Are you sick of diets that don’t work? Counting calories, restricting sweets, or only eating certain food groups only to end up back at square one? Are you searching for a new diet that will finally bring you closer to the ideal weight you’ve been striving to reach? The fact is, diets don’t work. According to the New York Daily News, 95 percent of those on diets report regaining the initial weight loss or more.
Next time you feel the urge to diet, try this before you eat.
STOP: Select a food item, Taste it, Observe the details of the food, and Pause to reflect on the experience. These are the basic steps behind Mindful Eating. Mindful Eating is the act of giving full nonjudgmental attention to the food you are eating. Most of us are used to eating mindlessly: on the go, in front of the TV or while biking to class. When we eat with these distractions we don’t pay attention to what we’re eating, often causing us to overeat. By focusing on the details of the food you can train yourself to eat based on your body’s natural cues of hunger and fullness, kind of like we did when we were babies. Mindful eating can help you to improve your relationship with food, maintain a steady weight, and remove feelings of shame from eating. So next time you sit down to a meal or have a snack, practice STOPping to help you become a mindful eater.
The ASUCD Student Health and Wellness Committee (SHAWC) aims to promote and address important health-related issues on campus. We serve as a liaison between ASUCD and campus health organizations, clubs and resources. If you have SHAWCing suggestions, questions or tips, please e-mail us at shawcucd@gmail.com and “Like” us on our Facebook page!
