intuitive Eating journey it is very common for people to eat a lot of foods they had previous restricted, however the drive to eat in this way decreases over time.

Over time, you will normalize these once “forbidden foods” and view them (and all foods) as neutral. All the foods you’ve been dying to have will soon become a part of your normal eating pattern in a way that feels great (and not fearful!)

There you have it!

To get a taste of the awesomeness of Intuitive Eating, check out my Intuitive Eating Basics Course. It’s a LOW investment with HIGH returns!!

 

Click HERE to grab this deal!

Ditch the Distractions—The Downside to Distracted Eating

Do you find yourself scarfing down breakfast on your drive to work, or sitting down in front of the TV to enjoy your dinner?

If the answer is yes—you’re probably a victim of distracted eating! With the hustle and bustle of our everyday lives, it can seem nearly impossible to sit down in silence with no distractions for a proper meal.

However, there have been several studies looking at the impacts of distracted eating. From overeating to not remembering what and how much you ate—the consequences to what seems insignificant can be serious.

To help ditch the distractions, it’s time to look toward mindfulness.

What Distracted Eating Looks Like

Engaging in distracted eating is the norm of our society today.

Do any of these circumstances sound familiar?

  • Eating breakfast in the car on the way to work
  • Eating lunch while seated in your cubical or desk
  • Scrolling through your phone while eating your mid-day snack
  • Watching a television show or movie during dinner time

These are all prime examples of what is known as “distracted eating”.

I myself have fallen into the trap of distracted eating…I’ll share this story on my Live Training today. Access it HERE or HERE at 12:15 pm EST.

 

Definition of Distracted Eating

The “intentional consumption of a meal while engaged in a secondary activity to the extent that the significance or memory of the meal is diminished or forgotten completely.” (Reference: https://faseb.onlinelibrary.wiley.com)

With the hustle and bustle  and fast paced environment many of us live in—taking time to sit down and properly enjoy a meal is often thrown to the wayside. And, our society praises busyness, hustle culture and being “productive” at all hours of the day no matter what. Even when people seem to have time in their routine for a proper meal—the distractions still seem to pop up like scrolling through Instagram or Facebook or watching TV.

What the Studies Show

Many studies have looked at the impact of eating while distracted. The concluding results are as follows.

Those who eat distracted are more likely to…

  • Eat faster, and more food than intended.
  • Can’t remember what or how much you ate.
  • Snack on more foods later on or plate more food than you’d usually eat.
  • Feel significantly less full at the end of a meal.

These kinds of results make total sense because along with your hunger and fullness cues—attention and memory also play a role in the eating experience.

Your memory of what you ate and how much you ate will likely be impacted if you are eating while distracted. This usually results in eating more at your next meal or snacking because you have left your previous meal unsatisfied.

Although eating while distracted could mean overeating and feeling less satisfied after a meal—it also takes away from the enjoyment and pleasure the eating experience usually brings.

It’s time to ditch the distractions and focus on the meal in front of you. And while I get that eating without any distraction is possibly impractical—it’s all about taking baby steps in the right direction.

 

Tips to Reduce Distracted Eating

(1) Put your phone or computer in another room while you’re eating.

(2) If engaging in conversation, put your fork down periodically as a reminder to focus on the food in your mouth.

(3) Eat your meals at a table versus in the den or at your desk.

(4) Plan time for your meals—this will ensure you have plenty of time to enjoy the eating experience.

(5) Check in with your hunger and fullness throughout the meal to minimize autopilot eating.

How will you reduce distraction at your next meal? Let me know in the comments below!

5 Tips to Enjoying Summertime BBQ’s as an Intuitive Eater (Minus Anxiety and Guilt)

This weekend is July 4th; I love this time of year! With summer upon us, that means more time spent outside in the sunshine, more time spent with friends and family and (of course) lots and lots of great summertime meals and treats!

If you’ve struggled with your weight, dieting and negative thoughts about your body, then the summer holidays, summer vacations and even the changing of seasons can bring up a lot of challenges and negative emotions (like anxiety, stress and shame) when it comes to eating, food choices and your body.

Usually during these times…

  • There are a lot of different kinds of foods you are surrounded by.

  • You aren’t eating how you “normally” would (i.e., you’re eating out more, having new food experiences etc…).

  • You’re surrounded by friends and family more (i.e., more opportunity to hear “diet talk”, uncomfortable conversations).

  • You’re not in charge over what is being served.

All of these things can create a lot of anxiety and potential guilt around eating and your food choices.

When eating out, or in a place that is not familiar like a family BBQ, restaurant, someone else’s home, at a party, event, etc., there are many challenges that can arise that can make eating out a very stressful and unenjoyable experience.

For example, challenges can include:

  • Feeling triggered by those around you who are dieting or using a lot of “diet talk”.

  • You’re afraid you will face your “trigger foods”.

  • You’re concerned about not hearing your hunger-fullness cues and might eat past comfortable fullness.

  • You worry that you will eat totally “out of control”? 
  • You just don’t have the confidence in yourself in social eating situations.

I totally get it! I was recently at a Father’s Day BBQ where there was a lot of diet talk. Join me on Facebook Live or YouTube Live today at 12:15 pm EST to hear all about it and how I managed to stay true to my Intuitive Eating journey!

5 Tips to Enjoying Summertime BBQ’s (and more) as an Intuitive Eater:

1. Don’t be afraid to eat, or order what you want.

 Just because you “feel” like you should order a salad at the family dinner, or you “should” be munching on the veggies and dip at the BBQ doesn’t mean you have to.

Don’t ignore the signals your body is sending you in terms of what it is asking for because by when the event is over, you will be left feeling unsatisfied.

