Mindfulness for weight loss: How it can help manage your weight

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If you’ve been on a weight loss or fitness journey, maybe you’re already familiar with the importance of eating healthy and being active. But, did you also know that practicing mindfulness can enhance your weight loss goals? This is one of the holistic strategies that many folks are introducing into their wellness journey, not only for their mental wellbeing, but also physically. And, in case you were thinking about meditation, mindfulness is actually not the same. But, that’s a topic for another time. Today, I want to share with you how mindfulness has helped me stay in shape and how mindfulness for weight loss is a scientific fact. Keep on reading.

What is mindfulness?

First of all, I wanted to clarify what mindfulness is, since it can sometimes be confused with meditation techniques. Mindfulness is not about following a meditation guru or having specific positions/techniques to disconnect from reality. As a matter of fact, mindfulness is completely different from meditation, but you can practice both simultaneously. Anyways, mindfulness is being present in the moment, acknowledging your thoughts, your emotions, your feelings. When we’re being mindful, we are not overwhelmed by what happened in the past nor what’s coming up next. Mindfulness helps to connect with our full senses and makes us become aware of where we are, without judgement.

So, how can mindfulness help to lose weight?

Mindfulness is very effective to help with your weight loss journey in many ways.

Mindfulness helps to develop a healthier relationship with food

When you practice mindfulness for weight loss, you learn how to make peace with food and your body. What this means is that you would graciously acknowledge food in a healthy, balanced way, without demonizing it or obsessing over it. For instance, you wouldn’t fear “carbs” because you know they are needed for our body, and it’s just a matter of the quality of carbs you choose. Same thing applies with “dieting”, you will know that fad diets will only cause more harm than good. Below, I explain more about how intuitive eating, which is an effective approach to healthy eating, can help boost your weight loss as well.

When you practice mindfulness for weight loss, you’ll learn to be present in the moment

One of the ways I practice mindfulness is to acknowledge my present moment. Basically, is just enjoying the food that I’m having at that time, without any judgement nor fear. This is part of embracing a balanced, healthy lifestyle. When you’re surrounded by guilt, fear, and have a “dieting” mindset, is easier for you to fall into a binge eating cycle. That’s why, when you’re trying to lose weight, appreciate the moments in which you have every meal.

Practicing mindfulness for weight loss helps you to make better food decisions

This is a fact! Studies show that eating mindfully can motivate you to choose healthier foods subconsciously. Experts were able to prove that the binge eating cycle was reduced in people that practiced mindfulness eating vs those that only relied on diet and exercise. Another shocking fact is that those that were more mindful were able to lose weight and keep it in the long run. Learning how to eat right and making proper choices will be the ultimate rule to make you lose weight in a sustainable way.

You’ll learn how to listen to your hunger and fullness signals

One of the reasons why I love the approach of intuitive eating and mindfulness is how I learned to tune into my body naturally, without the need of tracking calories. And I don’t mean that calories are bad, but constantly tracking your food and measuring calories is unrealistic and unsustainable to lose weight. In my previous post about Why counting calories doesn’t work when trying to lose weight, I talk more about this. But, the bottom line is, when you learn how to tune into your body, you feel more freedom and less anxiety around food. This is essential to eat at the right time, until satisfied, according to what my body needs.

Practicing mindfulness for weight loss will control your stress and anxiety

Have you ever felt like you lose yourself when you start a “diet” to lose weight? What’s even worse, do you feel like you have more cravings every time you try to lose weight? Believe it or not, beating yourself up is not a matter of having less willpower, it’s mostly about the amount of stress and anxiety around food and fitness. But here’s the good news, when you learn how to make peace with food and get rid of food rules, your body is less stressed. Being under stress and anxiety releases cortisol, which is a hormone that makes you store fat. Besides that, it makes you crave more sugar and processed foods. So, mindfulness will help you avoid shoveling those bags of chips down the throat.

Mindfulness for weight loss also means slowing down

If you haven’t noticed, slowing down when you eat makes you enjoy your food more. For me, this has been one of my major wins when it comes to staying in shape. When you eat in a rush, you’re more likely to overeat throughout the day. Therefore, you want to eat slowly. This will help to improve your digestion, make you stay full for longer and keep your appetite in check.

Enjoy! Savor the food

One of the best things I like about practicing mindful eating or intuitive eating is the ability to enjoy food to the max. So, it’s not just about eating what’s best for you, but actually savoring the food. Enjoying the taste of food helps you feel satisfied for longer and helps to prevent unnecessary cravings.

Mindfulness for weight loss promotes movement

Practicing mindfulness is more than eating. It also involves other wellness habits connected to your mind, body and soul. Mindfulness can help you become more physically active in various ways. Some mindfulness techniques include yoga practice, stretching, walking, taking a hike, etc. As a matter of fact, you can practice any kind of exercise and still be mindful.

Mindfulness will help you turn off distractions

Practicing mindfulness means to be in the present moment and not thinking about anything else. Hence, it helps get rid of any distractions that stop you from enjoying your food, your body and your senses. One of the things experts recommend to practice mindfulness while you eat is to sit at a table, focus on what you eat and not tune into other devices (your phone, TV, computer, etc). It may sound like a challenging thing to do, since we’re always used to multitasking, but trust me, doing this simple step will improve your life for the better. You’ll have better digestion, you’ll enjoy food more and you’ll be more satisfied between meals, which will help you lose weight.

It helps with your goals and to set intentions

Overall, mindfulness helps with your weight loss and fitness goals. This is one of the things that helped me stay grounded in my journey, and the reason why I recommend it to everyone. When you’re intentional about your wellness goals, your results are easier to accomplish. Mindfulness helps to set your mind in the right direction. It helps you embrace where you are physically and mentally in a positive way. It also helps you develop a mindset of being realistic and resilient with your goals.

Finally,

Mindfulness is a powerful strategy to help manage your weight and get fit. It is great not only for your spiritual well being, but also for your mental and physical wellness. And the best part is that you just have to start with baby steps, small habits that are easy to follow on a daily basis. Practicing gratitude and mindfulness has helped me come a long way in my journey, and I’m sure, it will do for you too. Have you practiced mindfulness to lose weight? Let me know your thoughts in the comments. Share this with someone you care for.