This sounds very similar to intuitive eating! I'm reading the book at the moment to help myself get rid of my calorie counting obsession... still haven't tried it but it sounds promising!

A long time ago I took the Jon Cabot Zinn stress reduction course at UMass medical Ctr. http://www.umassmed.edu/cfm/stress/index.aspx

One of the exercises was to eat mindfully.

We all sat in a circle. We each received a single raisin. We were told to relax, to contemplate all we knew about raisins, to savor it before we even put it into our mouth.

Then to chew and keep only thinkiong of that bite of raisin, not let thoughts randomly enter on anything else.

It was interesting.

I, for one, eat much too fast. I must consciously slow myself, to savor what is nourishing me.

It does give one pause. For if it was a food that I should not eat I would stop and proobably think twice before consuming it. Or only have one bite and see if that satisfied the craving.

Usually is does,

Cravings supposedly can be linked to deficiencies.  http://www.psha-inc.com/guai-support/sf/tastetests.htm

MAGNESIUM TEST 1/8 tsp. Epsom Salts in 8 oz water. Stir and taste. If you don't need it, it will taste thin or bitter. If you do need it, it will taste like plain water or even better than plain water. It may taste thickor sweet if you are severely deficient.

One example from the page.

It makes some sense to me....if that applies during pregnancy I wonder what deficiency is linked to eating all those crazy combinations I've heard about :P...heard some pretty crazy ones.

When I think back, I've personally been yo-yo dieting for about 30 years. I'd finally come to a point where I realized calorie counting alone would not help me. Let's face it, after 30 years of dieting, I know almost everything there is to know about nutrition and what I should be eating. My problem was that I had this eating monster inside of me that no diet program could ultimately silent, so after a few weeks of following the diet I always went right back to my same old eating patters.  

In and around the time I came to that realization, I found Dr. May's program on Calorie Count and knew it was the answer I'd been waiting for.

Going through her process and learning to take the time to dig in and understand why I eat was exactly what I needed. Her workshop has totally changed the way I think and react to food and I've literally lost weight without dieting and I feel great. Even better, I know I will never have to go on another diet or count another calorie in my life!

What mindful eating means to me? BRAAAAIIIINNNNSSSSS

Great article!

I have about 8 days eating without any other distractions like TV, newspaper, radio, computer, phone or tablet as I did and I have felt some changes like: I eat slower, I enjoy more my meal and I eliminate the stress while I eat.

Sometimes we eat when we in a rush and we think we can assimilate information while we eat but we aren't assimilating all the information and I don't mean the one we are reading or wathching while we eat, we lose attetion about what we are eating how it looks, how it really taste and smell. Is like eating popcorn watching a movie when you realize the movie is not even in the middle of it and you already ate the bag of pop corn.  

I plan and prepare my meals for the entire week on Sunday evening, that way there is no thought needed, everything is already laid out for me.  I only have to think about WHAT to eat and how much to eat on Sunday night, and then stay the course the rest of the week.  But I do need to work on slowing down when I eat.

That's interesting regarding your statement of your "obession with calorie counting."  I too am an extreme calorie counter, however never thought about it as an obsession.  Let me know if the book you're reading leads to any relaxation of calorie counting.  I'd be interested to know.  Thanks! :-)

Original Post by: ellaay

This sounds very similar to intuitive eating! I'm reading the book at the moment to help myself get rid of my calorie counting obsession... still haven't tried it but it sounds promising!

That's interesting regarding your statement of your "obession with calorie counting."  I too am an extreme calorie counter, however never thought about it as an obsession.  Let me know if the book you're reading leads to any relaxation of calorie counting.  I'd be interested to know.  Thanks! :-)

Original Post by: ellaay

This sounds very similar to intuitive eating! I'm reading the book at the moment to help myself get rid of my calorie counting obsession... still haven't tried it but it sounds promising!

That's interesting regarding your statement of your "obession with calorie counting."  I too am an extreme calorie counter, however never thought about it as an obsession.  Let me know if the book you're reading leads to any relaxation of calorie counting.  I'd be interested to know.  Thanks! :-)

Thanks for the great post Michelle!  The more natural the process of healthy eating is, the easier it is to maintain and hopefully it becomes a standard part of everyday life, awesome insights!

Original Post by: nannam

A long time ago I took the Jon Cabot Zinn stress reduction course at UMass medical Ctr. http://www.umassmed.edu/cfm/stress/index.aspx

One of the exercises was to eat mindfully.

We all sat in a circle. We each received a single raisin. We were told to relax, to contemplate all we knew about raisins, to savor it before we even put it into our mouth.

