The Mindful Eating Cycle

Bert discussed mindful eating during the program portion of our meeting.

Last week, we discussed the Mindful Eating Cycle. By answering the six questions below, we can create awareness about our eating decisions, and that is “the first step to permanently changing the way you eat.”

Ask Yourself…

• Why do I eat?
• When do I want to eat?
• What do I eat?
• How do I eat?
• How much do I eat?
• Where do I invest my energy?

Eat-Repent-Repeat Cycle

In last weeks program, we also learned about three common eating patterns:

• Instinctive eating
• Overeating
• Restrictive eating

People often switch back and forth between overeating and restrictive eating patterns, which creates the eat-repent-repeat cycle.

Mindful Eating

How can we break this vicious cycle? We eat mindfully–with “intention and attention.”

The Bottom Line

“You’re in charge. Strive for balance, variety, and moderation, not just in the way you eat, but in the way you live your life.”

Thanks, Bert, for presenting such a thought provoking program.

The Vicious Eating Cycle

This week, Bert presented information about the eating cycle. When we are caught in the eating cycle, we overeat, repent, then repeat. Bert related, “Perhaps you beat yourself up for being lazy or not having willpower. It’s true for me.”

Perhaps you beat yourself up for being lazy or not having willpower.
–Bert

But, what should you do when you stumble? Should you wait until the next day to change your habits? You can change your habits anytime, including immediately after you stumble.

Bert discussed several eating patterns:

1. Instinctive eating cycle: Those with an instinctive eating style maintain a healthy weight effortlessly. They eat to fuel their body. They eat when they are hungry, they eat what they want, have no rigid rules, and eat to satisfy hunger. They stop eating when they are not hungry.
2. Overeating cycle: Someone caught in the overeating cycle is driven by triggers: eating for reasons other than hunger. For example they may eat because of intense emotions, because it is meal time or for many more reasons. Since hunger wasn’t the signal to start eating, there is no trigger to stop.
3. Restrictive eating cycle: The restrictive eating cycle has many rigid rules. These rules may come from an expert or be self-imposed. Fuel needs or real issues, such as emotional eating is not addressed. This type of eating also uses a great deal of mental and emotional energy. Many feelings, thoughts, and emotions still revolve around food.

I can personally attest that emotional eating can defeat weight loss efforts. I developed the chart below to help us defeat emotional eating. It employs the acronym HALT. Before you eat, ask yourself what emotions you have at the moment. Are you actually Hungry, or are you Angry, Lonely, or Tired? Chart other emotions, too. If you like, follow the links to print it out.

Click here for the downloadable pdf: Emotional Eating Chart