Mindful Eating vs. Dieting
Which Approach Is Best?
Once you start researching diets and weightless you may come across mindful eating. How do you eat to diet? What is Mindful eating and how does it differ from dieting? This post will address what mindful eating vs. dieting and which approach actually seems to work,
Mindfulness is defined as the state of being conscious or being aware of something. When we relate it to our diets, it is more specifically being aware/conscious of what we put into our bodies or how we fuel them. When we think about diet we think about taking away foods that we enjoy eating or cheat meals. We think about cutting carbs, or limiting sugar. As we should, although that does not mean we cannot have them, It means we need to be mindful of what we eat.
To be clear, when we relate mindfulness to our diet, it does not mean that we need to eliminate everything we enjoy, it means to be aware of what we enjoy and how much of it we are actually enjoying.
Mindful eating and dieting have been two of the most popular approaches to achieving weight loss for years. But which one actually works best? It’s a difficult question to answer as everyone’s body is different and both approaches have advantages and disadvantages. Let’s explore the differences between mindful eating and dieting while discussing the differences.
Mindful eating is the practice of paying attention to the food you consume, without judgment or distraction. It’s all about tuning in to our body’s natural signals of hunger and fullness, and enjoying our meals in a present and intentional way. It is about being aware of what we are consuming. Keeping ourselves conscious of the choices we make without a sense of failure to obsessive behaviour.
Unlike traditional dieting, which focuses on strict calorie-counting, portion control, and food restriction, mindful eating encourages us to trust our bodies and follow our natural appetite. This means that we eat when we are hungry and stop when we are full, rather than forcing ourselves to adhere to dieting rules or guidelines. Mindful eating can simply become a lifestyle once you condition yourself.
Why Would One Try Mindful Eating?
Research suggests that it can have a number of positive benefits, from improving digestion and reducing stress (which plays a large role in holding onto the weight) to losing weight in general. With mindful eating, if you are honest with yourself, it can be a lifestyle that may work for you. In short, if you’re tired of feeling guilty, stressed, or frustrated around food, it may be time to try out mindful eating. You can try mindful eating with added exercise to encourage a faster weight loss and healthier lifestyle that would be attainable and maintainable.
What is Dieting?
Dieting is when we intentionally restrict food intake or following a particular eating plan to achieve weight loss goals. This can vary from calorie counting, cutting carbs, keto, or Atkins diet. In a society that is surrounded around weight loss and dieting this can focus on measuring portions or only eating certain food groups. To maximize fat loss people will choose extreme diets and a workout routine.
Dieting often includes following strict rules which can be challenging to sustain over a long period of time for the average, working person. This can lead to yo-yo dieting where our weight fluctuates because we are trying to fulfill unsustainable fads. This type of cycling with weight loss is not only unhealthy for your physiological health it affects our mental health.
There are diets that can work for the short term but in my opinion are not sustainable. Weight loss should adopt a more holistic approach to eating, through our food choices and being mindful of what we are consuming.
Mindful Eating vs. Dieting: Which Approach is Better?
While both mindful eating and dieting are popular approaches to weight loss, there are fundamental differences between the two.
