Meditation as a Tool for Weight Loss

When people think of meditation, they often picture very new-age hippie-type people sitting cross legged and breathing.  This has been a huge turn-off to meditation for many people, especially those of us type-A personalities that focus on practicality and results.  It can be hard to see how meditation could actually help us with our weight loss goals or stress reduction.  Questions such as “how do I get started?”  and “where will I find the time?”  can be huge road blocks to getting started.

What is meditation?

The actual dictionary definition of meditating is “to think deeply or focus one's mind for a period of time”.  This does not sound too scary.  Many experts in this area describe meditating as training the brain to focus, and to be more present in the moment.  It is training the brain to be less distracted, and to be able to ignore the mental chatter that is constantly present in our minds.  This is a good adjunct to the work we do with weight loss, which strives to decrease the constant mental chatter around food. 

Meditation has really come a long way over the past few years in its ability to appeal to beginners.  It has been developed into much more mainstream content, and is designed to be easy and achievable for anyone.  If you have never attempted meditation before, there is no need to worry.  Several programs have been developed to help walk you through it.  My personal favorite is Headspace.  The reason I like this one is that it makes it very easy and doable for busy people who do not want to spend a lot of time researching how to meditate.  It starts with the basics, and has great instructional videos to explain the process.  Additionally, they are guided meditations, which means someone is talking you through the process, which I find extremely helpful and less daunting than doing it on my own.  (I have no affiliation with Headspace)

Benefits of Meditation

Meditation has been linked to improvements in a wide variety of different things, although many of these claims are not backed by scientific evidence.  Studies have been able to show improved weight loss, stress reduction, and increased capacity to learn.  Ability to focus on tasks has also been shown in numerous studies.  Meditation has also been linked to improved sleep, and improved healing as well.

The main benefit that applies to our work on weight loss and managing our minds is that meditation increases the amount of time we spend using our prefrontal cortex (the rational part of our brain) and decreases the amount of time that our primitive brain is in control.  It improves our ability to make decisions, and makes us less impulsive.   This is the same technique we use to stick to our food protocol and not give in to our urges, which makes meditation a way of strengthening our ability to manage our mind and achieve our goals. 

Another area of significant benefit when working on weight loss is its ability to help you focus.  Many people that practice meditation find that afterwards, they tend to focus on “the right things” in their life.  This means that they spend less time feeling overwhelmed, and instead are able to focus on tasks that need to be done, and feel more efficient.  People who meditate often report a significant decrease in stress and anxiety.  They feel more present and able to enjoy the moment, rather than feeling stressed and overwhelmed about the future or their to-do list.  In this way meditation can significantly help decrease many of the reasons we seek comfort and distraction from food. 

Finally, meditation helps teach us that we are not our thoughts.  Our brain will come up with many thoughts, both positive and negative, but these thoughts do not define us.  The thoughts come and go, and meditation helps you see that.  It helps you step into the observer role more naturally, which is a key that I teach for processing emotions.  If someone has made meditation a regular practice, they are better able to recognize and process powerful emotions in a healthy way, without resorting to food or alcohol.

How To Meditate

How much time do you need to meditate?  Research shows that the magic amount of time to have the best benefits is only 8 minutes a day.  All these amazing benefits from just 8 minutes a day?  That seems pretty doable. 

How to do it – It is generally recommended that you sit in a chair.  Sit with your feet flat on the floor, arms at your sides.  No need for a cushion or sitting cross legged on the floor, although you can do that if you want.  You will want to either listen to an app, or set a timer for 8-10 minutes or more.  Close your eyes and focus on your breath.  You will have many thoughts pop into your head and distract you.  The key is to notice them, but then go back to focusing on your breath.  Notice that your thoughts come and go, and continuously float by you.  Put yourself in the observer role, as though you are observing your own brain at work.  As soon as you realize you have become distracted (because you will be, constantly!) bring your attention back to your breath. 

This process is actually very uncomfortable at first.  You will be sure you are doing it wrong, but try to stick with it.  As with anything, practicing meditation on a regular basis improves your ability and comfort with it.  You will see amazing results in your focus, how calm you feel, and of course – in your weight loss goals. 

The 30 Day Challenge

I would challenge anyone trying to lose weight or trying to reduce stress and anxiety to give this a try for 10 minutes a day, for 30 days straight.  Use solution based thinking and ask yourself – “how can I make time for 10 minutes a day of meditation?”  Then notice if you feel any improvement in these areas of your life.