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Eat Mindfully!

The Healthy Weigh

Emotional Eating

Moderator Presenter

Greg Anthony, NASM Mary Dale Barry, CEAP, SPHR

Moderator Presenter

Greg Anthony, NASM Elizabeth Achaval, MA, LPC

identify 2 personal triggers for emotional eating describe 3 tips for managing emotional eating identify one relaxation technique that will help

encourage mindful eating. select 2 examples of mindful eating from a list.

Objectives Participant will:

Emotional Eating Is: Eating when your not hungry

Eating to sooth your feelings

Using food as a reward

Eating to avoid dealing with a stressful situation

Eating when you’re depressed or discouraged

Eating when you’re frustrated or unfulfilled

Eating to fill emptiness

Eating when you feel anxious

Ignoring your natural hunger and fullness signals

What Triggers You To Eat?

Food Characteristics

Activities

Events

Financial Pressure

Fatigue

Work Stress

Time

Weather

Emotional Hunger

Comes on suddenly

Craving specific food

Instant gratification

Overeating

Guilt feelings

Physical Hunger

Occurs gradually

Open to options

Can wait

Stop when full

Satisfied

The Hunger Scale: Learning to differentiate between emotional and physical hunger

When you start feeling like you want something to eat rate your hunger on a scale of 1-10, with 1 being starving and 10 being so full you feel sick.

A rating of 5 or 6 means your comfortable- neither too hungry or too full.

Ideally eat when you hunger is at 3 or 4. Don’t wait until your hunger gets down to 1 or 2. Getting too hungry can lead to overeating. Stop eating when you reach 5 or 6 on the scale.

Hunger Scale 1. Starving, weak, dizzy

2. Very hungry, cranky, low energy, lots of stomach growling

3. Pretty hunger, stomach growling a little

4. Starting to feel a little hungry

5. Satisfied, neither hungry or full

6. A little full, pleasantly full

7. A little uncomfortable

8. Feeling stuffed

9. Very uncomfortable, stomach hurts

10. So full you feel sick

Tips for Managing Emotional Eating

Remember that Emotional Eating is something most people do when they are bored, happy or sad. It may be a bag of chips or steak, but whatever the food choice, learning how to manage it and using moderation are key

Recognize what triggers your emotional eating

Journal using the Hunger Scale to be more aware

Take time to stop and think about what is really bothering you and how can deal with it

Eat Mindfully

Deliberately paying attention

Focusing on the present moment

Awareness without criticism or judgment.

Experiencing the sensations and thoughts that come up as we eat

Promoting balance, choice, wisdom and acceptance of what is

What is Mindfulness?

Mindless Eating Take first bite

Take second bite

Get distracted with the computer or TV

Suddenly realize the bag of chips/sleeve of cookies have vanished

Dissatisfaction or guilty feeling set in

Feeling full but not satisfied

Tempted to eat more food to fill the void

Mindless Eating So often we eat foods mindlessly in large

quantities and very quickly.

We miss:

Tastes

Textures

Enjoyment of eating

Eating should be a pleasurable experience, ideally with time and a nice setting devoted to it.

Mindful Eating Is Eating with awareness

Being connected to your senses as you eat

Being aware of food’s taste and texture, shape and color, aroma and flavor

Knowing when you body is hungry and when it has had enough

Listening to what your body wants to eat

Letting go of worries

Being in the moment…experiencing food with all your senses

Mindful Eating Paying full attention to the experience of eating and

drinking.

Attending to the colors, smells, textures, flavors, temperatures and even sound (crunch!) of our food.

Paying attention to the experience of the body

Where in the body do we feel hunger?

Where do we feel satisfaction?

What does half-full feel like or three quarters full?

Mindful Eating

Paying attention to the mind

Noticing how eating affects our mood and emotions

Gradually regaining a sense of ease and freedom with eating

The Benefits of Mindful Eating Eating less food

“I’m full” message

May lose weight in the long run

Feeling satisfied

No judgment or negative feelings

Ability to enjoy your favorite food in moderate portion

Better digestion

More enjoyment when eating

Breathing Exercise During this breathing meditation, you will focus on your breath.

This will calm your mind and relax your body.

Rest your hands loosely on your lap. Now close your eyes.

Take a long slow, deep breath in through your nose starting from your belly and moving up through your diaphragm to your chest… and then slowly exhaling

Take another long slow deep breath in… and then exhale completely

Allow any tension to melt away… gradually relaxing more & more deeply with each breath

Continue to breathe slowly & deeply

Mindful Eating Lemon Exercise Continue your deep breaths

Allow your body and mind to relax

Settle into the present moment

Give yourself permission to slow down and do nothing but eat

Lemon

Take Home Message:

We can use Mindful Eating as a tool to help make positive changes in weight management.

Assignment: To identify and practice 2 mindfulness techniques

Sources: Albers, H. (2009) 50 Ways To Soothe Yourself Without Food. Oakland, CA. New Harbinger Publications, Inc. "Emotional Eating: Treatment and Managing the Causes of Overeating - MedicineNet."MedicineNet. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2012. <http://www.medicinenet.com/emotional_eating/article.htm>. “Emotional Eating" WebMD. WebMD, 03 May 0000. Web. 26 Oct. 2012. <http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/emotional-eating-topic-overview>. Staff, Mayo Clinic. "Weight Loss: Assess Your Readiness to Change." Mayo Clinic. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 28 Dec. 2010. Web. 26 Oct. 2012. <http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/weight-loss/NU00266>. "Stress Management." Mayo Clinic. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 23 July 2011. Web. 26 Oct. 2012. <http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/stress/AN01128>. "Weight-loss Help: Gain Control of Emotional Eating - MayoClinic.com." Mayo Clinic Medical Information and Tools for Healthy Living - MayoClinic.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2012. <http://mayoclinic.com/health/weigh-loss/MH00025/NSECTIONGROUP=2>. “Mindful Eating” Web MD, Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, and Center for Mindful Eating.

If you’ve tried self-help options, but you still can’t get control of your emotional eating consider contacting your Bon Secours EAP for a confidential appointment. They can help with referrals to experts in the community. There are many clinicians and registered dieticians that focus on eating issues in an individual and/or group format.

BSR EAP (804) 342-1501 24/7

BSHR EAP (757) 398-2374 24/7