Motivation and "Mindful Eating"

Hi gang,
I went to a workshop yesterday and the gal who spoke was uplifting and real.
It ties in with motivation, how you reach for food and what you are doing when you eat and enjoying your food, taking your time to realize what you are putting in your mouth.

Definition of Mindfulness:
Deliberately paying attention, without judgement, to one's own experiences.
(That means stop beating ourselves up when we eat something we feel guilty about.)
Cultivating openness to, and acceptance of all experiences.
(Okay we ate that cookie, accept it and move on, just keep trying to do better, maybe not "treat yourself on the next day)
Happens in the present moment. (don't dwell in the past)

Goal of Mindful Eating:
Reduce the greatest number of calories with the least amount of sacrifice.

One bite of food averages 35-50 calories-a reduction of 9 bites per day equals 1/2 to 1 pound of weight loss per week.

Okay now stay with me here, keep reading...You know about the Pain Scale when you were in the hospital? Below is an EATING SCALE...now this I could identify with!

0 Extremely Hungry (Physicall sick, nauseous from not eating)
1 Very Hungry (Need to eat is very strong, may be light headed
2 Hungry (Sense of emptiness or hollowness in stomach)
3 Physically Hungry (The first sensations of physical hunger but you are in charge and can start planning what you are going to eat)
4, 5, 6 Trigger Eating (Eating for any reason other than physical hunger
7 No Longer Hungry (At this pint you are no longer hungry but you have no sensation of anything in  your stomach)
8 Full (You feel the 1st sensations of fullness. Anytime you  have any sensation of anything in your stomach you are at least an 8)
9 Very Full (Your stomach is starting to stretch)
10 Extremely Full (There is a large enough volume to cause the stomach to feel significantly stretched)

May you all have a great day,  hope some of you can use this tool. Anything that can help us with motivation and eating habits is a plus!

Great Info! I like thinking about hungry along the lines of the pain scale. It helps me to remember that being hungry isn't a state of emergency~its ok to be hungry sometimes and doesn't need immediate action if its not convenient at that time.

Amen to that one Tracy.
I just don't like to get to the point of no return which is for me being at that truly hunger stage when you will eat anything that's not nailed down!! I don't go to that stage very often but when I do that's when I reach for the crap like chips or crackers. Not giving my body the fuel it needs doesn't help me in the long run.

You have a great day.

I hear ya! I don't like getting to that point either b/c its just so easy to make poor choices in that state of mind! So, if I do get to that point I have to remind myself its not an emergency and I can take 20 or 30 minutes to make something healthy vs shoveling something else down quickly. Sometimes the reminder works and sometimes it doesn't

Yes, we are constantly a work in progress. It never ends for us but when we honestly embrace this lifestyle change it makes our lives so much easier in the long run.

I learned about mindful eating when  I worked at an eating disorder home.  They had mindful lunches once a month and it was a good way to connect with food and feelings.  Journaling during the lunch was also encouraged.  I think it is a great tool for us as well!