Hi All,
This technique has been around for a while - just wondering if anyone has tried it.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1210629 ... 566_topbox
Tex
Have You Ever Tried Mindful Eating As A Diet Technique?
Moderators: Rosie, Jean, CAMary, moremuscle, JFR, Dee, xet, Peggy, Matthew, Gabes-Apg, grannyh, Gloria, Mars, starfire, Polly, Joefnh
Have You Ever Tried Mindful Eating As A Diet Technique?
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
I have never tried the mindful eating , but I can say that eating has never been a priority for me. I have never been a snacker and I seem to be just fine eating breakfast and dinner.
I'm also the type of eater that when I feel full, even if there is one bite left on my plate, I do not finish that last bite.
I can bake a cake or pie and eat one piece and if Jack doesn't finish the rest within the next 5 days, it goes in the trash.
I'm weird, huh????
Love
Dee~~~~
I'm also the type of eater that when I feel full, even if there is one bite left on my plate, I do not finish that last bite.
I can bake a cake or pie and eat one piece and if Jack doesn't finish the rest within the next 5 days, it goes in the trash.
I'm weird, huh????
Love
Dee~~~~
"What the heart gives away is never gone ... It is kept in the hearts of others."
I think mindful eating can reduce intake. A lot of people snack while watching TV and have no idea how much they're eating.
Dee - it's so intriguing that eating isn't a priority for you, but you love to cook. You must like the creating, but not the indulging. Like you, when I'm full, I stop. I had three potato chips left in my lunch today, and I just didn't feel like eating them. Threw out some of my cereal this morning, too. I don't see any point in eating after I'm full. I think, though, that some people never get the "full" feeling. They have to tell themselves they've had enough. I think it would be hard to stop eating if you didn't feel full.
Dee - it's so intriguing that eating isn't a priority for you, but you love to cook. You must like the creating, but not the indulging. Like you, when I'm full, I stop. I had three potato chips left in my lunch today, and I just didn't feel like eating them. Threw out some of my cereal this morning, too. I don't see any point in eating after I'm full. I think, though, that some people never get the "full" feeling. They have to tell themselves they've had enough. I think it would be hard to stop eating if you didn't feel full.
You never know what you can do until you have to do it.
Hey all
Mindfulness has been one of the most important parts of my recovery. Mindful eating is just a small part of it.
I eat to live as opposed to live to eat. Food for me is really a matter of sustenance as opposed to filling some inner spiritual need . I suspect that some small part of our nations obesity problem is a result of people trying to fulfill their lack of connectedness with food. Food may fill the hole but never fill the Whole. Trying to fulfill all ones needs with food is like spackling a crack in the wall with dry sand. Immediate gratification but no long term results. Resulting in eating all the inconvenience foods that so many of us have problems with.
Mindfulness to what I was eating and how I felt was a huge part of finding my intolerance's in the year that I felt I was totally on my own before discovering this group and I feel that it has been a large part in my continuing ability stay healthy.
Mindfulness has become an important part of my every day living. It is so easy to become trapped in reliving the past, or to become so afraid of the future that one totally forgets that the greatest joy is the present moment. The only time to do, to change, to be everything you would like to be.
Recommended reading
Jon Kabat- Zinn
“Where ever You Go There You Are” and “Full Catastrophe Living”
Or Online
http://lorinroche.com/
This is a huge subject . I hope anyone interested will explore it on their own and find it as gratifying as I have.
Love
Matthew
Mindfulness has been one of the most important parts of my recovery. Mindful eating is just a small part of it.
I eat to live as opposed to live to eat. Food for me is really a matter of sustenance as opposed to filling some inner spiritual need . I suspect that some small part of our nations obesity problem is a result of people trying to fulfill their lack of connectedness with food. Food may fill the hole but never fill the Whole. Trying to fulfill all ones needs with food is like spackling a crack in the wall with dry sand. Immediate gratification but no long term results. Resulting in eating all the inconvenience foods that so many of us have problems with.
