Eat. Move. Connect. Live life on purpose Spotlight on Success Meet Jean Over my life, I “dieted” myself to “cheated” over the last year, but 250 lbs! All the diets worked – in moderation (I can’t eat two do- they just didn’t last. I gave up. nuts or two pieces of cake any- more) and exercise helps suppress Then, I decided to try bariatric my need to “cheat” and keeps me surgery, as I knew others who focused. Exercise is good for your were successful for years in keep- heart, health and mood, so I try to ing the weight off after surgery, incorporate it into my daily rou- including two acquaintances that tine, whether at the gym or taking had already started the program. stairs as often as possible or We supported each other, walking on breaks at work. celebrated successes and continue to encourage each other. For anyone who can’t maintain weight loss after years of The best part, I have kept the “dieting,” this may be the answer weight off for 18 months! And it for you! The only caveat is that is so easy to maintain the eating you must be willing to change style. I always tried to eat your eating habits and lifestyle healthy, but didn’t realize the habits forever. It is not something volume that I consumed in one that you do for a year or so, it is a meal (we really don’t need program for life. I just wish I had “seconds”). Now, if I chew each had the surgery years ago. But bite 30 times and lower my fork/ even at the age of 64, I am spoon after each bite, I find my- confident that I will be much self feeling “full” even before the healthier and happier in all my 30 minutes allowed are up! I have future years. Eat. Move. Connect. | Issue No. 6 | Spring | Page 1 Eating for Health What is Intuitive Eating? With Amy Emch, RD, LD, CLC Intuitive eating, also known as mindful eating, promotes an all Intuitive Eating -foods-fit approach and brings awareness to the process of eat- When was the last time you really tasted, savored and enjoyed what ing. Traditionally with intuitive you were eating? When you weren’t obsessed about counting calo- eating there are no “good ries or carbs? When you weren’t worried about what you “should” foods” or “bad foods” and no or “shouldn’t” be eating? When was the last time you ate guilt-free foods are off limits. This may or enjoyed a meal at the table instead of eating in your car, at your differ for you depending on desk or in front of the TV? When was the last time you carved out where you are in the bariatric time for your meals, instead of rushing through them? surgery process because certain foods can cause complications if In our fast-paced, convenience-based and weight-obsessed society, introduced too soon after sur- we tend to eat food, but many of us don’t actually taste or enjoy our gery. Regardless of your surgery food. Many of us have become so hyper-focused on “eating clean” status, intuitive eating can be or low-carb that we forget to enjoy our food. Yes, food is meant to beneficial to practice because fuel our bodies, and yes, some foods can promote certain health ad- intuitive eating explores the vantages that other foods cannot, but that doesn’t mean that food who, what, when, where, why, can’t be pleasurable as well. and how we eat. While many of us are worried about eating correctly, others of us Ask yourself these questions and tend to eat mindlessly. Eating has somehow become part of other you may learn you eat for rea- activities instead of being an important occasion all on its own, sons you weren’t even aware of. probably because our society as a whole doesn’t see the value in taking the time to eat dedicated meals anymore. What our society does value, though, is productivity, so we often eat while doing something else, thinking that we are accomplishing more by multi- tasking. The funny thing is, we are not all that great at multi- tasking. The human brain can really only focus on one task at a time. When you are doing two things at once, your brain is actually switching focus back and forth between tasks. So you may think that you are equally focused on eating and watching TV at the same time, but in reality you are mainly focused on your TV show. Why? Because your TV show is new and novel to your brain. Your brain focuses on the new information (the TV show) and you end up eating on autopilot because eating is familiar. Eating isn’t new to you. Additional Resources Mindless eating like this, or with other activities such as reading, driving and working, often leads to overeating and less satisfaction • Eat What You Love, Love with meals because your brain hasn’t been focused on eating. What You Eat by Michelle May, MD So how do we simultaneously address both mindless eating and a • Am I Hungry? website preoccupation with food? • The Center for Mindful The answer: intuitive eating. Eating • The Mindful Dietitian, website and blog Eat. Move. Connect. | Issue No. 6 | Spring | Page 2 Try This Exercise Eat a meal without any dis- tractions—no TV, no work, no books, no phones, no music, no people. Take a bite of your food and close your eyes. Think about the texture and the fla- vor of the food you are chew- ing. Appreciate what went into growing, raising or preparing Bringing Mindfulness To Meals the food that you are eating. Chew your food thoroughly, Ask yourself these questions to increase mindfulness with your taking at least 20 minutes to meals. eat your meal. How satisfied were you with your meal? Did Who Where it taste better than you • Who do I typically eat with? • Where do I eat my meals? expected? • Who do I prefer to eat with and At the table? In front of the why? TV? At my desk? In my car? The Big Question • Do the people I eat with • Where is the most relaxing Many people wonder if they pressure me to eat or not eat place I can eat to focus on will overeat “unhealthy” foods certain foods? my food? if they practice intuitive eating • When I eat alone do I eat more since, typically, nothing is off- or less? Faster or slower? Does Why limits. Many people tend to food taste different? • Why do I want to eat? indulge in “unhealthy” foods • Am I physically hungry? at the start because they no What • Am I stressed, happy, an- longer feel guilty about eating • What do I typically eat? gry, bored or depressed? them, which is a good thing • What is it about the food that • Is it the time of day? because guilt never helps to makes me choose to eat it? • Am I associating eating promote long-lasting change Convenience? Taste? Texture? with another activity, such or a good relationship with Is it something I grew up as watching TV? food. After practicing intuitive eating? • Am I eating to avoid doing eating for awhile, though, something else? many people grow tired of the “unhealthy” foods that they When • Am I eating because this is used to crave because they are a special event or holiday? • When do I eat? paying more attention to how • Am I eating out of habit? • Do I get to eat according to my food physically and physical hunger cues? Or a How emotionally makes them feel. schedule? If intuitive eating resonates • What happens if I skip a meal? • How does this food make with you, talk to your dietitian Do I overeat later? me physically feel? about trying it and remember • How does this food make to practice it within the me emotionally feel? bariatric surgery program recommendations. Eat. Move. Connect. | Issue No. 6 | Spring | Page 3 Find a Positive Mindset Having a set of positive man- tras or thinking about posi- tive outcomes can help with a “glass half-full” attitude to- wards your exercise activity. Repeat your manta once daily or any time when you need an extra pick me up. • I’m grateful I’m able to spend time doing activi- ties with my children (or Moving with Purpose grandchildren) • I’m glad I can do some- With Bonnie Buckingham, M.S., RD, LD, CDE thing for my health that isn’t taking another med- Find Your Groove ication Lets face it. Exercise it not always our favorite activity. Maybe it con- • I will seize the moment, rather than wait for a jures up images of wearing PE clothes in gym class and being forced to “perfect” time run around the track four times. Maybe your hand-eye coordination was less than stellar and you avoided sports like the plague. Whatever • I’m grateful for the ability to move my body and I the reason, exercise often evokes negative connotations. But, our bod- promise to take care of it ies are not made to sit still. They are wonderfully made to move in all • directions, sending life through every part of us. Moving your body is I’m doing this for me breathing life through it, reveling in its strengths and acknowledging • I am courageous and I its limitations. It’s feeling your body working, pumping blood, filling stand up for myself your lungs with air.