Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat Rebecca Johnson, M.S. RJohnson@AmIHungry.com 480 704-7811, ext. 401 From Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat: How to Break Your Eat-Repent-Repeat Cycle by Michelle May, M.D. MMXIV, Michelle May, M.D.
The Mindful Eating Cycle Instinctive Eating Overeating Restrictive Eating Why? When? What? How? How Much? Where? MMXIV, Michelle May, M.D.
Using the Am I Hungry? Mindful Eating Cycle Eating is a series of conscious and unconscious decisions that can be explored using the Am I Hungry? Mindful Eating Cycle (developed by Michelle May, M.D.). Individuals who struggle with overeating and/or yoyo dieting will move gradually toward instinctive eating as they gain insight into their eating decisions. Often, when we really listen to a patient or client describe their struggle (or explore our own), we re able to identify one or more decision points that are involved. Rather than telling them what to do, ask a few more questions, share insights where appropriate, and guide them to discover the answers for themselves. The following table suggests questions and key messages for each decision point. Focus on just one or two at a time or you ll both feel overwhelmed. Remember, this is not a formula; it is a process. Decision Questions for increasing awareness Key messages and possible strategies Why? Why do I When? When do I feel like eating? What? What do I Why do you think you Are you aware of any situations or emotions that trigger you to want to eat when you aren t hungry? (Examples: mealtimes, ballgames, certain people, stress, boredom, buffets, getting ready to start a diet.) Have you tried a lot of diets? What happened? How did they work for you long term? Why? When do you feel like eating? How can you tell if you re hungry? What are some ways that you could redirect your attention away from food and eating until you get hungry? What could you do to cope more effectively with your emotional triggers for eating? (Examples: manage stress better, find a hobby, treat yourself to a hot bath, ask for help around the house.) What do you eat in a typical day? What kinds of beverages do you drink? What types of food do you want to eat when you re eating for emotional reasons? Do you restrict yourself from eating Instinctive Eating Cycle: The need for fuel is the primary reason for eating; hunger is a primitive yet reliable way to regulate fuel intake. Overeating Cycle: Environmental and emotional cues can trigger an urge to eat (or continue eating) whether there is a physical need for fuel or not. Restrictive Eating Cycle: Diets and rules can lead to preoccupation with food and feelings of deprivation that eventually lead to rebound overeating. Ask yourself, Am I hungry? whenever you feel like eating. (Help them develop an internalized mechanism of knowing why they want to eat.) Hunger is a physical feeling; it is not the same thing as cravings, appetite, or a desire to eat. Getting too hungry can be a trigger for overeating. Identify and reduce environmental cues for overeating, for example putting food out of sight, avoiding areas like the break room where food is likely to be found and ordering halfportions or sharing meals. Identify and cope with emotional triggers for overeating such as boredom, stress, sadness, anger, loneliness, celebrating, or rewarding yourself. (Refer as needed). All Foods Fit: there are no good foods or bad foods. Use balance, variety, and moderation to guide your choices: Balance - provide your body with the necessary nutrients. Balance eating for nourishment with eating for enjoyment. MMXIII, Michelle May, M.D.
How? How do I How Much? How much do I Where? Where do I invest my energy? certain foods then later give-in and overeat those foods? Are you aware of how certain foods (or certain amounts of those foods) affect you? What health issues do you need to consider when choosing food (i.e. h/o HTN, high cholesterol, family h/o diabetes, etc.) Are there any areas of your diet that you think could be improved? What specific change would you like to make at this time? What kind of food could you keep on hand to eat when you are hungry? Do you eat while distracted? (Examples: watching T.V., driving, working.) Do you think you eat fast? Do you eat differently in private than you do in public? How do you typically feel after eating? How does it feel when you ve eaten too much food? What situations or emotions trigger overeating for you? What could you do to address those triggers more effectively (Examples: order less food, get up from the table, turn off the T.V., etc.) Where do you spend (or invest) the fuel you consume? Are you physically active? Do you limit your screen time? Do you exercise? What do you like to do? What else do you do? For example, do you like to play with your children, do you have hobbies, do you volunteer, do you like to travel? Is there anything else you would like to do that you are not doing now? What are your goals for your relationships, your career, your life? Variety - eat a variety of foods from the different food groups and a variety of foods within each group. Focus on nutrient-rich. Moderation consider overall dietary intake, not just the portion size of one particular item, or a particular meal. Ask yourself three questions when deciding what to eat: What do I want? What do I need? What do I have? If you choose to make a change in your diet, take small, focused, incremental steps (Examples: increasing fruits and vegetables, improving the quality of the fluids you drink, lowering saturated and trans fat intake and shifting to healthier fats their choice!) Eat mindfully; stay aware of your body, the food, and the ambience. Minimize distractions (Examples: take time to eat, turn off the TV, eat while seated at a table.) Savor each bite, one at a time, noticing the appearance, aromas, and flavors. Set your fork down between bites. Your stomach is about the size of your fist so it takes about a handful or two of food to fill it. When you eat more than your body needs, you may feel uncomfortable and sluggish. Eating the right amount of food is not about being good but about feeling good. (Develop an internalized mechanism of choosing portions.) Big difference between guilt and regret. Practice ending your meal when you are satisfied instead of stuffed. The food you consume provides the energy and nutrients to live, work, play, and exercise. When you eat more than you need, the excess fuel will be stored to be used for fuel later. Increased physical activity in daily living can have a significant impact on your fuel balance. Exercise will improve your health, increase your stamina and function, and make you feel better. When you invest your energy in living a full, balanced life, you are less likely to use food to meet your needs, therefore breaking an Overeating and Restrictive Eating Cycle. MMXIII, Michelle May, M.D.
