Harnessing the Power of Mindful Eating for Effective Weight Management

Bariatric surgery procedures are most successful when they are followed up with lifestyle adjustments targeted at improving overall health. Changing your diet and increasing your activity levels are important parts of post-surgery recovery, and patients should also work on building a healthy relationship with food. Mindful eating is a strategy many bariatric patients use to help them work toward this goal.

What is Mindful Eating?

Mindful eating applies the practice of mindfulness—often used during meditation and as an anxiety management strategy—to how individuals think about and interact with food. Mindfulness encourages individuals to focus on physical and emotional sensations and pay attention to the present moment. Mindful eating aims to increase conscious awareness during the eating process and apply mindfulness strategies to eating.

Mindful eating was developed in direct opposition to mindless eating. Mindless eating is a way of consuming food while distracted—this is not ideal, especially for those looking to lose weight. It can manifest as eating while watching TV, snacking while working, or filling up on party snacks while talking to friends. During mindless eating, the individual is disconnected from the eating process, which can easily lead to overeating. Mindless eating can quickly become an unhealthy habit that contributes to issues like weight gain and improper nutrition.

Mindful Eating and Weight Management

The goal of mindful eating is to promote a positive eating experience that feels nourishing to the mind and body. When you eat while watching a movie or sending work emails, you’re unlikely to notice and appreciate what you’re consuming and how much of it you eat. 

When engaging in mindful eating, you get more out of the eating process because you devote your attention to the food and how it makes you feel. It’s meant to encourage healthy food selections and help you realize how much better these positive choices make you feel.

Tips for Conscious Eating

Making the most of mindful eating means changing how you approach your meals, from selecting the foods you’re going to eat to how you actually eat them. Here are some helpful tips for making mindful nutrition a part of your lifestyle:

Make Healthy Shopping Choices 

Setting yourself up for success with mindful eating starts at the grocery store. Make a list of healthy food options before you shop to guide your shopping experience and build healthy habits.

Appreciate Your Meal 

A key part of conscious eating is letting yourself appreciate the food you’re going to eat. Before you eat, take time to appreciate what’s on your plate. After you eat, reflect on how the food makes you feel and express gratitude for the nutrition it provides.

Limit Distractions 

For mindful eating to be truly successful, you need to be able to focus solely on eating. That means eliminating distractions. Avoid sitting in front of the TV or eating by your computer or phone. 

Eat Slowly 

Don’t hesitate to slow down the eating process so you can appreciate it fully. Take small bites and chew each one thoroughly so you can focus on the sensation of eating and savor how the food tastes.

Get Personalized Support

Wellstar Bariatrics is committed to helping patients throughout their weight-loss journeys, from initial consultations to post-surgery follow-ups. Whether you’re seeking recommendations for food choices or wondering how mindful eating can be applied to your post-surgery diet, our team can offer personalized support tailored to your needs.

Get in touch today to find out more.