MINDFUL EATING FOR BETTER HEALTH

Want to learn to eat mindfully?

I want to help you learn what mindful eating is all about and how it can help you keep your weight down.  
But first, why am I talking about eating mindfully anyway?  

 

Good question!

In the modern world we eat for convenience rather than for nutrition. We eat for instant gratification rather than long-term health benefits. Can you imagine learning a new way of slow eating in which you actually get to experience the tastes and textures of your food rather than wolfing it down in a hurry or snacking on the go? I can help you to learn to slow down and eat mindfully! I can help you to see the food you eat as medicine that not only nourishes your whole system, but also tastes delicious!

 

So what is mindful eating?

Mindful eating means taking the time to honor your food by choosing high quality, organic food, preparing it with care and eating it slowly and mindfully using your five senses to really enjoy it.
 


 It means allocating quiet time to prepare and enjoy eating your meal without rushing or multitasking at the same time. 

Picture Courtesy of Dr. Susan Albers

Mindful eating is a way of saying to yourself: “I respect my body enough to be mindful of what I put into it and of the way I eat.”

                                                                                                                    

Think of this type of eating as a meditation. It means choosing to be present with your food and the way you eat it.

My clients find that eating mindfully helps 

● Sense intuitively when you are full
● Gain way more satisfaction from eating
● Develop a healthy relationship with food
● See food as medicine
● Discover new tastes and textures
● Improve digestion (less gas and bloating)
● Regulate bowel movement
● Discover food sensitivities
● Create healthy habits that enliven you

 

How will I know if it’s time for me to learn to eat mindfully?

Glad you asked! 

It’s time for you to practice mindful eating if you answer “YES” to any of these questions:
● You get bloated after eating
● You scoff down your food like there is no tomorrow
● You eat just to feel full not to enjoy the tastes
● You eat to numb out
● You want to learn to enjoy healthy food
● You feel bloated easily
● You gain weight easily
● You crave sugar or starchy foods
● You have difficulty focusing or foggy brain
● You feel lethargic after eating
● You have allergies or hay fever
● You feel addicted to eating foods that aren’t healthy for you but you can’t stop
● You tend to gain weight easily, especially in your belly
● You have extra pounds that won’t come off with diet and exercise

 

What do I do now?

In my health coaching practice, I help clients discover what triggers them to overeat or binge eat. Then I lead them through a step-by-step process to learn how to eat mindfully and to learn what to eat for their unique body type.  
If you answered “YES” to any of the symptoms above, then click Vivante Weight Loss And Health now to schedule a time to talk with me about how you can learn to eat mindfully. I’ll help you understand what’s blocking you from eating mindfully and I’ll show you how to get started.  

To your health!  
Kathy

Is Your ‘Perfect Weight’ A Healthy Weight?

The most common question is, ‘How much should I weigh?’ This is simply not an easy question to answer. If you are over the age of 40, odds are that you weigh more than you did in your 20’s.
  
So What Is Healthy?
What is your healthy weight? Many experts would define it as your ‘blueprint’ weight that makes you feel good and is healthy on your heart. 





This simple definition however can be deceiving because ‘I feel healthy’ doesn’t always equal ‘I am healthy’. In 2013, The Journal Of The American Medical Association published a report that people who were technically overweight, yet thought they felt healthy, were less likely to die at an early age than those of a normal weight. 

There is however one major concern with this. Studies have shown that people who are more than 30 pounds overweight are more likely to develop serious health issues. The extra weight that you carry can lead to diabetes, high blood pressure and cancer. These health problems related to obesity can lead to long term negative consequences. So when does your 'Healthy Weight' become healthy? Your healthy weight is different from ‘The Perfect Weight’. 

What Can You Do? 

The first thing that you can do is forget the idea of a ‘Perfect Weight’. Many doctors don’t discuss a ‘Perfect Weight’ because it is often too stressful and unrealistic to achieve. 

To achieve a healthy weight, It is better to achieve smaller amounts of weight loss over a period of time. Focusing on a 10% weight reduction has a higher probability for success in reaching your long term goal. Smaller changes are more likely to last and have healthier impacts. 

The second thing you can do is forget the scale and make your waist your friend. The scale measures weight, correct? Well, the daily recommended intake of water which can fluctuate your weight by 2lbs or more. Does two pounds make a difference? Well, that's 7000 calories and an extra 10+ minutes per day of workout that you think you need to do. Remember, muscle also weighs more than fat.

People often rely on the BMI however generic Body Mass Index (BMI) check can misinterpret muscle for fat. If you have a lot of lean muscle mass, it can give you the wrong impression. 



