Mindful Eating over Weight Loss Programs for Kids

If you’ve heard of terms such as “mindful eating” or “conscious eating” before, you may wonder what they actually mean, or more importantly, how to practice them. Weight loss programs for kids are a great idea, but without the backbone of mindful eating, it is easy to get side tracked.
All too often, people decide to go on a diet and make a big process out of the decision. They announce their decision to family and friends, make a date to start the diet, and begin weighing religiously. Most diets start out well, but it’s not long before the cravings for certain foods begin and the constant effort becomes tedious.
Instead of deciding to go on a diet, you should decide to start living a healthy lifestyle.
When you start a healthy lifestyle, it is important to begin thinking about your decision related to food and physical activity. When it comes to food, you want to mentally evaluate your choices. For example, when you reach into the refrigerator for an evening snack, you can choose ice cream or a piece of fruit. When it’s time for breakfast, you can choose a bowl of oatmeal or bacon and eggs. Do you really need that in-between meal snack? Are you that hungry, and if so, why?
Environment also has a lot to do with mindful eating. Practicing mindful eating includes not eating as a multi-task. While eating, try giving all your focus to what your body NEEDS and focusing on your meal. Avoid any distractions. This will help you become more self aware as to what your body actually needs and hopefully help to regulate overeating.
1. What am I eating?
To say “I am eating a Pop Tart,” is not enough. You have to know what is in the Pop Tart. When you ask yourself what youre eating, you need to really think about the answer. This is why reading food labels is so important.
2. Where did it come from?
Did your food come from a farmer that lovingly cared for his crops or did it come from a factory where some body in a chemical suit pushed it down a conveyor belt? Chances are the food that came from the farmer is healthier for you than the food that came from the factory.
3. Why am I eating it?
This is a big question! Are you eating because you are craving something specific? Are you craving salt, sugar, or carbs? Are you eating because you are bored, lonely, sad, or angry? Are you eating to fuel up for a workout? It’s important to pinpoint why you are eating because doing so helps you identify issues with emotional eating.
We often eat for reasons other than hunger. Eating is how we celebrate, mourn, and socialize. We go out to eat to celebrate birthday; the family goes out for ice cream when you get an A on your report card. It’s not often you hear “ let’s meet for a walk in the park,” but we often hear, “let’s meet for coffee!” The idea here is to get to a place where you are eating only to fuel your body or satisfy physical hunger.
Journal before each meal to identify how you’re feeling.
Rate your hunger on a scale of 1 to 10. If you’re at a 5 or less, you may be eating for a reason other than hunger.
Just H.A.L.T! This is an acronym for evaluating your mental state in relation to hunger, anger, loneliness, and being tired:
Your stomach is empty and your blood sugar is low, so your body sends urgent signals to hurry up and find food. This can be a difficult time to make a healthy food selection. You will want to eat whatever you see first. Instead, take a minute to drink a glass of water and put together a portioned out, balanced meal or snack for yourself. Wait 20 minutes, and reassess your hunger, and respond the right way.
Anger, stress, and frustration trigger your instincts for aggression. With no foe to fight, your brain seeks large quantities of food for chemical release of dopamine and serotonin, the feel good hormones!
Lonliness and disappointment are real, but comfort food isn’t a good substitute for companionship, and binging will make you feel more isolated according to statistics.
Instead, call or text a friend, and remind yourself of the people who care. Curl up with a distracting move, play video games, read a book, or go work out!
When youre sleep deprived, the chemicals that regulate appetite get confused and your body may try to compensate for a lack of energy by asking for lots of quick sugars!
4. How will I feel after I eat this?
When you thoughtlessy prepare and/or eat meals that are unhealthy, the food tastes great in your mouth, but quickly turns to fat in the body.
Before you eat, think about how you will feel afterwards. Not just how you will physically feel, but how you will emotionally feel as well. Will you feel guilty, angry, or annoyed with yourself? Will you feel bloated? Will you have gas? Is this food item going to give you a headache? A stomachache? Will too much of this food keep you up all night? Many people keep food journals. They write down everything they eat, but if you’re only writing down the item and not how the food makes you feel, you’re missing a key part of the equation. Paying attention to what your food does to you will help you figure out if you have any food related issues or sensitivities.
Try to keep a food log and write down how you feel after consuming each item. Look for patterns of what makes you feel good or bad.
With any luck, these four questions will help you make smarter food choices that will leave you feeling great. At the very least, asking yourself these four questions before you eat will hopefully help you slow down and give you a chance to think about what you’re about to consumer, therefore, helping you practice mindful or conscious eating.
By asking yourself these 4 questions before eating, you are much more likely to succeed. Weight loss programs for kids can be successful, but you need more than just a meal plan. It takes self awareness, a meal plan, and an exercise plan.
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