Mindfulness to what I was eating and how I felt was a huge part of finding my intolerance's in the year that I felt I was totally on my own before discovering this group and I feel that it has been a large part in my continuing ability stay healthy.
Mindfulness has become an important part of my every day living. It is so easy to become trapped in reliving the past, or to become so afraid of the future that one totally forgets that the greatest joy is the present moment. The only time to do, to change, to be everything you would like to be.
Recommended reading
Jon Kabat- Zinn
“Where ever You Go There You Are” and “Full Catastrophe Living”
Or Online
http://lorinroche.com/
This is a huge subject . I hope anyone interested will explore it on their own and find it as gratifying as I have.
Love
Matthew
Matthew,
I think we're talking about two different concepts here, on two entirely differently levels. While I understand what you're describing, (at least I think I do), you seem to be alluding to an abstract philosophy that makes eating, (and virtually everything else), a quasi-spiritual experience, as part of some overall grand plan, designed to honor the body and the mind, in an integrated, and rather profound fashion, and there's certainly nothing inherently wrong with that. However, I'm simply talking about savoring the food, and the experience of eating it, so that a satiation response is triggered, in time to minimize the tendency to eat more than is necessary, (regardless of what one is eating). That's what the WSJ article is about, also. IOW, this is sort of a corollary of the "Pavlov Dog Theory", rather than an exercise in existential thinking. LOL.
Gloria,
I'm one for whom the "full feeling" seems to be delayed. (It shows up about half an hour to an hour after I finish eating, usually. LOL. Too late to do me any good. And you're right - it's too easy to keep eating, when you don't feel full.
I also lost my ability to feel hunger pangs about a year or two after my symptoms began, and they have never returned, (I've been that way for 7 or 8 years, now). Consequently, I eat out of habit, and usually eat more than I need, (just to be on the safe side. LOL).
I normally eat my biggest meal of the day, between about 12:30 and 1 pm. Today for example, I made a couple of deliveries between about 10 am and 3 pm, (because that was when we had a break between squall lines that have been moving through here today). I never felt hungry during the trip, of course, but I dutifully ate, after 3, and it felt the same as if I were eating on schedule.
Wow, Dee!
I don't believe I've ever encountered a good cook who didn't overeat. You're incredible. I was trained to "clean my plate" while growing up, but I agree, that's a bad practice. Most of my life, I never gained weight, no matter how much I ate. Since my surgery, though, my metabolism has changed, and I have to watch what I eat, or I gain weight. I may try some "mindful eating" - maybe it will drag out the process enough that I begin to feel full before I finish eating. LOL.
Thanks for the insight.
Love,
Tex
I think we're talking about two different concepts here, on two entirely differently levels. While I understand what you're describing, (at least I think I do), you seem to be alluding to an abstract philosophy that makes eating, (and virtually everything else), a quasi-spiritual experience, as part of some overall grand plan, designed to honor the body and the mind, in an integrated, and rather profound fashion, and there's certainly nothing inherently wrong with that. However, I'm simply talking about savoring the food, and the experience of eating it, so that a satiation response is triggered, in time to minimize the tendency to eat more than is necessary, (regardless of what one is eating). That's what the WSJ article is about, also. IOW, this is sort of a corollary of the "Pavlov Dog Theory", rather than an exercise in existential thinking. LOL.
Gloria,
I'm one for whom the "full feeling" seems to be delayed. (It shows up about half an hour to an hour after I finish eating, usually. LOL. Too late to do me any good. And you're right - it's too easy to keep eating, when you don't feel full.
I also lost my ability to feel hunger pangs about a year or two after my symptoms began, and they have never returned, (I've been that way for 7 or 8 years, now). Consequently, I eat out of habit, and usually eat more than I need, (just to be on the safe side. LOL).
