Mindfulness = awareness, or being present

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• posted by Jackie WilsonSaid
  on 19 Apr 2016 at 19:12

  

  [taken from another post but relevant here I hope]

  I thought I was being mindful if alone by sitting at the table and mindfully eating BSD healthy meals, whilst reading a book on the iPad.
  Mindful eating is in fact that strange thing of Just Eating.
  Other mindful activities available include Just Walking, Just Meditating and Just Showering.
  I had a bad case in a pre-BSD life of wondering, often out loud, what my next meal was, whilst consuming my current one.
  Prof Mark Williams of Oxford tells a story of travelling to the West End to see a play and catching himself watching but not watching. He missed much since he was busy planning the trip home in his head.

• posted by RainyMonday
  on 9 May 2016 at 21:25

  

  Thanks for this. Mindfully enjoying the meal I am having right now is a new habit I am trying to develop, as it is the reason the 5:2 wasn’t more successful for me (non-mindful eating on my ‘off’ days).

  I’ve started practising Michael’s suggestion to put my fork down between bites. It has made a difference – I enjoy every bite, not just the first one.

• posted by Jackie WilsonSaid
  on 11 May 2016 at 12:33

  

  Good for you: the combo of mindfulness and food/eating awareness is key to this I think.
  It seems like once you *know* it’ll be very difficult to go back to previous ways. But the transition to post BSD will be interesting when temptation reappears. My expectation is that temptation will take the form of a manageable occasional piece of toast and pint etc., rather than eating cakes or equivalent every day, since my calorie, carb and behavioural awareness is now heightened.

• posted by shalimar
  on 29 Sep 2016 at 09:02

  

  I just started the Palouse Online Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR). Saw the first 3 videos so far.

  I browsed the topics and thought instead of starting a new topic iwould just use this thread.

  The process of trying and FAILING to do the 800 calorie blood sugar diet plan made me see that my getting “pissy” or indulging in negative thoughts and stressing out about tiny tiny things had a DIRECT effect on my diet success. At even the smallest stressor i would loose focus of my major objective and reach for unneeded food or alcohol.

  Must get a copy of Ram Dass’s Be Here Now …. as this MBSR video says …. the only moment we live in is the now = the past is gone and the future isn’t here.

  Got to interrupt and wake myself up when i am getting off track … or indulging in emotions, behaviours, etc. that have NOT served me well in the past.

  Would love everyones input.

• posted by shalimar
  on 29 Sep 2016 at 09:09

  

  From the first video. Pay attention in the present moment non-judgmentally.

  You need to use your judgment to ascertain when to cross the street.

  But it is not useful to blame, shame, judge yourself or other people. We never have all the facts on which to judge anyway.

• posted by JulesMaigret
  on 29 Sep 2016 at 09:25

  

  I was always guilty of eating and doing something else – watching TV, surfing the net, conference calls etc. As a result I was mechanically shovelling food into my mouth and absent-mindedly grazing on side dishes (garlic bed, rice, dhal – all typically all high in carb).

  I now focus on eating – I typically make meals with several discrete components and strong flavours. I am much more aware of the food, eat more slowly and typically eat what I planned with no collateral grazing.

• posted by shalimar
  on 29 Sep 2016 at 09:38

  

  It is so natural to feel guilty and blame ourselves for all sorts of stuff isn’t it????

  It is not very constructive.

  I still eat in the living room for now at least …. my small fridge is on the kitchen table. But i am reminding myself to really enjoy my food and make it tasty …. with only 800 calories on them menu …. i need to be mindful of every tasty bite.

  I remember eating cake and such that wasn’t even very delicious … just because it was wasteful to leave it!! Same with economizing on the BIG bag of chips/crisps or big bar of chocolate …. definitely Penny Wise and Pound Foolish!! 🙂

• posted by Jackie WilsonSaid
  on 29 Sep 2016 at 11:36

  

  shalimar
  Good luck with the Palouse course, it’s full of practices that compliment behaviour change elsewhere.
  Completing the suggested daily forms is pretty essential imho to record and understand your progress. The wider reading helps too.
  Like the BSD it’s an 8-week process of gradual change and developing new habits, which only you can do.

• posted by shalimar
  on 29 Sep 2016 at 11:43

  

  It’s real interesting so far …. loved the lack of duality because that’s also in A Course in Miracles which i had been working on as well. I can’t hardly wait!!! 🙂

• posted by Poppetini
  on 29 Sep 2016 at 14:04

  

  Hi Shalimar – thank you for the link to the Palouse Mindfulness (in today’s positive thinking thread). I’ve been looking for a meditation to help with ‘difficult feelings’ and et voila, there was one on the link. A nice, brief 15 minutes to help me deal with something upsetting. Very timely. And very much appreciated. Thank you.

• posted by shalimar
  on 29 Sep 2016 at 17:10

  

  Hi Poppetini!!! ,,,, saw you in the other thread.

  I realized yesterday that if i’m reaching for liquor or simple carbs … or just eating a ton … that there is something wrong and i had better figure out what it is and how to respond to the problem other than with food. Or just to acknowledge the problem and my feelings about it and figure out how to be at peace with it.

• posted by shalimar
  on 30 Sep 2016 at 11:13

  

  Think i need to get a printer!!! Lots of reading to do …. but at least i am retired.

• posted by shalimar
  on 3 Oct 2016 at 17:48

  

  Having ongoing sinus issues and not feeling to well …. but went to the library close to my house and printed out the readings for first 3 lessons. I am planning on being around this block.

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