This is a great article and had lots of easy suggestions I'd never heard before as well as explained why they are good suggestions. Too often you hear someone say 'eay slowly' without saying 'why' for example.

Personally, I am just starting to learn to stop eating a treat part way through if it's not as satisfying as I expected it would be. This is very difficult for me as I feel gipped.

I'm an extremely fast eater and I'm always done before everyone else.  I also have the problems stated in the article with wanting more even though I'm full and eating until I'm stuffed.  Hopefully the tricks in this article will help with both of those.

Excellent article. I think the suggestions are spot on. Distracted eating is my worst habit, and I love the idea of striving to be conscious and present. The ability to enjoy food is such a gift. I like the idea of treating it that way. Printing and posting this one on my fridge

if you go on amazon.com if you have an account (its free) you can read some of the book the beginning anyways just click the look inside button

I try to stop and close my eyes when I am eating to try and just enjoy the taste of the food.  I used to eat so fast that I didn't even realize the taste of what I was eating.  Now I try to slow down and enjoy the tast of the food.  This article has a lot of really great things to try that I think will help me to do an even better job at enjoying my food!

This was really interesting. I have read many articles about appreciating wine this way but never food. I will definitely try this. During my weight loss journey I have learned to eat slower and to listen to my body more but never really thought about it this way!

I totally agree with this article; it mirrors what I, as a registered dietitian, have taught for years. It's a lot like the "Intuitive Eating" tips promoted by RDs Ellyn Tribole and Evelyn Resch; they have written a book on the subject.

There is a Zen Buddhist saying 

"When chopping wood, chop wood; when carrying water, carry water; when resting, rest."

Original Post by: pjsmommy08

if you go on amazon.com if you have an account (its free) you can read some of the book the beginning anyways just click the look inside button

You can also download the entire first chapter from:

http://amihungry.com/eat-what-you-love-book.shtml

I'm glad so many of you enjoyed the article. It can be summed up this way:

If you love to eat, act like it!

MMM, if I can just get myself to following those suggestions- easier said than done. I am a major multitasker and eating is no exception. I do that a lot on the run. By far my worst diet habit IS mindless eating...

A wonderful book that comes with a guided hypnosis cd about mindful eating is "I Can Make You Thin".  Check it out on Amazon.  Really, really good.

Original Post by: eliseboivin

MMM, if I can just get myself to following those suggestions- easier said than done. I am a major multitasker and eating is no exception. I do that a lot on the run. By far my worst diet habit IS mindless eating...

I know! You're not alone - our culture is really into productivity and hypertasking!

The problem is that our brain doesn't work well that way. It can only fully pay attention to one thing at a time so it will focus on the novel activity or the activity requiring thought - your work, the TV show, driving, etc. It places other activities on autopilot. Since we've eaten hundreds of thousands of times before, that is the activity that gets ignored.

I know my downfall is eating while watching TV. I need to slow down and sit at the dining room table. This is hard to do when everyone in the house has different work schedules. I'm sure once I get in the habit of eating like this the amount of food I "inhale" will decrease.

When I eat sushi, this is exactly how I eat. Slowly, savoring every bite. No wonder it's so satisfying! I have a terrible habit otherwise of reading/cruising on laptop/watching tv while eating, which does gyp my senses of just enjoying the food.  The other benefit of dropping the distractions is that eating w/ another person (ie my husband) becomes much more of a social event.  =)

greaat article that is something i need to really work on is to stop and eat not eat and work.  thanks or the great tips

On the note of savoring flavors/textures in what you eat...  My husband and I love to cook gourmet food.  One of the ways we enjoy food we eat that we haven't made--usually less healthy--is trying to guess what the ingredients are and figure out how we could reproduce it at fewer calories.  It's a fun game to get one's brain involved in eating.

Great article!  I notice that I'm more aware of when I'm becoming full when we leave the TV off at meals.  And if I'm splurging on a small portion of something rich (usually sweets), closing my eyes with each bite allows me to savor the flavor so much better and draw out the experience.  Yes, it looks a little bizarre if you're in public, but it makes the splurge so much more worth it!

I really liked this article. I've never really thought about what else I'm doing while I eat...I'm on the computer, watching tv or talking to friends and then a feel way too full after I eat. I like the suggestions for just focusing on eating, and not using food as a side to whatever else you are doing. Very helpful!

Great article! I am one of those people who can eat anything because I really don't have taste buds that distinguish between different flavors very well. However, without "sensitive" taste buds, I have found that I really LOVE foods that are extra spicy or "strong" (ie. garlic, onions, radishes, etc.) or really full-flavored like 72%+ cacao chocolate and dark red wines...

All of that to say... the ideas in this article REALLY work! I have begun a "I am not going to put it in my mouth unless I LOVE LOVE LOVE it" lifestyle and then I will savor every bite (as I used to just shovel it in as a means to an end)... This totally keeps me from finishing my kids' plates (so I am not throwing food away) and just eating out of dishes on the counter because the food hasn't been put back in the fridge yet. I am not going to eat that pizza unless I am sitting at a pizzeria in Chicago or NY with the most amazing piece of hand-tossed, fresh veggie, and provolone (or feta) pizza in front of me. I have had to force myself to be a picky eater (like my husband)!

The only down side is that I am usually the only person in my house who likes the food I make (so everyone else eats something else for dinner) AND if I wait too long to prepare my food and I am super-hungry, it is hard to take the time to prepare my food and resist the temptation to just grab a CLIF bar (which I also enjoy), leaving me with not enough calories for the day...

But, if you are a person who can eat anything, I strongly recommend finding the foods and flavors that you LOVE and making each meal around those and slowly savoring every bite! =) You won't regret it!

