Meditate to lose weight?

How often do you tell yourself that you don’t have enough time to do important healthy things for yourself… like eating healthy or meditating?

My guess would be a lot. And you’re not alone. It seems like we’re all high on healthy aspirations but low on time.

The question is: What can you do about it?

Well, the good thing about meditation, for example, is that you can do it during any part of your day — you don’t have to be sitting cross-legged on the floor on a meditation cushion.

In fact, you can meditate while you’re doing lots of other things—and when you do it’s called being “mindful.” This basically means you’re focusing all of your attention on whatever you’re doing at the moment, without getting lost in your thoughts.

You can be mindful while you drive (probably a good idea), while you write an email, while you walk through the grocery store or while you do laundry. And being mindful throughout your day has similar mental and physical health benefits to a more traditional eyes-closed, sitting-on-a-cushion type of meditation. Mindfulness reduces stress, improves memory and gives your brain an overall cognitive boost.

But if you decide to practice mindfulness at the dinner table, you’ll experience another important benefit… you’ll eat healthier and lose weight too. And the really great thing about that is you’re knocking out two important health goals with one stone — you’re meditating and you’re eating better.

Several research studies have shown that practicing mindfulness while you eat helps you make better food choices, eat less and lose weight — especially if you’re prone to binge eating. That’s why health psychologist and University of Missouri researcher Lynn Rossy has focused her career on educating people about mindful eating as an alternative to extreme dieting.

“You can eat anything you want, as long as you do it mindfully,” said Rossy. “Mindful eating means choosing food that will satisfy you and nourish your body as well as being aware of physical hunger and satiety cues. Food should be pleasurable to your taste buds and to your body. Rather than depending on a prescribed or fad diet, the mindfulness-based eating solution teaches people how to use their own internal signals to guide how, when, what and why they eat.”

It sounds like a good plan — especially if you’re sick and tired of dieting. And the fact that it gives you the benefits of a regular meditation practice doesn’t hurt either. Here are a few simple steps you can try if you’re ready to start your mindful eating practice at your next meal:

• Take a deep breathe.
• Pay attention to your body’s hunger signals to make sure you’re actually hungry.
• Take a look at the food in front of you and decide if it’s something you actually want to eat.
• When you decide to start eating, slow down. Pay attention to the sensations you feel.
• Halfway through your meal, stop and observe your stomach. Are you still hungry? If not, stop eating.
• Chew your food slowly and thoughtfully.
• Experience each bite as fully as possible. Observe the smell and taste of the food, as well as the sensations in your body.

This simple practice has the potential to revolutionize your health. You’ll feel calmer, happier, more satisfied — and a whole lot lighter too!

Sources:

1. “What are the benefits of mindfulness?” The American Psychological Association. http://www.apa.org. Retrieved July 19, 2016.

2. “Mindful eating may help with weight loss.” Harvard Medical School. http://www.health.harvard.edu. Retrieved July 19, 2016.

3. “Mindfulness key to eating what you want while preventing overeating.” MedicalXpress. http://medicalxpress.com. Retrieved July 19, 2016.