If the cookies look good, eat them!

If the burger or hot dog is what you want, enjoy them!

If you choose to ignore what your body is asking for in those moments, this will likely lead to you to finishing off the cookies or the dinner leftovers in the fridge once you get home! It could actually lead to an all out binge.

Which will then leave you feeling worse than if you just ordered what you wanted, or ate what was at the BBQ.

2. Be present with your food.

Eating with others is a social experience, but don’t forget to still remain present with your meal even while around others.

With each bite check in with your senses (e.g., taste, touch, smell, sight, and hearing).

  • How does this bite taste in my mouth?
  • What is the texture?
  • What was the temperature like?
  • What did the food smell like before I ate it?

Remaining present with your meal will prevent you from mindlessly gobbling down your plate and also keep your hunger-fullness signals in check.

 

3. Pay attention to those hunger-fullness cues.

As you socialize, eat and engage with others—be sure to still check in with your hunger and fullness levels. During the BBQ or event, pay attention to the signals your body may be sending you.

  • Am I feeling fully satisfied?
  • Do I feel full now?

Take stalk of how you’re feeling in the moment. I suggest putting your fork down and honor your feelings of satisfaction, or continue to have a few more bites until you’ve reached comfortable fullness.

Trust that your body will tell you when to start and stop!

4. Don’t ruminate.

It happens to all of us—even Intuitive Eaters. There will be times when you feel like you ate too much, you ate too quickly, or you weren’t staying present with your meal because you were distracted.

Whatever the situation is—it is okay! No big deal!

Don’t allow yourself to ruminate on these moments and ruin the experience—take the situation for what it is, learn from it and move forward.

5. Most importantly: don’t forget to have fun.

Being able to attend a summer BBQ or other summer event is an experience—so don’t get so caught up with the food, what you’re eating, how your food choices may look to others, etc.

During these moments we should be taking in the environment around us!

Acknowledge the décor, the people you are surrounded with, the food being served, etc.  and be grateful to be a part of it.

Feel free to share your summertime eating experiences in the comments below!

 

 

How to Eat Intuitively While Traveling

I don’t know about you…but I am ready to go on vacation! Like most people, I haven’t traveled since the pandemic hit! While I know there are some people who’ve resumed their vacation travels, I haven’t been ready – until NOW!

I am itching to get away! And many of my clients are as well! With traveling opening again and vacationing returning to normal, eating intuitively while on vacation is a thought lingering in many of my client’s minds. And it may be on your mind too.

For many people, this may seem like an impossible task, especially if you’re a dieter or working on breaking free of dieting.

Typically, a vacation or traveling usually means “a break” from the routines of your regular life.

A break from your routine can mean—indulging in foods you don’t normally eat, experiencing new foods, and being spontaneous and flexible with your eating.

This “lack of routine”, especially for those just beginning their Intuitive Eating journey, can bring up a lot of difficult emotions surrounding eating, making food decisions, and being in a new, unfamiliar environment while vacationing. These emotions include shame, fear, guilt, and anxiety, and loads of “what if’s”.

What If…

There is often a lot of food fear and food worry when it comes to going on vacation, wondering if there will be food you can eat. The “what if’s” can fill your head leaving you anxious about the vacation that you really want to be looking forward to.

  • What if I go overboard?
  • What if they don’t have “healthy” foods for me to eat?
  • What if I can’t control myself?
  • What if my body lets me down?
  • What if I stop hearing my hunger/fullness signals?

To help combat some of these negative emotions and overwhelming “what if’s”, here are 4 KEY POINTS to keep in mind:

1.Eating is eating no matter where you are.

 Many people glorify and place unnecessary pressures on eating and making food choices while traveling. However, nothing has to change or look different from a usual day of eating. Eating can still be “normal” even while vacationing. This is a powerful mindset shift that will help take the pressure off eating while vacationing.

Think about it—if you are currently eating without rules and restriction, honoring your hunger and eating until satisfied… why should your eating look any different while you are traveling?

2.Intuitive Eating is not only about honoring your hunger and fullness.

Traveling opens the door to a whole host of great experiences. From trying new foods to learning about a new culture or cuisine—the experiences are endless, and you shouldn’t be denying yourself from having these experiences. Although it’s important to honor your hunger and fullness signals, there are times in which this shouldn’t be the only thing you’re focused on.

For example, while vacationing there may be a time you get the opportunity to try a new food that is incredible, and you notice that you ate past comfortable fullness. Or, while engaging in a fun activity, time gets away from you and you suddenly realize you’re way hungrier than feels comfortable.

In both scenarios, these are temporary moments of discomfort—they don’t last forever and it is absolutely OKAY! Avoid hyper focusing on those moments. Fixating on those moments (like beating yourself up, restricting, etc.) will cause you to miss out on experiences you may not get to experience again.

Remember, there is no perfection in Intuitive Eating!

3.Focus on satisfaction.

An important part of Intuitive Eating is the feeling of satisfaction. Intuitive Eating allows you to give yourself permission to eat what sounds and feels good for you without any conditions attached to it—and believe it or not, this permission is still present while vacationing!

Don’t be “conditional” with your permission. Eat what sounds good to you, allow yourself to eat everything on your plate or leave some behind, eat when others aren’t but you feel the need to, and say no when something doesn’t appeal to you.

You are in charge!

4.Remember compensating is not necessary.

There is no need to threaten yourself with an intense workout regimen or a “cleanse”, or “detox” while traveling or vacationing. Movement is great but if the intention is to “punish yourself” for eating a little out of “routine” or because you ate until a little bit overfull- I think it’s best if you hit the brakes to remind yourself that those are old dieting behaviors, and you don’t need them anymore!

You got this! Happy travels!!