Happy Eating Healthy!! =)

Wouldn't it be better if it was called 'mindless' eating? If your 'mindfull', it means that your mind if full of thought therefore you aren't concentrating on what your eat, whereas if you are 'mindless' you can concentrate, pay attention, and enjoy what you eat much better?

Thinking 'mindless' works better for me than 'mindfull'

Also i'd like to  add that i've lost 30 pounds by attacking my 'mindfull' brain :D

Books that actually really helped me and are still helping me to achieve my weightloss books, are not diet books. It's books that help with attitude and thoughts like A New Earth, Ancient Secrets of Success, The Power of Now, the Secret, anything from Deepak Chopra...

I've been overweight all my life and have learned alot about nutrition throughout the years but it was never enough because it wasn't helping for the times that im full of anxiety (which i have a problem with) low self esteem, or depression.  What happened when this happens??? Overeating... and knowing all about nutrition doesn't really help when my ego feels the need for more, more, more to feel better... do we end up feeling better? NO!!

I think firstly to be successful we have to take care of the mind and become 'mindless' so we can concentrate on the day and do what we really set out to do which is to lose weight, and not be distracted about what happened a month ago or sometime in the past or distracted about what's to happen in the future.

great article,  made me go on a tangent lol... but i finally figured out what works for me, and it is all about controlling the thoughts, and not allowing negative ones dictate what you should eat, then my nutrtition knowledge works at it's best. 

i Might get this book I never know when im hungry i'll not eat all day without realizing it cause im not hungry but i'll get stomach aches and low sugar so i eat something to help that  like fruit and than i dont really eat again until like late round 11 or so i get hungry so i eat but than i still feel hungry  like i need to eat sometimes i have water incaseim thirsty but usually i have to go to bed to stop myself from eating :( cuz i just have to eat and i cant tell if im full or not. I guess Im messed up OCD with food or something

Original Post by: gvictoria2010

Wouldn't it be better if it was called 'mindless' eating? If your 'mindfull', it means that your mind if full of thought therefore you aren't concentrating on what your eat, whereas if you are 'mindless' you can concentrate, pay attention, and enjoy what you eat much better?

Thinking 'mindless' works better for me than 'mindfull'

I guess the term mindful is referring to having your thoughts focused on one thing at a time - vs. the constant mind full of thoughts and activities that can distract us from what we're doing.

Thanks for your comments everyone. Write back and let us know what it was like to eat with your full attention on eating.

Hi, this mindful eating article is very important to people struggling for weight loss.  We tend to eat "healthy foods", which we don't enjoy. Nonetheless, we still end up eating some stuffs that we love to eat despite trying to control such food intake.  Now, with mindful eating, I would get to enjoy the foods, which I like and at the same time, lose weight.

Thank you very much.  I will keep in mind that foods that we eat should also be appreciated in every way that we ought to.  Enjoy God's blessings!

I especially appreciate the suggestion that one enjoy the "perfect bite" first, in order to truly appreciate and savor it; and the reminder that if saved for the end of the meal, it could result in eating when already full.

I'm using this advice this morning with my cereal - sounds silly, but I ADORE my breakfast of Golean+FiberOne+dried fruit (blueberries, cranberries, raisins) and soy milk. Everything's measured - I know what I'm eating. But I save those fruity bites for the end - and eat the whole bowl even if full. 

If  few spoonfuls of just cereal were remaining and I was feeling satisfied, I'd let them go down the disposal. If fruit's involved, no way. 

This article will help me eat more mindfully - thank you!

Thanks everyone! There were a lot of ahas and great mindful eating suggestions scattered through your comments so I wanted to summarize some of them here:

• I am just starting to learn to stop eating a treat part way through if it's not as satisfying as I expected it would be.
• I love the idea of striving to be conscious and present. The ability to enjoy food is such a gift.
• Printing and posting this one on my fridge
• I try to stop and close my eyes when I am eating to try and just enjoy the taste of the food. 
• I have read many articles about appreciating wine this way but never food. (joanie79, I wrote an article about this called What Wine Tasting Can Teach You About Mindful Eating: http://amihungry.com/wine-tasting-mindful-eating.shtml)
• I need to learn how to eat intuitively and enjoy food and be satisfied.
• I need to slow down and sit at the dining room table.
• When I eat sushi, this is exactly how I eat. Slowly, savoring every bite. No wonder it's so satisfying!
• The other benefit of dropping the distractions is that eating w/ another person becomes much more of a social event.
• Something I need to really work on is to stop and eat, not eat and work. 
• One of the ways we enjoy food...is trying to guess what the ingredients are
• I'm more aware of when I'm becoming full when we leave the TV off at meals. 
• If I'm splurging on a small portion of something rich, closing my eyes with each bite allows me to savor the flavor so much better and draw out the experience. 
• Focus on eating and not use food as a side to whatever else you are doing. (I love the "side dish" concept - I'm going to borrow it!).
• I really LOVE foods that are extra spicy or "strong" (ie. garlic, onions, radishes, etc.) or really full-flavored like 72%+ cacao chocolate and dark red wines...
• I am not going to put it in my mouth unless I LOVE LOVE LOVE it.
• I have had to force myself to be a picky eater.
• I learned a lot about nutrition throughout the years but it was never enough because it wasn't helping for...anxiety, low self esteem, or depression. Knowing all about nutrition doesn't really help when my ego feels the need for more, more, more to feel better.
• We tend to eat "healthy foods" which we don't enjoy.
• If you save your favorite for the end of the meal, it may result in eating it when already full.

Yes, I savor each bite with pleasure.

Awesome article! As a kid, my mum would also encourage me to eat dinner quickly and finish everything on the plate, so I have never really learned to slow myself down and enjoy my food.

Thanks!