Mindful Eating: How to Eat Less at Meal Time

Looking for a cool trick on how to eat less at meal times? A useful technique is the practice of "Mindful Eating". This is an easy, quick form of meditation that helps you control the urge to stuff yourself!

Here's how it works:

Before you gobble down the first bite, pause a moment, take a few deep breaths, and reflect on what you are about to do. Think about why it is you are sitting down for this meal. Consider that the real purpose is not just to satisfy your cravings, but to provide your body with nourishment.

Now start eating, but chew each bite very slowly. Pay attention to the texture and taste of the food. Once you've eaten about half your plate, pause and take a few more deep breaths. If possible, take a 10-minute break. Then decide whether you even need to eat the other half.

How to Eat Less: Meditate as you eat. Slow everything down at meal times.

That's all there is to it. Simple, right? You teach yourself how to eat less by slowing everything down and listening to your body.

This meal-time exercise is a form of meditation called "mindfulness" or "awareness" meditation. The idea is to become highly aware of what you are doing so your body's automatic reflexes are no longer in control.

By taking conscious control of your actions, you can stop compulsive eating and stress-related eating in its tracks.

Give mindfulness eating a try at your next several meals. If you practice enough, it will become a regular part of your eating ritual and you won't have to remind yourself to do it.

Take It Further:  Consider starting a personal meditation program (not just for mealtimes). By helping to relieve stress, meditating can actually help you lose weight.

According to a study by the University of New Mexico at Albuquerque, women who took a weekly meditation class lost about a pound a week.

If you don't have time to take a class, teach yourself. There are many free websites that explain the basics.

Or get a copy of the book Beginning Mindfulness: Learning the Way of Awareness, which is a ten-week course in mindfulness. I own this book and recommend it.

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