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Many of the articles posted within the emotional feelings network of sites were found at the website above... thanks so much & be sure to visit
them! There's so much information to be found there!
kathleen
  
Mindful eating, intuitive Eating & conscious eating are all terms used to describe a way of eating that uses
internal cues about hunger, appetite & fullness to guide our relationship with food.
Being atuned to & able to listen to our body allows us to know what & when we need to eat. The focus
is on learning to eat in a conscious way that helps our body to feel & function well.
Dieting, restricting, counting calories or fat grams & focusing on weight are NOT components of mindful
eating. Mindful eaters eat when they're hungry & stop when they're satisfied.
They eat the foods that they're hungry for. There's no list of "good" & "bad" foods.
In short,
mindful eating is the way that people who have a healthy relationship with food, who don't struggle with weight & who
don't diet have been eating all along.
When introduced to mindful eating, people often panic. "If there are no rules,
I'll eat all day long." In the short run, some people do eat more, but mindful eating isn't eating with abandon. Mindful
eating is eating consciously, being aware of the present moment; being aware of hunger & fullness; being aware of your
appetite & what you are really hungry for.
Mindful or intuitive eating involves learning to be conscious of the difference between hunger & other eating
cues such as painful emotions, boredom, or tiredness.
The Secret:
The secret to success with mindful or intuitive eating is this:
You must remember or re-learn how to eat consciously -without shame, guilt,
fear & with careful attention to your body & what it needs & wants. Doing this also requires learning what to
do when what your body & mind need & want are not food.
You must learn to listen respectfully to your body & learn to nourish
your body & spirit without food when food isn't what's called for.
The Essentials:
Since 1995, I have worked with individuals to help them break unhealthy cycles of dieting, restricting, binge
eating and overeating by establishing mindful or conscious eating habits. There are two essential components for creating
an enduring habit of mindful eating.
1. A Mindful Check-in
Practice
The goal of mindful eating is to stop both obsessing about food/diet
& stop going on automatic pilot with food / eating. In order to be successful, you'll need to create a consistent method of checking in -staying connected with yourself & with what you're feeling
& needing so that you can respond to these needs & desires & avoid emotional eating. You'll need to find a practice
that works for you & fits with your personality & your strengths. If the practice you choose doesn't suit you, you
won't stick with it.
This may be something you do daily when you get up in the morning
or before a meal or when you get home from work. The only requirements are that it be done consistently & that it is something
that helps you focus inward, without distractions. It's often useful to have a few ways of doing mindful check-ins at various
points in your day.
Examples of possible mindful
check-ins: mindfulness meditation, journal writing or free writing, walking or running, prayer or contemplative time.
Often people start with writing. It might be useful to write about whatever's
on your mind for 15 minutes every morning. Especially in the beginning, it's helpful to keep an emotion / food log - noting
how you're feeling & how hungry you are before you eat. The process of writing slows you down & forces you to think
- to be mindful - of your eating.
2. A Support System
It's very important to have people (or
a person) who support & encourage your belief system about not dieting. Your support system should honor your goals, celebrate your successes & help you stay accountable towards being the person you want to be.
Your support system may help you to be consistent with your mindful practice. Your supporters know that you are not your weight or your clothing size. They're there for you when you doubt yourself or your path
& when you hit roadblocks or find yourself in a place or with a feeling where you don't know what to do. They can help
you figure out what to do when you know you aren't hungry but feel like turning to food.
People create this support system in a variety of places. Your support may be available in friends you already have. Sometimes, however, the mindset of dieting is so entrenched in our families
or social circle that it might be helpful to move outside your current life for support. A group, an online message board, or an intuitive eating class can be very helpful.
Sometimes
people choose to work with someone individually. As a Personal Coach, I work with individuals to help them successfully move out of a dieting mentality, to develop meaningful mindfulness check-in strategies
that honor & utilize their particular strengths.
We work together to get thru the scary parts of giving up calorie counting
& weigh-ins. In some situations, a therapist can be helpful to you in moving beyond emotional eating. If you find that
the emotions behind your eating are overwhelming or if dieting feels out-of-control, you should consider working with a therapist
who specializes in these issues.
Remember:
Mindful eating is about putting your relationship with food into perspective. When we do
that successfully, we find that it means developing new ways of taking care of ourselves without resorting to food or to dieting.
It's a challenge but the rewards are tremendous. Developing mindful check-in
practices & a solid support system will create a firm foundation for success.
a personal note about an exercise in my own personal growth recovery process...
Those of you who haven't joined
the night eating 101 group at yahoo groups, click the link below to join! we have some very
caring and friendly people in the group all facing night eating.