I normally eat my biggest meal of the day, between about 12:30 and 1 pm. Today for example, I made a couple of deliveries between about 10 am and 3 pm, (because that was when we had a break between squall lines that have been moving through here today). I never felt hungry during the trip, of course, but I dutifully ate, after 3, and it felt the same as if I were eating on schedule.
Wow, Dee!
I don't believe I've ever encountered a good cook who didn't overeat. You're incredible. I was trained to "clean my plate" while growing up, but I agree, that's a bad practice. Most of my life, I never gained weight, no matter how much I ate. Since my surgery, though, my metabolism has changed, and I have to watch what I eat, or I gain weight. I may try some "mindful eating" - maybe it will drag out the process enough that I begin to feel full before I finish eating. LOL.
Thanks for the insight.
Love,
Tex
Hi All!
Actually, I think Tex and Matthew ARE talking about the same thing. Every book I have ever read about mindfulness contains a section on mindful eating. I don't believe mindfulness is an abstract philosphy - it's simply trying to be more right-brained.....focusing on whatever you are actually DOING in the moment rather than "living" constantly in your analytical, thinking, planning left brain. So many people go thru life thinking, worrying, judging, etc., without ever really being present. How many people read, watch TV, talk thru a meal and never really notice what they are eating, how it tastes/feels in the mouth? Always an interesting topic..........
Love,
Polly
Actually, I think Tex and Matthew ARE talking about the same thing. Every book I have ever read about mindfulness contains a section on mindful eating. I don't believe mindfulness is an abstract philosphy - it's simply trying to be more right-brained.....focusing on whatever you are actually DOING in the moment rather than "living" constantly in your analytical, thinking, planning left brain. So many people go thru life thinking, worrying, judging, etc., without ever really being present. How many people read, watch TV, talk thru a meal and never really notice what they are eating, how it tastes/feels in the mouth? Always an interesting topic..........
Love,
Polly
Blessed are they who can laugh at themselves, for they shall never cease to be amused.
Polly,
Hmmmmmm. While I can't argue with the validity of your observations, perhaps I am "unsuitable" for judging the merits of the whole right-side/left-side brain concept. I'm about 55 % right brained, and 45 % left brained, and IMO, while the left/right brain dichotomy is an easy-to-understand concept, and while actual research on lateralization is well delineated, much of the application of this information seems to be prone to exaggeration and misguided promotions, based on oversimplification and pseudoscience.
Other than reading a book or two on existentialism, decades ago, I have never consciously, (IOW intentionally), pursued this area of thought, nor have I intentionally practiced any of the concepts connected with it, such as you and Matthew describe. And yet, I don't believe that I have ever in my life eaten one bite of anything, (regardless of the setting), without noticing in detail, the taste and texture of the food. For example, right now, I can picture in my minds eye, any scenario that I choose to pull from my memory, where I ate anything at all, and the taste and texture of any and all of what I ate in that setting, is quite vivid in my mind - IOW, I can still "taste" it now, and I can "feel" the texture, palatability, whether it was good or bad, etc.
What this implies is that I always have been engaging in "mindful eating", to some extent. The part that I have not been utilizing is the suggestion to slow the process waaaaaaaaay down, so as to give the body time to assimilate the data, and respond more "appropriately". All of this is mechanical, of course, rather than philosophical. IOW, it resolves an internal communications problem, by allowing more time for nerve responses to trigger enzymatic and hormonal changes.
I am the world's worst about eating while reading and/or writing something on the computer - I do it constantly. If I eat "on the road", while making deliveries for work, I'll be reading a magazine while eating. And you know, of course, how likely it is that we eat "mechanically", while eating with others, as we get caught up in the conversations that always abound. IOW, I virtually never eat anything, while not doing something else that is very, very distracting, and yet I have always "captured" the essence of what I am eating, in my consciousness, and in my memory. I just assumed that was true for everyone. As you are probably well aware, smell, and taste, are the strongest keys for linking to memories filed away in our brains.
