Why practicing mindful eating should be your New Year’s resolution

At its core, mindful eating means taking the time to listen and take note of what our body is telling us. Furthermore, mindfulness is a mindset that encourages us to look past what’s on our fork. We then begin to consider the bigger implications of overindulging and the importance of being present in our weight loss journey. Tackle your weight loss resolutions this year with mindfulness.

Deciphering what is hunger

Mindfulness is a lot about decoding how we interpret food and our hunger. Many times, we mistaken feelings of boredom and thirst as signs of hunger. If we’re indulging when our body truly doesn’t need it, we’re consuming too much food for our body to use efficiently and effectively. A great way to dismantle this destructive habit we’ve developed is attempting to ease those “hunger pains” by drinking some water or distracting ourselves.

Reconsider what food is to you

Food is fuel, though that’s not how we all learned about food. You may have grown up considering food as a source of comfort or even something to indulge in when you’re truly bored. Now, food is no longer a way to emotionally cope with your feelings or boredom. Food has a specific purpose. This doesn’t mean that food cannot be enjoyable, it certainly can be, but by disassociating harmful urges from food will help you eliminate overindulging and overeating.

Understanding that food can bring your joy

As we said, food doesn’t have to fill a void in your life, but it can still bring you joy. Maybe it’s the people gathered around the table enjoying a shared meal. Cooking can be seen as a passion rather than a form of survival. Changing our mindset toward food will help you be more mindful of your consumption of it.

Being realistic with yourself and how you approach food is the first step to dismantling negative thoughts and harmful eating habits. Revamping your diet after bariatric surgery can be intimidating, but mindfulness makes the transition easier.