Mindful Eating and Weight Loss Drugs

The news is full of information about new weight loss drugs. And for many, this option for weight loss is lifesaving. However, even with the help of these drugs, having a healthy relationship with food is essential to achieving optimal mental and physical well-being.  One path we can take is practicing mindful eating. First, what is mindful eating? Very simply, mindful eating shifts the focus from body weight to well-being. This approach encourages you to let go of the idea of forbidden or bad foods and promotes unconditional permission to eat when and what food is desired.

Sound too good to be true? It does require that we learn new skills and make behavior changes, such as learning or re-learning, to recognize when we are full and push the pause button on eating. A mindful eating practice helps us realize how emotions impact our eating patterns. We become aware that we eat because we are tired, stressed, anxious, and even when we are happy. We stop labeling food as “good” or “bad.” Most importantly, our mindfulness practice helps us accept ourselves, avoid negative, self-defeating self-talk, and take a more self-compassionate stance.

Mindfulness practice may be particularly relevant to eating and the treatment of obesity (Rogers et al., 2017). That’s because mindfulness is related to higher motivation levels and helps us be aware of hunger and satiety cues and triggers for unhealthy eating habits (Rogers et al., 2017). Mindful eating involves engaging our senses and noticing how we feel physiologically and psychologically. This learned behavior helps build self-acceptance and create a new and sustainable relationship to food. It involves developing a personalized, flexible approach that works with our individual differences and lifestyle versus strictly following external rules and guidelines.

Understanding Your Why

One of the most effective ways to commit to a healthy eating lifestyle is understanding your “why” -- that is, why is the commitment important to you? For example, research shows that when we are focused on a goal aligned to our values and what is truly important to us, we are more likely to stick to our goals. This is especially true when you shift your behavior to focus on making healthy eating choices. When we make resolutions or goals based on our dissatisfaction with our appearance, we are more likely to give up when we experience a setback.

Practice: Discover Your Motivation

PREPARATION/MATERIALS

• You can do this exercise upright or reclining, with your eyes open or closed, whatever feels right to you.
• Have a journal or pad and pen/pencil to make notes.
  Read through how to complete the practice before you begin.
• You do not need to follow the instructions for the practice to be effective.

HOW

• Begin by taking a few breaths, noticing any tension you need to release, like in your neck or shoulders, and taking a few additional breaths to help you relax.
• As you continue with your breath, consider the most critical aspects of your life. Perhaps it is your family, friends, work, health, or something unique.
• As you bring your priorities into your mind’s eye, consider why this aspect of your life is essential.
• Now, consider how being healthy and happy relates to your priorities. It means having the energy to do things that are important to you. For example, it might be playing with your children or grandchildren or pursuing a passion like hiking, learning something new, or volunteering in your community. Everyone’s priorities will be different and personal.
• Once your priorities are clear, please take a moment to visualize how it feels to have the energy and vitality to participate fully in those essential things.
• Next, contrast this image of yourself with not being able to participate because you are not at your optimal level of health. How does that feel?
• Try not to judge your past choices but accept that you have the power to make choices in the future that align with your values and what is essential.
• Before leaving this exercise, take another moment to visualize making choices supporting your healthy eating goals. Consider how those choices will make it possible to fully engage with people and activities most important to you.
• Just know that change is a process. Creating alignment between your values and your actions takes time and planning.
• The first step in this journey is to accept that you have the power to change your behavior to align with what is truly important to you.

REFLECT/CONSIDER

• Take a moment to note what will be your inspiration or your why for your healthy eating journey.
• Once you have that image in your mind, you can create a visual reminder of your inspiration and post it in a location to remind you of your commitment.

Next week’s blog explores Emotional Hunger.