This probably explains why I find the "philosophy" of "awareness", "mindfulness", etc., to be an abstract issue, because I find the utilization of that concept to be automatic - we, (at least this applies to me), do it without ever even thinking about it. To my way of thinking, then, to raise this line of thought to a "philosophy for living", or something along those lines, is somewhat akin to trying to push the envelope of "reality" a bit beyond it's actual borders, thus my propensity to view it as an "abstract" concept.
A very interesting topic indeed, and obviously one for which we all have widely differing opinions. This is probably one of those areas where everyone is right, regardless of how they view the issue. What works for us, individually, is what counts, (which applies to virtually everything, I suppose, for that matter).
Thanks for the thought-provoking posts.
Love,
Tex
Hmmmmmm. While I can't argue with the validity of your observations, perhaps I am "unsuitable" for judging the merits of the whole right-side/left-side brain concept. I'm about 55 % right brained, and 45 % left brained, and IMO, while the left/right brain dichotomy is an easy-to-understand concept, and while actual research on lateralization is well delineated, much of the application of this information seems to be prone to exaggeration and misguided promotions, based on oversimplification and pseudoscience.
Other than reading a book or two on existentialism, decades ago, I have never consciously, (IOW intentionally), pursued this area of thought, nor have I intentionally practiced any of the concepts connected with it, such as you and Matthew describe. And yet, I don't believe that I have ever in my life eaten one bite of anything, (regardless of the setting), without noticing in detail, the taste and texture of the food. For example, right now, I can picture in my minds eye, any scenario that I choose to pull from my memory, where I ate anything at all, and the taste and texture of any and all of what I ate in that setting, is quite vivid in my mind - IOW, I can still "taste" it now, and I can "feel" the texture, palatability, whether it was good or bad, etc.
What this implies is that I always have been engaging in "mindful eating", to some extent. The part that I have not been utilizing is the suggestion to slow the process waaaaaaaaay down, so as to give the body time to assimilate the data, and respond more "appropriately". All of this is mechanical, of course, rather than philosophical. IOW, it resolves an internal communications problem, by allowing more time for nerve responses to trigger enzymatic and hormonal changes.
I am the world's worst about eating while reading and/or writing something on the computer - I do it constantly. If I eat "on the road", while making deliveries for work, I'll be reading a magazine while eating. And you know, of course, how likely it is that we eat "mechanically", while eating with others, as we get caught up in the conversations that always abound. IOW, I virtually never eat anything, while not doing something else that is very, very distracting, and yet I have always "captured" the essence of what I am eating, in my consciousness, and in my memory. I just assumed that was true for everyone. As you are probably well aware, smell, and taste, are the strongest keys for linking to memories filed away in our brains.
This probably explains why I find the "philosophy" of "awareness", "mindfulness", etc., to be an abstract issue, because I find the utilization of that concept to be automatic - we, (at least this applies to me), do it without ever even thinking about it. To my way of thinking, then, to raise this line of thought to a "philosophy for living", or something along those lines, is somewhat akin to trying to push the envelope of "reality" a bit beyond it's actual borders, thus my propensity to view it as an "abstract" concept.
A very interesting topic indeed, and obviously one for which we all have widely differing opinions. This is probably one of those areas where everyone is right, regardless of how they view the issue. What works for us, individually, is what counts, (which applies to virtually everything, I suppose, for that matter).
Thanks for the thought-provoking posts.
Love,
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
-
MaggieRedwings
- King Penguin
- Posts: 3865
- Joined: Tue May 31, 2005 3:16 am
- Location: SE Pennsylvania
Morning Tex,
I read our post about observing and tasting, etc. your food but ususally doing something else at the same time and not losing the sensation and appreciation. That is exactly the same thing that I was going to say. I sometimes now enjoy eating less than in the past since it has become so difficult due to MIs, etc.
Thanks for your insight.
Love, Maggie
I read our post about observing and tasting, etc. your food but ususally doing something else at the same time and not losing the sensation and appreciation. That is exactly the same thing that I was going to say. I sometimes now enjoy eating less than in the past since it has become so difficult due to MIs, etc.