Although I haven't
been night eating in a few years, I still have poor eating habits. I could begin night eating
again at any time. My sleep habits aren't good at all, in fact, that's an understatement.
So in my own personal growth journey
of recovery, I'm posting at the group some of the exercises I am practicing in my own recovery. Today, i.e., April 18, 2007, I
planted herbs for an indoor windowsill herb garden. I only started it. It's an exercise in learning to nurture something
that I haven't been able to nurture before. I've always killed every plant I've had, except for the three ivy vines that I
keep in water, no dirt, in wine bottles on my windowsill. Those vines have the roots in water and still I seem to forget to
fill them with water until they're almost dead, but I have kept them alive, barely for quite a few years.
Anyway... sorry, I am learning
to self soothe myself in working this indoor herb garden. Gardening is relaxing, soothing and I need to do more of that. I
am also learning to become more mindful and aware, by having to take care of these plants that are in my face every time I
go into my kitchen, but I tend to procrastinate with plants, and kill them everytime I have one.
So being aware
& mindful is another point of this exercise, which I am sharing my progress with the
group! Stop by and join the group - we share our emotions, feelings and techniques that help night eaters!
kathleen
Click to join nighteating101
consider joining us in the newly formed "night eaters
group" at yahoo groups! there's a few new members who have joined already & articles posted in the database for added
help to those trying to stop night eating! it's a support opportunity for those experiencing night eating.... join us....
we'd love to see you there! click the above yahoo groups link to join!
19 new members as of 5/24/07
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Mindfulness & Eating: Divine
Desk Dining
By Maya Talisman Frost
Are you stuck eating lunch at your desk again?
Lucky you.
You see, staying put can be surprisingly soothing compared
to making a mad dash to the cafe for a sandwich & running back to your office, all the while worried that you’ll
miss an important call.
If you feel chained to your desk, try viewing it instead
as a powerful anchor that keeps you from drifting mindlessly.
Desk dining can be
the epitome of mindlessness - or a remarkable opportunity to slow down, reconnect & enjoy a delicious moment or two.
You can choose a chug-&-chew cubicle lunch or settle in for a session of mindful mastication.
Mom always told us to slow down & chew our food properly. She was more worried about choking, indigestion
& bad manners than she was about the possibility that we'd grow up to be disconnected from our experience of dining.
As usual, Mom made good sense. New research indicates that becoming more mindful of every mouthful
is a powerful way to reduce our food intake, increase our meal satisfaction & savor more than just the taste of our veggie
on rye.
Jean L. Kristeller, Ph.D., is professor of psychology & director of the Center for the Study of Health,
Religion & Spirituality at Indiana State University. Over the last 10 years, she's been working on ways to help overweight
individuals develop greater awareness of their eating triggers using mindfulness meditation.
Her program is being applied in a number of different settings & the results have been quite promising.
There’s
even a fancy term for her technique of paying attention to what you put into your mouth - Mindfulness-Based Eating Awareness
Training, or MB-EAT for short. It’s not rocket science - just a simple way to assess your needs & attend to the
process of eating slowly.
Even if you don’t have an eating disorder, chances
are you’ve had more than a few meals on the go. Perhaps you are a practiced drive-and-diner, grabbing your order from
the drive-thru window & perfecting your food balancing technique. More likely, you’ve eaten an entire lunch while
simultaneously answering phones and typing out email messages - & not really tasting a single bite.
Don’t
curse your go-go lifestyle. Instead, choose to savor a slow-slow moment—even if it’s just a two-minute yogurt
break.
Your divine desk dining experience starts with a couple of deep breaths and a commitment to focusing for two—count
‘em, TWO—minutes. Feel your belly, and pay attention to any hunger pangs. Check in to see if you are eating now
because it’s lunch time, because you are ravenous, or because you know you won’t get a chance to eat for several
more hours. Take note.
Then, take a bite. Put down your fork, spoon or sandwich, and simply chew your food slowly,
relishing the flavors and textures, just like Mom taught you. Do this for one minute, and then pause. Feeling better now?
Sometimes the simple act of chewing mindfully for just a moment can help us slow down enough to recognize that we’re
not that hungry.
Savor another minute of mindful mastication without getting wrapped up in thoughts of work or anything
else. Come back to “just this bite” until your two minutes are up. After that, feel free to eat at your normal
pace, and even if you get caught up in the type-and-swallow routine, simply note it.
We spend a lot of time and energy
bemoaning our busy lives. Instead, spend two minutes tasting mindfulness right there at your desk.
It’s simply
divine.
