Why Portion Control and Mindful Eating Go Hand in Hand

Portion control and mindful eating may seem like complete opposites from each other, but I wanted to show you 3 reasons why the two actually go hand in hand.

If you’re unfamiliar with mindful eating, it is the practice of listening to your cravings, eating when you’re hungry, and stopping when you’re full.

While there’s honestly so, so much more to it than that {check out this mindful eating: what is it and how to do it article to give you a better idea}, it’s the simplest way to describe it that gets right to the point.

As I’ve been creating the content for the upcoming 12-week mindful eating program, portion control was something that I’ve really had a focus on.

You see, when I first started practicing mindful eating {over four years ago}, I thought it gave me free reign to eat what I wanted and as much as I wanted.

While that statement is true, I began to learn that I needed to start to take into account my portion sizes. Because while mindful eating is all about listening to your body’s needs, it also means listening to when it’s full.

Fullness is probably one of the most difficult signs to listen to with our bodies, so paying attention to my portion sizes was key. It helped me to know about how much food would satisfy my hunger, and leave me satiated, rather than stuffed.

3 Reasons Why Portion Control and Mindful Eating Go Hand in Hand

Reason #1 – Eating less can give you more

Wait, what the heck is she talking about? “Eating less can give me more.”

Let me explain.

Imagine you’re at the dinner table. You’ve had a delicious meal, and you’re still a little bit hungry, so you decide to have one more scoop of mashed potatoes.

Now you’re sitting on the couch, feeling so full you need to unbutton your pants and you feel totally drained, sleepy and uncomfortable.

This is where eating less can actually give you more.

By stopping before that extra scoop of potatoes, it gives your body time to catch up and realize it’s full {20 minutes to be exact}. This gives you the opportunity to feel satiated, rather than that overly full feeling.

Eating less will also give you more energy, because you won’t feel as sluggish as you would when you eat more than your body actually needs.

So paying attention to those portions is providing you with more energy, gives you more opportunity to eat the foods you love and gives you more time to listen to those fullness cues.

Reason #2 – Portion control helps you savor your foods

When it comes to mindful eating, you’re encouraged to really savor all the flavors of the foods you’re eating.

It encourages you to slow down {i.e. no shoveling your food into your mouth} and really pay attention to all the amazing flavors and textures of the food you’re eating.

Have you ever gone to a restaurant where the food is so good it makes you close your eyes and have that moment of pure food ecstasy?

Well, portion control helps with savoring all those flavors. The focus of your meal is more on the flavors, textures and company you’re with, rather than thinking you have to eat all of the food that’s in front of you.

Our portion sizes {especially at restaurants} encourage us to way over eat. And because the portions are so large, we’re typically more focused on finishing what’s on our plate, rather than how the food actually tastes.

The next time you’re out to eat, ask for a to-go box right away. Box up a quarter to half of your meal. Then really savor and enjoy everything that’s on your plate.

You may come to find that enjoying that smaller portion led to more satisfaction, allowed you to eat mindfully and saved you from that overly full factor. Oh, and bonus, you now have another meal for the next day!

Reason #3 – Portion control and mindful eating can help with weight loss

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This can be a tricky one, because mindful eating does not focus on weight loss, but when you’re more mindful of what, and how much, you’re eating, weight loss can become a factor.

I was listening to a podcast the other day by Rachel Hollis. It was absolutely incredible {episode 91 – go take a listen!}! But one thing that really struck me, was that there’s always so much of a focus on weight loss, rather than eating a living a healthy lifestyle to feel healthy.

That we tend to not like our bodies, or ourselves for that matter, if we feel fat, bloated, uncomfortable in our own skin.

Instead, we should be focused on how we feel on the inside, rather than how we look on the outside.

Now trust me, this is way easier said than done, and is something that each and everyone of us {myself included} could work on, on a consistent basis.

That’s why I challenge you to think about portion control and mindful eating as a way to better your health from the inside out. And if weight loss is a side effect of that, then that’s great!

But the focus should be more on how eating the right portions for your body, eating nutritious foods, and paying attention to what your body needs and when can help you to live a happy and healthy lifestyle. Rather than that potential weight loss.

Love your food and your portions

While this was a super quick overview on how mindful eating and portion control all fit together, like I said, there’s just so much more to it.

Mindful eating helps you really love the food you eat, and no longer feel guilty for what you decide to eat.

Going through the Piece of Mind signature program, specifically Module #6, where we focus on portion control, will help you put this article into practice.

You joined the Collective to likely stop feeling like you’re always falling off the wagon. Or you want to focus less on trying to remember what foods you can and can’t eat on your newest diet. Or felt guilty for eating that cookie{s} after dinner.

Utilize your access to the Collective by going through the signature program and help combat those feelings.

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