What is Mindful Eating?

The first "mess" I tried to tackle was my weight. I had gained and lost hundreds of pounds by the time I was in my mid 20s. At 350 pounds I realized the problem was the way I thought about food. I had been indoctrinated by many diets. Each one came with its list of "good" and "bad" foods. However, that list changed whenever I changed diets.  It was maddening! I was diagnosed with a common hormonal disorder called Polycystic Ovary Syndrome or PCOS. One of the main pieces of advice I got was to "diet and exercise" to lose weight. So... I figured I was screwed. I hadn't been able to keep weight off successfully and I didn't think that would change just because I had a new diagnosis. Then I was introduced to a concept called mindful eating. 

Mindful eating is not what a lot of people think. It is not simply being "mindful" of your food choices or choosing foods that are considered "good". Mindfulness is a practice of intentional awareness, experiencing the present moment without judgement. A simple sentence to comprehend, but difficult in practice. We are surrounded by so many distractions outside of us. And, if you are like me, you often get distracted by all the thoughts that circulate in your mind throughout the day. So, I was distracted by the outside and the inside. I knew this was going to take some serious work, but I also knew the way I approached food was not working for me, so the hard work had to be done. 

I found applying mindfulness to food extremely difficult at first because it was totally different from anything I tried in the past. I had to learn to:

1. Pay attention to my physical hunger and fullness as a guide to start and finish eating.

2. Choose foods that made my body feel good.

3. Allow myself to experience joy or satisfaction from the foods I chose to eat without judgement.

All of this meant I had to pay attention to my body, the thing I tried to ignore as often as possible because "it" brought me so much pain. I had to connect with the part of me that my brain had been doing its best to disconnect from. 

I got serious and devoted a lot of my day to paying attention to my body. I realized I didn't even recognize physical hunger, so that was where I started. Every time I thought "I'm hungry" I'd ask myself if I was truly hungry or if I just wanted food. I often reached for food due to emotions, stress or boredom. It was a process, but I eventually learned how to (mostly) reach for food when I was physically hungry, stop when I was satisfied and not judge myself for what I chose to eat. The mental energy that process freed up for me has been priceless. I can spend my time enjoying my family and friends instead of obsessing what I'm eating in their presence. I give myself enough fuel to have energy to get through my day instead of severely restricting like I had in the past in an effort to lose weight. I allow myself to feel my feelings and deal with them in healthier ways. 

One of the end results of my struggle with food and my body was something beautiful... it gave me the experience and knowledge to help others learn to trust their bodies again and reclaim their own power. This experience has definitely been part of my beautiful mess and I'm grateful I get to share it with you.