Emotional Health Consultant Dr Seema Rekha says that making mindfulness central to your eating choices can put you on the path to long term weight loss.
No one’s life should revolve around ‘weight loss’. Staying fit and healthy is more important, and we should choose a healthy, balanced life style which encourages synchronization between mind, body & soul.
‘Mindful eating’ is all about listening to your body. Our bodies signal their discomfort all the time: we can sense our sore throats, discomfort and pain when something is wrong, bloating, but we are used to ignoring these signs.
Breaking out of a vicious eating cycle
Prakhar is a senior director at a firm and eats mindfully all day. But around 1 a.m, he goes to the fridge and pulls out dessert or ice cream for himself. Then goes to bed again, feeling guilty. He wakes up with strong determination (mixed with guilt), but can’t seem to break the cycle.
Like him, many of my clients cite lack of determination or willpower as the reason they can’t lose weight. But I don’t see it that way. Instead, I feel their lack of progress is due to inappropriate goal setting. Making small and achievable goals is important and then celebrating small achievements also encourages you to stick with your plan.
Making choices that benefit the body
Conscious eating encourages you to identify, understand and analyse nutritional values of food intake. You can connect wisely with food by understanding your body’s response. Managing weight with the right nutrition, regular exercise, yoga and mindfulness is more likely to yield results.
Self discipline is all about persistence and practice. Never forget you alone are responsible for your health. Dependency on others for dieting, exercise, walk, gym is nothing but ignoring self-responsibility.
Identifying your emotions makes you self-aware, which is first step of mindfulness. In a nutshell when you think health, watch your thoughts and feelings. You are not what you eat, but how you think about yourself.