Eat slower.
The first thing you should try to do when combining mindful eating with intermittent fasting is to slow down. There are a few strategies to help you shift out autopilot eating.
- Switch hands. Use your non-dominant hand for a fork or spoon.
- Take one bite at a time. Only take another bite until your mouth is empty with the last bite.
- Use your senses and chew, chew, chew. Pay more attention to your senses – hearing, seeing, smelling, tasting, feeling at each small bite.
- Use a smaller utensil. A smaller fork or spoon will naturally slow down your eating with smaller bites.
- Pace yourself. Leave at least 20 to 30 minutes for your meals. Observe the people you are eating with, let your companions help set your pace.
- Put your fork down. Remove your hand from your utensil while you’re still chewing on a bite. Notice how you feel and then eat again only when you finished the bite.
Eliminate distraction.
Mindfulness can be practiced during any daily activity, including eating. When it comes to food, mindfulness entails paying attention to the colors, smells, flavors, and textures. It also entails eliminating distractions such as television, reading, and internet use. Here are some tips.
- Turn off the TV.
- Stay away from the screens.
- Put your phone, computer, and book aside.
- Sit at the table, and enjoy a mindful meal a day.
Stop eating when you’re full.
You may feel that you eat to satisfy other feelings rather than hunger, such as boredom, stress, grief, or anger. But the mindful eating suggests stopping eating when you’re full.
- Use your fullness scale, with 1 being starving and 10 being overstuffed.
- Quit the Clean Plate Club.
- Create a stopping point. Portion your food prior, rescale your fullness level when you’re finished.
- Ask yourself “Do I want more?”
Start a food diary.
Keeping a record of your daily eating can be a good habit for developing mindful eating and Fastyle may help you.
- Take a picture of your food.
- Or write it down.
- Record what you eat, approximate how much, how you felt and was it mindfully.
Categorize less.
When it comes to your eating, it’s meaningless to categorize the foods into different types. What you should do is to clarify your own wishes.
- Stop categorizing foods as “good”, “bad”, “best”, “guilty”, “should”. Focus on what food satisfies your need and is aligned with your plan.
- Instead, consciously choose food based on their nutrition facts, not feelings. Do they match with your health plan?
- Love it or leave it. Stop the mindless munch on food that can’t satisfy you, only eat treats that you really love and comfort you in moderation.
