Everyone agrees that weight control is a key component of maintaining good health. Below you will find 3 tips on healthy weight management.

Start with Acceptance

Acceptance is commonly considered one of the key attitudes of mindfulness. In the area of weight management, it particularly applies because, according to Hudnall, it’s about supporting yourself in living a happy, healthy life, not getting in your own way with negative attitudes about yourself.

Acceptance can be a tough concept to master when there is considerable pressure to conform to others’ standards, particularly when it comes to weight. But people can move toward acceptance by starting to use their own thoughts, feelings and experiences as a guide to discovering what feels best to them. When it comes to eating, that’s what mindful eating is all about. Source: Mindful-Eating

Mindset

Poor eating habits such as overeating are acquired early in life. We lose connection with our body and let the mind take control. Eventually, we stop listening to the signals that our body is sending us.

Ayurveda teaches us that our health depends on conscious choices. Being aware of what is good for and harmful to our body is the key to conscious eating; this is the basis of naturally balancing your weight in a healthy way.

When you choose fresh, organic food that’s loaded with nutrients, and contains no preservatives or additives, you regain balance in a healthy way, without starving or causing unnecessary struggle. Source: Chopra

Get Help

Although eating disorders vary in severity from mild to life-threatening, they usually don’t go away by themselves. People with eating disorders often fear getting help because it could be seen as a sign of weakness. Loved ones can help break through that by being open to getting help themselves and by examining how they or other family relationships or issues may have contributed. In a family, both fathers and mothers need to be involved in treatment. This challenge needs to be shared. Family members and loved ones need to understand that the problem is not a simple one. Advice to “just eat” won’t help. The eating and body image issues cover up much more complicated feelings. Source: AAMFT

If you would like more information or resources related to weight management, please contact us.

Contact:
Gina Vanderham Psychotherapy Practice
470 Granville St #830, Vancouver, BC V6C 1V4
Voicemail: (604) 733-7428 | Email: gina@ginavanderham.com

Mindful eating is the practice of eating with attention and intention.  Below are 4 tips to help you to eat mindfully.

Stop Multitasking
If you are reading and eating, try alternating these activities, not doing both at once? Read a page, then put the book down and eat a few bites, savoring the tastes, then read another page, and so on. Source: PsychologyToday

Only Eat at the Table
Another way to minimize mindless munching is to get into the habit of only eating when you are sitting down and able to give the food your full attention. No more snacking on the run. Source: ZenHabits

Slow Down
You can do this by taking a deep breath and noticing the aroma. Look at the food and notice as much as you can. What do you see? Now set a clear intention to savor and enjoy the bite, the flavor, this tiny moment. You can repeat this with each bite, slowing the pace of eating, chewing and assembling the next bite.  Eating in this way has become the treatment I need to manage my rushing addiction. Eating slowly, in this focused, intentional way, is also a great way to avoid overeating or mindless munching due to food abundance. Mindful eating is a gift I give to myself. Each bite is a present that I can savor. I can happily coach myself to remember that there is no need to gobble anything: “Relax, you want this moment to last.” And after a few deep breaths, I am again focused on the taste, texture, the bite, and act of eating.  Source: TheCenterForMindfulEating

Be Grateful
Honor your food and express your gratitude. Do you feel fortunate to be able to afford the food you eat? Is your food nutritious? Does it look pretty on your plate? Tell it!  I admit to complimenting my food. I say, “Wow! You look delicious!” I say, “Thank you so much for being here with me.” I say, “I am so grateful for all of the people who made it possible for my food to be here with me.” Source: Tinybuddha

If you’d like more information on mindful eating, contact us here:

Contact:
Gina Vanderham Psychotherapy Practice
470 Granville St #830
Vancouver, BC V6C 1V4
(604) 733-7428

Elton John is a multiple Grammy Award winner and a music legend known all around the world.

Russell Brand is an internationally acclaimed comedian and movie star.

Both have achieved a long string of accomplishments and public recognition.

But did you know that both of these men have also personally battled eating disorders? Continue reading »

Many people struggle with eating disorders for long periods of time, and it takes a lot of courage for them to make the decision to find an eating disorder therapist to help them begin the healing process. If that sounds like you, and you’ve been searching for a Vancouver eating disorder therapist to help you, it can be difficult to know where to begin, or what criteria you should be looking for. Continue reading »

Words of Advice from a Vancouver
Eating Disorder Counsellor

Eating disorders afflict millions of people every year. According to the experts at PsychCentral, right around 90 percent of those people are young women and teenage girls. Eating disorders include Bulimia and Anorexia, and they can begin for a number of reasons, but it’s believed that when women are young, they’re more susceptible to being worried about body image. Many of them begin extreme diets while they’re young, which can result in eating disorders. Continue reading »