If diets have proven unsuccessful
and exercise hasn’t helped you achieve your weight loss goals, maybe it’s time
to put mind over matter. That’s the idea behind a wellness program developed by
researchers at the University
of Missouri
Readmore>>
Many weight loss programs work well
while participants are actively part of the program. With careful guidance and
strict instructions, not to mention diligent calorie counts and frequent
weighing, people can lose significant amounts of weight. But once the program
and the handholding are over, weight tends to creep back up. This yo-yo cycle
of losing and regaining weight often occurs because participants become
dependent on the scale, calorie counts, and program directors rather than their
own internal cues for when they should eat, how much they should exercise, and
what foods their body truly needs. That’s what the Eat for Life program is all
about.
"Eat for Life is a new
wellness approach that focuses on mindfulness and intuitive eating as a
lifestyle," says Lynn Rossy, PhD, a health psychologist at the University of Missouri
in Columbia .
"It’s proven to be more effective than traditional weight-loss programs in
improving individuals’ views of their bodies and decreasing problematic eating
behaviors."
What Is Intuitive Eating?
"Intuitive eating is eating
based on physical hunger and satiety [feelings of fullness after eating] cues
rather than emotional or environmental cues," explains Rossy. So with
intuitive eating, "You eat when you’re hungry, not because you’re
stressed, bored, angry, or tired. Instead, you take care of those emotional
states with strategies better designed for those needs. You don’t generally eat
food just because it’s in view or it’s a particular time of the day."
Intuitive eating can be very
effective for weight management: "We’ve found that intuitive eaters are
more likely to have a lower body mass index (BMI), make healthier nutritional
choices, engage in less binge eating, and have more appreciation for their
bodies," Rossy points out.
How About Mindfulness?
The term "mindfulness"
often refers to a state of being both engaged in and aware of an experience or
activity. When you’re mindful, you’re not distracted. In terms of eating,
"Mindfulness is the key to healthy eating and to being an intuitive eater
because it brings new awareness and choice into your eating behavior,"
Rossy explains. "Mindfulness means being present with all your senses
[and] with kindness and curiosity. That brings awareness to internal cues of
hunger and satiety, to your reasons for eating, and to the taste of your food so
that you enjoy and savor your meals."
Understanding the BASICS of Mindful
Eating
Eat for Life is taught as a
ten-week in-person or online program; it uses mindfulness techniques to teach
people how to create healthy relationships with their food, minds, and bodies.
Would-be mindful eaters learn to practice the BASICS:
Breathe and Belly Check for hunger
and satiety
Slow down
Investigate your hunger throughout
the meal
Chew your food thoroughly
Savor your food
Using the BASICS can help you
become conscious about what, when, why, and how you eat, according to Rossy:
"These aren’t rules, and it would be foolhardy to think you could do them
all perfectly all of the time. But practicing and playing with them will teach
you a lot about eating for pleasure and health."
Learn more about mindful eating at
Rossy’s University
of Missouri
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