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Posted on 04/25/2012 @ 3:15 PM
(Now I dare you to try to get Billy Idol’s song Dancing with Myself out of your head!) For twenty years, I had a love-hate relationship with food. Now, I’m a foodie: I eat what I love and I love what I eat. I’m also a people person—so not surprisingly, one of my favorite activities is eating with my friends and family. Ironically, as a professional speaker traveling around the country, I often eat dinner by myself. When you think about eating by yourself, what comes to mind? * Great! A chance to experience a wonderful meal!
* Eating by myself is borrrr-ring!
* Everyone must think I’m pathetic and don’t have any
friends to eat with.
* Good! Now I can eat whatever I want and as much as I want!
* Uh, oh...I can't trust myself alone with food! Whether eating by yourself conjures up boredom, embarrassment, anticipation, or fear, it gives you a little hint about the state of your relationship with food. Your Relationship with Food You may have wondered about that strange phrase: a relationship with an inanimate object? Food? Just like a relationship with a partner, your thoughts and feelings about food reveal the state of your relationship. Would you say that your relationship with food reflects love, care, curiosity, anticipation, joy, and contentment? Or is it boring, predictable, taken for granted - or even abusive? Since this is an important lifelong relationship, perhaps it's time to reignite that spark by having a love affair with your food. I don't mean the secretive, cheating kind of affair. I mean rediscovering the reason you fell in love in the first place. Have an Affair with Your Food I believe that healing your relationship with food requires you to love food more, not less. Think abou it: when you really love someone, you spend time with them, give them your full attention, and respect them. So make a date with yourself...and be good company! 1. Take yourself OUT to dinner; lunch is fine too if you don't want to rush into anything. 2. Select a special restaurant where you are unlikely to run into anyone you know so you can enjoy the experience privately. It doesn’t need to be expensive—just known for its great food and ambience. Choose a place you’ve always wanted to go or one that has been highly recommended by the concierge, a food critic, or a trusted foodie. 3. Dress for the occasion so you feel your best—you're worth it! 4. Leave your book, computer, and other distractions at home; put your phone in airplane mode so you won't be disturbed. 5. Ask for the best table, preferably one with a window view—or my favorite, a view of the staff preparing your meal! 6. Take your time perusing the menu, asking questions, and paying attention to what really appeals to you. Skip the buffet, the ordinary, the healthiest, or the cheapest items unless that is what you really want. Keep in mind that you don't want to ruin this special occasion by feeling stuffed so order only as much food as you can comfortably enjoy without regret. 7. Linger over your meal. Be selective; don't bother eating a second bite of anything that isn't fabulous. Appreciate the appearance and aromas and savor every bite. 8. Stay tuned into your body language. You may be surprised to notice clear signals of satisfaction when you slow down and truly enjoy your food. 9. HInt: When you find yourself compelled to take a picture of your lovely food, you'll know you've fallen back in love! Assuming your first date goes well, maybe you'll decide to go Dancing with Yourself on your next date! (Or how about escaping with us for a fabulous 5 day retreat to build a strong, healthy relationship? Read more at http://www.amihungry.com/Am-I-Hungry-Mindful-Eating-Retreat.shtml.) Subscribe to our newsletter at http://amihungry.com/am-i-hungry-philosophy.shtml.
Posted on 04/12/2012 @ 1:32 AM
NOW AVAILABLE! "Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat with Diabetes: A Mindful Eating Program for Thriving with Diabetes or Prediabetes."
Available from your favorite local bookstore, Amazon.com (http://amzn.to/EWYLDiabetes), and Barnes & Noble.com (http://bit.ly/bnEWYLDiabetes). What is Mindfulness? At its simplest, mindfulness is awareness of the present moment. Instead of just telling you about it, experience mindfulness for yourself right now. Stop reading for a moment and pay attention to your body in your seat. Simply notice how it feels. What are you aware of? If you notice that you’re uncomfortable, what could you change to feel more comfortable? Could you shift positions? Get a drink? Grab a blanket? You may be thinking, Huh? That sounds too simple! All I have to do is pay attention? Besides, how can being more aware help my diabetes? Focusing on the information available to you right now enables you to make self-care decisions. While it sounds pretty simple, I’ll admit that it’s not always easy. It’s common to “check out” rather than notice our physical sensations, thoughts, and emotions. For example, you may be distracted by television or the Internet, preoccupied with memories of the past or worries about the future, or unconsciously responding to triggers you learned years earlier. The tendency to ignore and even distrust what’s happening right now forces us to act out of old habits instead of using the most current information to make decisions. We have no choice but to react (re-act out the past) rather than respond to what is needed now (response-ability). This tendency to disconnect from what we’re experiencing right now affects every aspect of our lives—including our health. How Does Mindfulness Help with Diabetes Self-Management? The key to diabetes self-management is self. How can you manage your self, without awareness of yourself?! Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat with Diabetes (by Michelle May MD with Megrette Fletcher MED RD CDE) is the first book to apply the ancient concept of mindfulness to the current problem of diabetes. This rare prescription for managing prediabetes and diabetes guides you to eat mindfully and joyfully by tapping into your "inner expert.” You’ll learn how to become more aware of your body, your thoughts, and your feelings. You’ll soon be making more conscious choices about your eating, physical activity, optimal blood glucose management, and self-care. You’ll develop the new skills and tools necessary for lifelong diabetes self-management and health. Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat with Diabetes is divided into six parts, each of which is based on a key mindfulness skill: Awareness, Curiosity, Nonjudgment, Being Present, Letting Go, and Acceptance. As you practice these mindfulness skills, you’ll notice a major shift in the way you think. This shift will also positively affect your relationships, work, and other important aspects of your life. On this foundation of mindfulness, we reconstruct the process of diabetes self-management through a series of manageable, sustainable steps that you can master one at a time. Each of the six parts is divided into four chapters: - Think: Conscious decision making using the mindful eating cycle (based on Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat: How to Break Your Eat-Repent-Repeat Cycle)
- Care: Information about diabetes and how to prevent the associated complications
- Nourish: Nutrition from a nonrestrictive, all-foods-fit perspective
- Live: Physical activity that is enjoyable and can be integrated into daily life Every choice you make is an opportunity to experience and better understand why you do the things you do and to choose differently next time if it will serve you better. Megrette and I have both experienced the profound effect of mindfulness on eating and living. We are excited to share these concepts and skills with you to help you thrive with prediabetes or diabetes!
