#endED Twitter Chat Re-Cap: Michelle May
Thanks to all that joined our #endED Twitter chat this Wednesday with Michelle May MD (@EatWhatYouLove) as we talked about mindful eating. For those of you that missed it, here were some of the “highlights.”
(If you don’t know about Twitter, the @ symbol is the way a username is signified on Twitter. The # before a word makes the word searchable in Twitter.)
1a. How do you define mindful eating?
@EatWhatYouLove Mindful eating is present moment awareness. How do I feel? How does this taste? How do I feel as I eat? How do I feel when I’m done?#ended
@EatWhatYouLove #Mindfuleating is eating with intention and attention – eating with purpose and awareness. #ended
1b. Some people think that dieting is “mindful.” What do you think?
@EatWhatYouLove: Mindful eating becomes more natural with practice. Unlike dieting which just gets harder! #endED
@ScritchfieldRD Dieting is deprivation (negative). Mindful eating holds food accountable to bring pleasure (positive self care)
@EatWhatYouLove Mindful eating is about being in charge; dieting is about being in control. #ended
@EatWhatYouLove: Diets cause you to focus on what and how much to eat – not why and how you eat. Those are the missing link! #ended
2 People sometimes resist mindful eating; how do you introduce this concept? What is a simple way to help someone become more mindful about their eating?
@EatWhatYouLove Remember though, you are not asking “Am I hungry?” to decide if you’re allowed to eat but to understand why you want to.
@EatWhatYouLove Mindlessness forces us to re-act. Mindfulness allows us to choose our response (response-ability)
EatWhatYouLove Unlike mindless eating, mindful eating brings more pleasure – and I get to feel good during AND after eating. #ended
3 How does mindful eating help with yoyo dieting and disordered eating?
@HWellsRD Mindful eating helps you be more in tune with your body’s needs, which helps decrease the urge to indulge in yo-yo patterns.
@EatWhatYouLove Yoyo dieting and disordered eating are habits; we can only change habits we’re aware of. With awareness comes choice
@Allie_RD AI tend to associate emotional eating with inner battles, mindful eating with being present in the moment #endED
4 Can mindful eating help when there are specific medical issues like diabetes?
@Allie_RD: I believe mindful eating skills are necessary regardless of medical diagnosis! #ended
@HWellsRD: Absolutely! My clients who focus more on mindful eating are more successful with disease management.
@EatWhatYouLove Mindful eating helps us notice symptoms, side effects, problems AND reinforces positive feelings when we make supportive choices. #ended
@EatWhatYouLove check out our #Diabetes and Mindful Eating blog:diabetesandmindfuleating.com
5 How do you get people to buy into the concept of mindful eating?
@jaresashasteen: I never want to focus on a number, but instead how my body feels and looks. #ended
@eatwhatyoulove always says “eat mindfully, live vibrantly!” #endED
@Allie_RD reinforcement of the all the positives associated with being mindful and aware #endED
@EatWhatYouLove Mindful eating is just a path to more mindful, vibrant living. #ended
About #endED
The goal of #endED is to bring anyone and everyone together who cares about ending eating disorders. My hope is to end the silence and myths about eating disorders, create a place for honest and informed discussion, while offering hope and encouragement. The next chat will be in January, but in the meantime I’ll still be tweeting frequently with the #endED hashtag so you can follow recovery-positive discussions on eating disorders by searching Twitter.