» Life Topics » Weight Management
Mindfulness and Structured Eating
By: Gerard J. Musante, Ph.D.
You can see the implications for Structured Eating. We often rush our meals and eat as if on autopilot. It’s common for people to eat while watching TV, reading the paper, or working at the computer – and sometimes doing all three at once! I speak to many people at Structure House who say that they “graze” or just “fill up,” as if they’re cows or cars. Many people eat – and often overeat – without paying much attention to the food in front of them. In this way, you miss out on the experience of eating.
In comparison to these half-oblivious states of filling up or chowing down, mindful eating encourages you to focus on the full experience of your food – the richness of the falvors, the subtlety of the aromas, the variety of the textures, and all the other aspects of eating that are pleasurable to the sense. Sometimes Structure House participants express worry that becoming so aware of their food will tempt them to overeat even more. I believe that the opposite is more likely. If you take your time while eating; if your process of consuming your meal is something you experience moment by moment; if you’re truly aware of what you’re doing at the table – then I believe that mindfulness will leave you more satisfied and less likely to overeat.
Mindful eating avoids the rush of compulsive eating and encourages a slower, more fully focused, more enriching experience – a meal consumed as a series of fully focused savored moments. Being more fully present with your self and your body while eating is a powerful way to explore a healthier relationship with food. For instance, Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn, a proponent of mindfulness, hands each of his students a single raisin and asks them to eat it as an exercise in mindfulness. I think you’d agree that most of us would simply pop the raisin in our mouth, chew a few times, and swallow, all without paying much attention, except perhaps to want more. But mindful eating – even when eating a single raisin – is much different.
Here’s a similar exercise you can try, this one using a tangerine as the object of mindfulness:
Take the tangerine and hold it in your hand. Is it cool, neutral in temperature, or warm to the touch? Is it soft or firm? What does the surface feel like – leather, plastic, something else?
Look at it closely. It is uniformly orange? Uneven? Flawed or unflawed?
Examine the tangerine as if you’ve never encountered one before. Wonder about it – what is it, where it came from.
Now smell the tangerine. Does it have a scent, or is it odorless?
Notice any urges to eat it – any sense of impatience, thoughts, feelings, or desires.
Holding the fruit in one hand, push into the skin with the other hand’s thumb or fingers and pull open the tangerine. What does that effort feel like…and does the sin resist your touch or open easily? Does it make a sound as you peel it back? What does the fruit smell like now? Savor the scent.
Peel the tangerine. Feel the damp lining of the skin. Look at the spiral you’ve pulled away from the fruit inside. Squeeze the peel and smell the little spritz of citrus oil it produces.
Be aware of your conscious decision to eat this fruit. Note any thoughts or feelings. … Do you feel any sense of excitement?
Now pull apart the little segments of tangerine and put one in your mouth. What does it taste like before you bite town? Now bite into the segment. How does the flavor change? Is it sweet, tart, or both?
Chew it slowly. Notice the textures – how they changes as the juice comes out and the segment empties.
Does this tangerine evoke any feelings or memories? (One person recalled a trip to Spain and the tangerine trees growing in her hotel’s garden. Another recalled experiences of Christmas during his boyhood, when tangerines were a rare seasonal treat). Practice being aware of the distinctions between the sensations in the moment and all the thoughts and feelings evoked by the act of eating.
Chew and swallow, feeling the pulp go down your throat and esophagus all the way to your stomach.
Gradually eat the rest of the tangerine, noticing sensations and thoughts as you proceed. See if you can taste each bite as fully as the first. Notice any changes in taste, any changes in sensation of hunger or satisfaction of your appetite.
Once you’ve finished eating the tangerine, pause and reflect on the experience. Notice any thoughts of “wanting more” or any feelings of “having enough”. What else can you be aware of before your transition to your next activity?
Mindful eating, like mindfulness in general, is not a panacea. As a way of being fully present to your own experience, however, it can make each meal a richer (and more enriching) experience. A deeper awareness of each moment – including the moments when you happen to be eating – will help to satisfy appetites that go beyond the physiological appetite for food.
Once you’ve gathered and mastered the use of your tools, you can build a stronger house and you will be able to make all the necessary repairs for years to come.
Gerard J. Musante, Ph.D., is the founder and director of the residential weight loss facility, Structure House Center for Weight Control and Lifestyle Change. As one of the nation’s leading experts on obesity, he has helped thousands of overweight and obese people to win their battles with weight and other health issues.
Source: The Structure House Weight Loss Plan
Link: Find a Therapist
Take a test:
See also:
|
 |
 |
|