Mindful Eating: Get Out of Autopilot By Michelle May, M.D. Have you ever finished a candy bar and wished you had just one more bite? Are you surprised when your hand hits the bottom of the popcorn bucket at the movies? Do you ever feel completely stuffed and miserable after you These are all symptoms of unconscious or mindless eating. Many people eat while they watch TV, drive, work even while talking on the telephone. And many people eat too fast, so busy filling the next forkful that they don t notice the bite in their mouth. Since your brain can only really focus on one thing at a time, you ll miss the subtle signs of fullness so you won t stop until you feel uncomfortable or until you run out of food. Most importantly, you won t enjoy your food as much so you have to eat more to feel satisfied. Eating Mindfully Eating is a natural, healthy, and pleasurable activity for satisfying hunger. Choosing to eat mindfully, in other words, giving food and eating your full attention, will allow you to have optimal satisfaction and enjoyment without eating to excess. Mindful eating makes it possible to notice the subtle difference between contentment and fullness. Mindful eating also enables you to feel more satisfied with smaller quantities of food. Learning to savor your food simply makes eating more pleasurable. Practice the following strategies to help you identify your body s signals and truly enjoy your food. Start by recognizing whether you re hungry before you begin eating. If you aren t hungry, you won t be as interested so it will be harder to stay focused. Besides, if a craving doesn t come from hunger, eating will never satisfy it. Don t wait until you re famished. One of the keys to conscious eating is to keep your body adequately fed to avoid becoming overly hungry which increases the likelihood that you ll slip into mindless overeating. Next, decide how full you want to be when you re finished eating. When you eat with the intention of feeling better when you re done eating, you re less likely to keep eating until the food is gone. Choose food that will satisfy both your body and your mind. Our society is so obsessed with eating right that we sometimes eat things we don t even like. Enjoying food without guilt contributes to satisfaction. Set the table in a pleasant manner. Creating a pleasant ambience adds to the enjoyment of eating and to your level of satisfaction. Besides, you deserve it. Eat without distractions. If you eat while you re distracted by watching television, driving, or talking on the telephone, you can t give food or your body s signals your full attention. As a result, you may feel stuffed but unsatisfied. Eat when you re sitting down. Choose one or two areas at home and at work to eat. Avoid eating while standing over the sink, peering into the refrigerator or sitting in bed. Take a few breaths and center yourself before you begin eating. This will help you slow down to give eating your full attention. Express gratitude. Appreciate the occasion, the company, or simply the fact that you have food and that you re giving yourself the opportunity to sit down and enjoy a meal. Appreciate the aroma and the appearance of your food. Notice the colors, textures, and smells of the food. Decide which food looks the most appetizing and start eating that food first. If you save the best until last, you may want to eat it even if you are full. Savor the aromas and tastes of your food as you eat it. Put your fork down between bites and be conscious of all the different sensations you are experiencing. If you re not enjoying what you chose, choose something else. Eating food you don t like will leave you feeling dissatisfied. Pause in the middle of eating. Check-in then estimate how much more food it will take to fill you to comfortable satiety. Push your plate forward or get up from the table as soon as you feel satisfied. The desire to keep eating will pass quickly. Keep in mind that you ll eat again when you re hungry. Notice how you feel when you re finished. If you overate, don t punish yourself. Instead, be aware of the physical and/or emotional discomfort that often accompanies being overly full and create a plan to decrease the likelihood that you ll overeat next time. Once you ve experienced the pleasure of eating mindfully, you may be inspired to be mindful during other activities too. Living in the moment will increase your enjoyment and effectiveness in everything you do! Michelle May, M.D. is a recovered yoyo dieter and the award-winning author of Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat: How to Break Your Eat-Repent-Repeat Cycle. Download chapter one: http://amihungry.com/chapter1 Copyright MMXIV, Michelle May, M.D. All rights reserved.