Can we use meditation to lose weight? Absolutely! It is even an excellent tool that treats the problem at its source: stress, impulses, boredom or possible imbalances in the body (hormones, vital energy, sleep disorders, etc.). Combined with sport and a balanced diet, meditation can give surprising results!
If you’re up for it, find out how to use meditation to lose weight.
How can meditation help me lose weight?
We know, yes, that exercising and eating a more balanced diet will help us lose weight. But sometimes we give up along the way, losing the determination to make the necessary efforts and sacrifices. And that’s what happens in the mind. Meditation, if done seriously, can give us the discipline and strength we need to take action.
Stress relief and self-control
Losing weight and staying slim are two goals that require a radical change in lifestyle so that you don’t fall back into the bad habits that caused you to gain weight. By this we mean an improvement in diet, less sedentary lifestyle and a better management of stress and impulses.
Indeed, stress is very insidious. It encourages us to seek comfort in sugary and fatty foods. At the same time, it slows down our metabolism and promotes the accumulation of abdominal fat. This is where many diets fail, because even if you reduce your caloric intake, if you are constantly stressed, you will have difficulty stabilizing your weight. Not to mention the health problems that could result. So to lose weight, fight stress first!
The benefits of meditation on stress and, by extension, on weight:
- Well-being and better self-control (less tendency to crave when bored or to compensate for stress with food) ;
- Improved metabolic function and therefore more effective weight loss
- Beneficial effects on brain plasticity (the more you meditate, the more you will have the upper hand in moments of stress)
- Better balance between body and mind
- Restorative sleep (lack of sleep prompts you to eat more to regain energy)
- Harmonization of the endocrine system (less “yo-yo” effect in terms of weight)
- Meditation forges a fighting spirit: one is determined in the face of each new challenge in the weight loss process
Visualization and positive affirmations
Losing weight is essentially in your mind. By intervening on your subconscious, you will see visible results on your figure. The visualization method, which consists of attracting your deepest desires to yourself, can also be applied in the quest for your ideal weight. It is a good way to stay focused on your goal and to increase the effectiveness of your weight loss program tenfold. The law of universal attraction can make everything happen.
All you have to do is ask, imagining yourself happier, healthier and thinner:
- Every day, spend a few minutes visualizing your diet success. How would you feel? Joy, gratitude, a sense of accomplishment?
- Every day, spend a few minutes visualizing your diet success. How would you feel? Joy, gratitude, a sense of accomplishment?
- Every day, spend a few minutes visualizing your diet success. How would you feel? Joy, gratitude, a sense of accomplishment?
Mindful eating
It is possible to combine mindfulness meditation with a balanced meal: it is called “mindful eating”. It is a discipline that will transform your eating habits, since by paying more attention to what you eat :
- you take the time to savor
- you take the time to savor
- you take the time to savor
- you take the time to savor
- you take the time to savor
The meditation diet method
So how do you do this? It’s not very difficult – you can do some or all of the following:
1. Make room
Too often eating is a multi-tasking activity, done while reading or working or driving or watching a screen. Make room for meditation while eating; cut out everything else, and do only one thing. Just eat.
2. Put your food in front of you, and consider it
It doesn’t matter what food you choose – it can be food you already eat regularly, or you can think of eating a handful of berries, a carrot, some broccoli, almonds and whole nuts. Sit down with the food in front of you, and look at it. Notice its colors, its texture, its imperfections. Smell it.
3. Think about its origins
Take a moment to think about where this food came from – did it come from another continent, or from somewhere near you? How did it get to you? Who grew it or raised it, picked it or slaughtered it, transported it, prepared it? What animal gave its life and suffered for your pleasure and health? Be grateful for all of these.
4. Taste it
One bite at a time, put the food in your mouth and savor its taste and texture. Is it crunchy, soft, gritty, syrupy? Is it earthy, sweet, floral, salty, spicy, tangy? Does it taste like oak, lemon, grass, herbs, moss, tannin? Also think about what has been added to the food – chemicals, salt, sugar, fats? How does this food make you feel? Think about the nutrients that this food gives you, how it nourishes you.
5. Write down how you feel
How do you feel when you eat? Are you hungry, stressed, sad, happy, hurt, angry, scared, confused, lonely, bored, impatient?
6. Take breaks between bites
Don’t bite into the next bite while chewing. Take one bite, then swallow. Breathe. Enjoy the space. Then repeat the process with the next bite.
Practice this once a day. When it becomes a regular habit, try twice a day. Finally, do it every time you eat, eat a dish or snack, or drink something.
Expectations
This diet is about relearning the process of eating, changing your taste buds to enjoy healthier food, creating a lasting change, being more aware throughout the day, being grateful for what you have, redefining our actions based on our emotions, understanding what you put into your body and how it becomes who you are.
So there is no goal that you are trying to achieve in the long run (weight loss, chocolate bars, reduced chances of diabetes and cardiovascular disease). The process of meditating while eating is the goal itself. If you are conscious while you eat, you have already succeeded.
So succeeding in this program is easy – just do it, and you are a world champion.