Posted on 03/06/2012 @ 9:43 AM
By Michelle May, M.D. Have you ever seen a photo mosaic? From a distance, it looks like an ordinary portrait, but up close, you realize that it’s actually comprised of thousands of small detailed photographs. Your health is like that: a mosaic of the thousands of small decisions you make about your eating, physical activity, and well-being. No single decision determines the outcome, but altogether, they create your picture of health. Here are six surprisingly small resolutions that add up to big changes: 1. Find the middle ground. Think of eating and physical activity as a pendulum with two extremes: All and Nothing. What happens if you draw a pendulum in one direction and let it go? Of course, it swings to the opposite extreme. Too often, this is how people approach their eating and exercise choices: all or nothing. No individual snack, meal, or drink—or day on the couch—will ruin your picture of health, but a pattern of overconsumption or disregard for your health will affect the end result. Since perfection is not possible (or even necessary), find the balance in-between. When your eating and exercise plan take into account your schedule, preferences, goals, health concerns, and other issues specific to you, you’re able to establish a healthy lifestyle that is flexible enough to withstand the realities of your daily life. 2. Use nutrition information as a tool, not a weapon. Rigid rules set you up for failure because when your favorites are off-limits, you’ll still want them. This can trigger cravings, overeating, and guilt, so you may find yourself in the trap I call the “eat-repent-repeat” cycle. Instead, enjoy the foods you really love without guilt. This freedom actually decreases cravings and overeating, and increases enjoyment and moderation. When guilt is no longer a factor, common sense prevails. Remember that all foods can fit into a healthy diet. Just keep in mind the common-sense principles of balance, variety, and moderation when deciding what to eat: balance eating for enjoyment with eating for nourishment; choose a variety of foods to feel healthy and satisfied; and practice moderation in all things. If your eating is out of balance, simply ask yourself, “Is there a healthier choice I could make without feeling deprived?” You may discover that you are just as satisfied with frozen yogurt in place of ice cream, whole grain crackers instead of chips, or a small instead of a large. That is balance, variety, and moderation. 3. Check your fuel gauge. You wouldn’t pull into a gas station to fill up without first checking your fuel gauge. But how often do you eat just because it’s there? To recognize the difference between wanting to eat and needing to eat, pause and ask yourself, “Am I hungry?” It’s a deceptively simple question. You’ll probably be surprised to discover how often you feel like eating just because you’re bored, tired, stressed, or want a reward. Eating food your body doesn’t need leads to weight gain—and doesn’t meet your emotional needs very well either. By asking “Am I hungry?”, you may sometimes realize that you’re too hungry. Skipping meals, especially breakfast, sets you up for overeating and poor choices. Keep nutrient rich foods on hand for snacks. Examples of great choices include a handful of nuts, fresh or dried fruit, whole grain crackers with string cheese, or a pouch of ready-to-eat tuna. 4. End eating on autopilot. Eating on the run doesn’t work because multitasking is a myth. Your brain can only focus on one thing at a time so everything else goes on autopilot—especially eating. Thiat'is why you can get to the end of a meal and feel stuffed, but strangely unsatisfied. On the other hand, mindful eating is eating with intention and attention. Eat with the intention of feeling better when you’re done than you did when you started. Eat with attention by taking a break to eat. Make eating an opportunity to refuel and recharge. Minimize distractions, pay attention to your hunger and fullness cues, and appreciate the aromas, appearance, and flavors of the meal. Awareness of your body’s fuel needs and conscious enjoyment of the entire experience leads to greater satisfaction with less food. As you experience the benefits of eating more mindfully, ask yourself what other areas of your life would improve with less multitasking and more intention and attention. 5. Exercise for health, not punishment. Don’t make the mistake of exercising to earn the right to eat or pay penance for eating, as in, “I was so bad at dinner last night; I’ll spend an extra hour on the treadmill.” This negative approach leads to dread and avoidance. Instead, exercise for energy, productivity, health, function, and longevity. Find activities that you really enjoy and that work well in your schedule. Even busy people quickly discover that it’s a great return on their investment when they focus on the benefits. Exercise is so valuable in fact, that if you’re too busy to exercise, you’re just too busy. If you aren’t in shape yet, start small and you’ll quickly adapt. Picture that pendulum: small steps practiced consistently are more effective than one large, temporary overhaul. 6. Take responsibility for your well-being. Self-care is not an indulgence, it is a necessity. But don't expect someone else to say, "You know what you really need? Time for yourself!" You have to believe you deserve it and be willing to invest your precious resources to make sure you get it. Even the little things—restful sleep, connecting with family and friends, time for favorite hobbies, quiet relaxation—all contribute to your effectiveness, health, and vitality. When you keep the big picture in mind, tile by tile, choice by choice, you’ll create a masterpiece of good health and your best year yet! Eat Mindfully, Live Vibrantly!
Michelle May, M.D.
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