Thanks for your insight.
Love, Maggie
Maggie Scarpone
___________________
Resident Birder - I live to bird and enjoy life!
___________________
Resident Birder - I live to bird and enjoy life!
Tex,
I'm envious that you are predominantly right-brained. I think I have spent 99.9% of my life being left-brained, so I guess that's why I am so drawn to ideas for enhancing my right brain. Striving to be more balanced, I guess. Indeed, I could be the poster child for the left-brain: scientist, always striving for GOALS rather than focusing on the JOURNEY as the most important part, time-oriented, multi-tasker, analytical, logical, intellectual, etc., etc., etc. Hopefully, I can become more balanced during the 2nd half of my life. I just read an interesting book whose premise is that, to solve the future problems of the world, we will need more of the right-brain functions/thinking. It made an impressive case for why.
Love,
Polly
I'm envious that you are predominantly right-brained. I think I have spent 99.9% of my life being left-brained, so I guess that's why I am so drawn to ideas for enhancing my right brain. Striving to be more balanced, I guess. Indeed, I could be the poster child for the left-brain: scientist, always striving for GOALS rather than focusing on the JOURNEY as the most important part, time-oriented, multi-tasker, analytical, logical, intellectual, etc., etc., etc. Hopefully, I can become more balanced during the 2nd half of my life. I just read an interesting book whose premise is that, to solve the future problems of the world, we will need more of the right-brain functions/thinking. It made an impressive case for why.
Love,
Polly
Blessed are they who can laugh at themselves, for they shall never cease to be amused.
Hi Maggie,
That's interesting, that we seem to be on the same wavelength. You know, I never gave it a thought, until it came up in this thread, but now that I'm aware of it, I wonder what it really means, and what causes us to be that way.
Love,
Tex
That's interesting, that we seem to be on the same wavelength. You know, I never gave it a thought, until it came up in this thread, but now that I'm aware of it, I wonder what it really means, and what causes us to be that way.
Love,
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Hi Polly,
Well, my numbers are so close, that I consider myself to be roughly "balanced" on the "right-side/left-side" utilization. After all, one or two different answers on a test could tip the test results slightly in the other direction, on any given day, possibly depending on the mood I'm in at the time.
In searching for a reason for this, I have a hunch that a keen interest in a couple of "fine arts" topics, during my "formative" years, had a lot to do with it, in my case. I've always loved photography. By the time I was ten, I already had assembled my own photographic darkroom, where I developed film, and made prints. This was back when home darkrooms were virtually unheard of, of course. Between the ages of 12 and 20, I was a musician, and music was a big part of my life during those years. I betcha those two hobbies helped to promote right-brain thinking for me.
Also, I almost never set "concrete" goals. I'm kinda like a goose - when I fly down off the roost in the morning, I head out in whichever direction I happened to be pointed at the time. I'm not sure this is a good thing, but it's the way I am. LOL.
Love,
Tex
Well, my numbers are so close, that I consider myself to be roughly "balanced" on the "right-side/left-side" utilization. After all, one or two different answers on a test could tip the test results slightly in the other direction, on any given day, possibly depending on the mood I'm in at the time.
In searching for a reason for this, I have a hunch that a keen interest in a couple of "fine arts" topics, during my "formative" years, had a lot to do with it, in my case. I've always loved photography. By the time I was ten, I already had assembled my own photographic darkroom, where I developed film, and made prints. This was back when home darkrooms were virtually unheard of, of course. Between the ages of 12 and 20, I was a musician, and music was a big part of my life during those years. I betcha those two hobbies helped to promote right-brain thinking for me.
Also, I almost never set "concrete" goals. I'm kinda like a goose - when I fly down off the roost in the morning, I head out in whichever direction I happened to be pointed at the time. I'm not sure this is a good thing, but it's the way I am. LOL.
Love,
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.