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Awareness is unity with the present moment. Being fully aware brings together your spirit, mind, emotions & body. And awareness is inherently expansive; it grows whenever you grant it the opportunity. Therefore, awareness is dynamic & constantly probing the edges.
Keeping your mind where your body is
a noble & sane way to live! J. Krishnamurti told a story about a man who came to see him to discuss his problems. A beautiful
butterfly flew into the room & circled several times. The visitor was so self-absorbed that he never saw the butterfly.
This tells us that, in the absence of awareness, self-absorption can run rampant. People often refuse to see this simple truth:
vi·tal·i·ty:
| 1. |
exuberant physical strength or mental vigor: a person of great
vitality. |
| 2. |
capacity for survival or for the continuation of a meaningful or purposeful existence:
the vitality of an institution. |
| 3. |
power to live or grow: the
vitality of a language. |
| 4. |
vital force or principle. |
Methods to develop awareness in your daily life:
Self-Awareness is your power to live in the now — the connecting point of God/truth/reality and the doorway to a rich and purpose-filled
life. It can be defined as having your mind present with your body during the activities of daily life.
So how do
you develop high levels of self-Awareness? There are many ways! Weave the following exercises into your day and watch your inner world bloom like springtime. Each
exercise can expand into all areas of your life. Think of it as working a garden. You may only till the surface on the first
day, but as you tend the garden daily over time — planting seeds, watering, and weeding — eventually it will flourish.
A ringing phone can be your wake-up call
When the phone rings, let it be a signal to wake
up. Be aware of yourself walking toward the phone and lifting the receiver. Notice any anxiety or expectation. Be alert to
the tone of your voice as you say “hello.” Don’t expect anything in the phone call to fulfill you. Let the
experience remain pure. Remember that awareness is always strong, poised and intelligent. Awareness knows what to say and
how to act.
Enjoy “fine” dining
The exercise of conscious dining
sounds simple, but there is far more to this than appears on the surface. Don’t let your mind be carried away by daydreams
that want to use breakfast, lunch, or dinner as a time to escape. Stay awake during your entire dining experience. Be aware
as you lift your fork from the table. Taste the food. Use this experience as an opportunity to discover your rich and purpose-filled
life. This practice enriches your health as well.
Turn off auto-pilot & tune into the
moment
Even a routine drive can provide an opportunity for a completely new experience. Feel your hands on the
wheel. Have interest and affection for what’s happening right now. Roll down the window and smell the air. Take a fresh,
new look at the sights along your way. Your commute to work may never be the same!
Remind
yourself to “Wake Up Now”
Write the letters WUN — Wake Up Now — on a piece of paper
and post it in your home or office. Let these letters remind you to drop all racing thoughts, come back to yourself, and suddenly
be awake and aware.
Walking with awareness wakes up your mind and body
Walking is even more energizing when accompanied by awareness. Feel the air on your face, see the colors come alive, and feel the weight on your feet. As you become aware, you’ll
bring together your spirit, mind, emotions, and body.
Do mechanical work consciously
A
spark of self-awareness can be present when you’re doing daily work, conversing with others, making plans, or enjoying
recreation. Author Vernon Howard explained this perfectly:
“Mechanical work supplies the visible rewards of food
and other daily necessities. Mechanical work, whether that of a carpenter or a professor, is work done without an aim of self-awakening.
Conscious work provides the invisible rewards of self-harmony and other spiritual necessities.
“Conscious work,
whether that of a carpenter or a professor, is work performed while using it for inner dawning.
“You can do
mechanical work without receiving payment, but you can never do conscious work without payment, though at times it may seem
delayed. You can learn to do mechanical work consciously, and when succeeding, you have overcome the world.”
Self-awareness
makes you more capable in whatever task you undertake. It infuses a mother with tenderness while caring for her children.
It lifts the business executive to new levels of effectiveness. The carpenter works with greater efficiency and skill. It
enhances a salesperson’s ability to communicate. Whatever your work, these principles work wonders.
You can transform
your daily life when you discover how to do mechanical work consciously.
Being aware keeps you in the oasis of the present moment
I attended a large public lecture by Vernon Howard in 1982. At
the end of his talk, he gave the audience this assignment: “Know you are walking through the doorway as you leave the
hall.” I walked out of the hall without being aware. Then, remembering that I forgotten to be aware, I paused by the
doorway to observe others as they departed. It was clear that they weren’t being aware as they were walked through the
door, just as I hadn’t been aware. Their attention was elsewhere. That day, I understood how advanced these exercises
are, in spite of how simple they appear to be.
These awareness exercises help us see when we’ve drifted away
from the oasis of the present moment. Regard this detection as a cool drink of water that enhances your life.
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