Many experts today simply don’t use this in their evaluation. Sally Stieghan, a RN and dietitian in Atlanta says that the BMI tool, is more of a guess. If you want a good indicator, ask your waist. Your waist won’t lie to you. 


By measuring your waist, horizontally and across the belly button, you can measure your progress. I personally measure using a waist to height ratio. This methodology has been shown to better predict heart disease, heart attacks, diabetes and hypertension than the BMI methodology. As a Health Coach and Nutritionist, It also gives me a better picture of how you are doing.

This method is also much simpler to do. To measure the waist circumference accurately, you should measure it mid-way between the lower rib and the iliac crest (the top of the pelvic bone at the hip), this is the method recommended by the World Health Organization. 
For More Information And How I Can Help You, Give Me A Call. 
Luv Ya--Kathy 
Learn How We Can Help You Here At Vivante Weight Loss And Health 

The Power Of Giving And Wellness

As always, I hope your day is starting off positive and that today had a blessing for you. For me, today brought quite a few. Some brand new doors opened, which added positive things in my life.

Today brought some beautiful new people into my life that gave me insight as to how precious relationships are, that they will not last forever and why we should feel blessed and privileged to have those relationships in our lives.

It re-enforced the power of giving. The power that is unlocked when we give new relationships to people. What the power of giving does for others...and what it does for ourselves. It also emphasized that by giving freely, we live on our own terms—not anybody others. The power of giving creates a positive energy bank to withdraw successes from.

By tapping into that energy, it allows us to do the unimaginable. To make dreams become realities. Now…believe it or not, being positive does take effort and practice. One does not simply DO kindness. 



It must be practiced, refined and matured. Most importantly it must appear and BE genuine. Sometimes kindness appears as ‘con-ness’ because we simply are practicing it correctly or getting good feedback from it. 


But…once we develop good kindness skills, we move on to the next chapter. DOING real work with this gift….helping others in unimaginable ways. This is where the rubber meets the road. We become empowered and excited by the journey that we begin….all through random acts of kindness.

The question becomes, when do we start? Well….the answer is both simple and difficult. The simple answer is….now. The difficult answer is also…now. It is both now because simply, we can start right now. At any moment. It is difficult because while we can start right now…it begs the question, by doing what and how? Again, the difficult part may be to get the motivation to do it. Or it may be getting over the barrier of size and scope. 

Consider the act of donating one dollar. With the right attitude, giving one dollar can be worth millions. So what's the barrier? Giving one dollar has a huge impact but the barrier is ‘it’s only one dollar’ and doesn’t FEEL like much. It's appreciating the act that you accomplished and the impact it had to a greater cause that amplifies the emotion.

Consider this, everything is created with one thought, one idea or…one dollar. If your emotion and positive energy influenced 100 friends to do the same thing, how many people could be fed? In that, we become creators of our life. Because so many things happen in our lives, it’s easy to forget how much we’ve created with one thought, idea or decision. Maybe you have a significant other. By that I don’t only mean your spouse, wife, husband, life partner or best friend. Maybe it’s your dog too. Whatever it is, I’ll ask you…is it with you now? Right now? If so give it a hug. Remember this relationship is one thing that you created based on one idea or decision. It can be based on a dream.

So, what is your dream today? What is a desire that you once had? What seemed impossible before? Think of something that inspired you to accomplish one success. Reconnect with it. Write it down and make a decision….not simply a plan. 

Dr. Martin Luther King said…’I have a dream…’ not ‘I have a plan’. Put your dream first…then make a plan to accomplish your dream. Unleash your hunger and desire for your impossible dream. It will inspire you.Take energized and focused action. There is no limit to the energy and flexibility you’ll have in pursuit of your dream.

Ask for Grace. Call it luck, divine intervention or whatever. Asking for Grace creates faith, hope, desire, energy and belief that you will accomplish what you set out to do. 





It also creates gratitude for what you have yet to accomplish.  

Giving isn't always to someone else. If you have been neglecting yourself, it's time to give yourself a break. Sometimes, we give so much that we don't take care of ourselves. In that, we aren't giving ourselves what we need. The world lost a beautiful soul in Robin Williams because of this. If this is you, you must change. Once you’ve started these actions and ideas, build your plan and turn to the next page in your life. 

Set yourself free. Empower yourself to new heights. This is how I help.This is what a Health And Wellness Coach can do for you.
Luv Ya
Kathy 
Learn How We Can Help You Here at Vivante Weight Loss And Health