7 tools to create eating awareness

do you ever turn to chocolate cake when you want to shut out the world and forget all of your problems?

do you ever hibernate under the covers with a bag of cheetos when you have reached your limit with everything and everyone?

do you ever stuff yourself with too much lasagna at the dinner table, way beyond the point of satisfaction, in order to numb away all those lingering fears and doubts?

do you ever get FED UP with these pseudo-solutions?

do you ever wonder how you can BREAK FREE from these destructive eating habits that have dominated your life for so long?
 
 
well . . . it isn’t easy, is it?
and the road ahead seems so long and difficult.

i realize this.
that’s why i start very slowly with my clients.
i ask them one simple question to encourage them to begin their journey.
and i’ll ask you too.
here and now.

what can you do to become more AWARE?
more aware of your movements, your surroundings, your experiences.
more aware of your body, your thoughts, your eating.
more aware of yourself.

i’d like to share seven simple awareness tools that can get you started in the right direction.
 
please keep in mind that these tools are only a start though.
i’m not offering you the promise of a full recovery in one easy lesson.
i’m giving you a glimpse of the hope that awaits you when you decide to make a change.
 
however . . .
one step leads to a next step which leads to a series of steps.
and before you know it . . .
you’re on an exhilarating roller-coaster ride to abundant health and wellness!

so, without further ado, here are 7 tools that will increase your awareness today:
 
 
1. find a pretty notebook to use as your new daily awareness journal. this may seem strange at first, but stick with it and notice the patterns that emerge. things to include:

• the foods you’re eating
• the times of the day that you’re eating
• your movement/exercise throughout the day
• your feelings before, during, and after eating
• your thoughts before, during, and after eating
• your awareness of portions
• your awareness of comfort foods
• the activities that you used to enjoy but notice you’re no longer doing
• the times that you wanted to eat but chose not to
• your hunger cues
• your satiety cues

 
 
2. listen to your body:

• what is it telling you?
• what does your body (not your mind) crave?

 
 

3. stock your kitchen with healthy foods that you like to eat. although i personally don’t think that anything should be completely off limits:

• certain foods are obviously better for us than others – put those in front of you
• some processed foods can actually increase our cravings and interfere with our bodies’ natural signals

 
 
4. ask yourself “am i hungry?” before you take a bite of food:

• if the answer is NO, find a way to distract yourself
• or take your first step down the bravery trail and think about facing what is really going on
• of course, you can always eat whether the answer is yes or no
• but by stopping to ask yourself the question . . . you delay going to the food, you become more aware of your actions, and you engage in less “fog eating”

 

 
 
5. squeeze in 10 minutes of movement each day:

• you could take a short walk
• or do a few strength exercises with a resistance band
• anything that gets you up and moving

 
 
6. snap your wrist with a rubber band every time you catch yourself thinking a negative thought:

• remember the cognitive-behavioral mantra thoughts > feelings > behaviors (so those thoughts need to be healthy ones – they control it all!)
• the goal is to replace inappropriate, self-defeating thoughts with positive, realistic, helpful ones

 

 
 
7. actively seek out 5 new things each day:

• discover something unique and interesting about your everyday life every day
• never stop learning and reaching and growing

 
 
i hope you enjoy exploring and experimenting with these awareness tools.
(i dare you to attempt all seven in one day!)

but i understand if this all seems a bit overwhelming right now.
(and even if a doughnut sounds better!)

if that’s the case, approach the tools in a deliberate, mindful manner.
one by one.
perhaps one per day, for seven days.
with full awareness.

and please don’t start telling yourself you must do everything perfectly right away!
(remember the rubber band in #6?)
these are simply tips to utilize when and if you need them.
they are designed to make you more aware and less likely to eat unconsciously.
(because we both know you’re never going to find the answer you’re seeking in the ice cream container.)

mindfulness.
a crucial, yet doable, first step when addressing the issue of emotional eating.
and it is with small steps that we begin our journeys.
the goal is to keep moving forward.
progress, not perfection, is the key to staying motivated.
change is usually a bumpy path.
and it is rarely straight.
expect setbacks, but don’t let them completely derail you.
just begin again where you left off.

and you can start over as many times as you need to.
follow your own itinerary.
plot your own voyage.

“One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.”
(Henry Miller)
 
 
 
 
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