How to meditate to lose weight
What is meditation?
Meditation is a practice that helps to connect the mind and body to achieve a sense of peace. People have been meditating as a spiritual tool for thousands of years. Today, many people use meditation to reduce stress and pay more attention to their thoughts.
How to meditate to lose weight |
There are many types of meditation. Some are based on the use of specific phrases called mantras. Others focus on breathing or keeping the mind in the present moment.
All of these techniques can help you develop a better understanding of yourself, including how your mind and body work.
This increased awareness makes meditation a useful tool to better understand your eating habits, which can lead to weight loss.
We partnered with WW (Weight Watchers Remained) to help you understand the benefits of meditation for weight loss and how to get started.
What are the benefits of meditation for weight loss?
With meditation, you can not lose weight overnight. But with a little practice, it can have a lasting effect not only on your weight but also on your way of thinking.
Continuous weight loss
Meditation is associated with various benefits. Mindfulness meditation seems to be the most helpful when it comes to weight loss. A 2017 review of existing studies found that mindfulness meditation is an effective way to lose weight and change eating habits.
Mindfulness meditation involves a lot of attention:
Where are you
What are you doing?
How are you in the present moment
During mindfulness meditation, you will accept all of these things without judgment. Try to consider only your actions and thoughts - nothing more. Find out what you feel and do, but try not to take anything for granted. With regular practice it becomes easier.
There are also long-term benefits to practicing mindfulness meditation. Compared to other dieters, according to a 2017 review, prudent adherents are more likely to lose weight.
Less guilt and shame
Mindfulness meditation is especially helpful in preventing emotional and stress related foods. By learning more about your thoughts and feelings, you can determine when you are eating because you are stressed rather than hungry.
This is a great tool to avoid falling into the harmful dirt of shame and guilt that some people try to change their eating habits. Mindfulness meditation is about recognizing your feelings and behaviors, rather than judging yourself.
It encourages you to forgive yourself for making a mistake like eating a bag of potato chips stress. That apology also keeps you away from disaster, the same thing happens when you decide to order a “******** up” pizza after eating a bag of chips.
How can I start meditating for weight loss?
Anyone with mind and body can practice meditation. No special equipment or expensive classes required. For most people, the hardest part is just finding the time. Try to start with 10 minutes a day or every day is reasonable.
Make sure you have access to a quiet place during these 10 minutes. If you have children, you may want to fertilize it before they go to sleep or after they wake up to reduce distractions. You can also try it in the shower.
Once you are in a quiet place, be comfortable with yourself. You can sit or lie down in any position you feel comfortable with.
Start by focusing on your breathing, raising and lowering your chest or abdomen. Feels like air is moving in and out of your mouth or nose. Listen to the sounds the wind makes. Do this for a minute or two until you feel more relaxed.
Next, whether your eyes are open or closed, follow these steps:
Take a deep breath. Hold it for several seconds.
Take a slow breath and repeat.
Breathe naturally.
Observe your breathing as it enters your nostrils, lifts your chest up, or moves your belly, but do not change it in any way.
Focus on your breath for 5 to 10 minutes.
You will find your mind wandering, which is completely normal. Recognize that your mind is wandering and return your attention to your breath.
When you start closing, think about how easily your mind spins. Then, find out how easy it is to bring your attention into your breath.
Try to do this on more days of the week. Keep in mind that it may not seem very effective the first time you do this. But with regular practice, it becomes easier and begins to look more natural.
Where can I get guided meditation?
If you are interested in trying other types of meditations or need some guidance, you can find various guided meditations online.
The WW app contains guided meditations that help you stay in touch with your diet.
When choosing an online guided meditation, try to stay away from those that promise overnight results or offer hypnosis.
Here is a mindfulness meditation guided by psychologist Tara Brach, PhD to get you started.
Other Mindfulness Techniques
Here are some other tips to help you adopt a holistic-based approach to weight loss:
Slow down your meal. Focus on chewing slowly and recognizing the taste of each bite.
Find the right time to eat. Avoid eating or multi-tasking while traveling.
How to meditate to lose weight |
Learn to recognize hunger and fullness. If you are not hungry, do not eat. If you are full, do not proceed. Try to listen to what your body is saying.
Find out how certain foods make you feel. Try to pay attention to how you feel after eating certain foods. What things make you tired? What things make you feel powerful?
Sorry yourself. You thought pint ice cream would make you feel good, but it didn’t. As well as. Learn from it and move on.
Make more thoughtful food choices. Spend more time thinking about what you are going to eat before actually eating.
Pay attention to your desires. Craving chocolate again? Acknowledging your cravings can help you resist them.
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