Then to chew and keep only thinkiong of that bite of raisin, not let thoughts randomly enter on anything else.

It was interesting.

I, for one, eat much too fast. I must consciously slow myself, to savor what is nourishing me.

It does give one pause. For if it was a food that I should not eat I would stop and proobably think twice before consuming it. Or only have one bite and see if that satisfied the craving.

Usually is does,

i love this idea. i love raisins. and what better way to be mindful than to first contemplate the raisin and mentally savor it, and then to eat it, just one single, little raisin, and to realize how flavorful that tiny morsel is...  I am very guilty of not paying attention to what i eat and to be doing other things while eating. I love roge00 movie theater popcorn analogy. Ive often finished eating something and thought, gee that sure went fast. .. :-(

Original Post by: bcruz23513

I actually just got done reading: Eat what you love, Love what you eat. It's a great book and has helped me tremendously!

Thank you bcruz23513 and youngl2! I'm so glad you are discovering your inner expert.

kykoka7024, although I write articles for CalorieCount, as a recovered yoyo dieter, I don't count calories - or recommend it. The reason is that many people over-diet the same way they overeat: they are still thinking about food all the time! (In chapter 1, I call that the Restrictive Eating Cycle. See the link in my bio above to download the chapter.)

I also know that many people on this site are here for support and education - and maybe a new idea that could finally turn their eating issues around. Mindful eating is exactly that kind of revolutionary thinking. As you dig deeper into the concept, you discover that the things you've been told about weight management or always believed to be carved in stone aren't necessarily true. 

But as a wise person said: You don't know what you don't know - until you know it!

In the best Ally McBeal episode ever, Ally teaches Georgia to savor her morning coffee. I try to think like that before each meal, and enjoy it for what it is!

what book is that?

could you please explain how you prep for a weeks menu??? I would love

to do this to help me this is my problem..i linger on what to cook and then i want to snack snack snack while i figure it out..

Please tell us how you do your meals????

Original Post by: noglo2

what book is that?

noglo2, if your question was intended for me, I am the author of this article and a book called Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat: How to Break Your Eat-Repent-Repeat Cycle. It is a mindful eating program to help people break out of mindless and emotional eating patterns and chronic yoyo dieting.

(There is a link to the first chapter in my bio box at the end of the article above.)

It's difficult to mindless eat when you don't have a brain, LOL!
It is the proper way to eat' no doubt. I include an hour of exercise just in
case my "Inner expert" is lying to me.

Original Post by: chatty53

could you please explain how you prep for a weeks menu??? I would love

to do this to help me this is my problem..i linger on what to cook and then i want to snack snack snack while i figure it out..

Please tell us how you do your meals????

chatty53: Having appealing food available that provides a great balance of nourishment and enjoyment is an important part of mindful eating.

We have a collection of our favorite nutritious delicious recipes (we shared a bunch of them in the back of the book) and we try to keep key ingredients on hand at all times - fresh veggies and herbs, lean proteins, olive oil, basics for sauces like pesto or marinara, etc. That way, it is easy to assemble the ingredients relatively quickly.

Make an extra serving or two and pack it for lunch while you are serving your dinner. That saves time and it reminds you that you don't need to eat it all now because you get to have it again tomorrow!

Months ago I vowed to eat mindfully, and I found it excruciating. I just had no idea how devoted I was to reading/Sudoku/watching TV while I ate. I was just shoving the food in as fast as I could, while simultaneously distracting myself from the experience.

And I say I love to eat? Doesn't add up.

I was only able to eat mindfully for about 2 days before I reverted to my old behaviors.

A friend suggested that I try just ONE MEAL a day and that worked for me.

I decided that no matter what, I would eat breakfast each day mindfully--without distractions and putting my fork down between every bite. And THAT was hard enough--but one meal was doable.  I was able to stick with it for several months.

This post reminds me: now that eating breakfast mindfully is firmly established as a habit, it's time to add lunch!

2notrump - Thank you for sharing your experience and great advice with us. I often say, if you love to eat, act like it! But as you demonstrated, changing entrenched behaviors is challenging - and absolutely worth it!

As you add more mindfulness to your meals, you'll likely discover that you also add more mindfulness to other aspects of your life. Little by little, you'll move from unconscious distraction - sleepwalking through life - to living fully and vibrantly.

A good dose of common sense in reference to intuitive eating habits is often just what I need to keep me on track and keep my weight loss goals in perspective.

Another book that encourages mindful eating is Paul Mckenna’s book, I CAN MAKE YOU THIN. The accompanying guided hypnosis CD helps readers stay focused.