For the last several months I have been studying the concept of mindful eating. Recently, I was a guest blogger for a mindful eating website (www.eatq.com) so I have created a series of articles from my experience and offer these mindful eating tips for you.

Did you ever notice how each food choice impacts your mood and stress levels?  As a Health Coach I’ve spent many days experimenting with different foods and how my body reacts to them. One of which, to my surprise, is my dearest friend Diet Coke.  I have educated myself on the (gasp!) dangers of Diet Coke (and other soft drinks) and have s-l-o-w-l-y weaned myself from my one-a-day beverage (you know, like a vitamin) habit to an occasional treat.  This was not an easy habit to come to terms with. But this is what I’ve learned about my body’s reaction to Diet Coke:

• I began to notice a tiny headache at the bridge of my nose after I drank the soda.
  
• My hips and joints don’t ache in the morning 
  
• I sleep much better
  
• I don’t have that morning slimy nastiness in my mouth when I wake (I know, gross, but true)
  
• Cravings are significantly less when I stay away from pop of any kind

The cravings also became easier when I quit bringing it into the house, which has been a BIG help. Now, I only enjoy an occasional Diet Coke when dining out on Saturday night. I’m learning that water with lemon is just as satisfying – even with pizza! And I walk away from the table feeling satisfied (not stuffed – from the carbonation?) and not crabby from another failed food choice.

Take action this week by becoming aware of your mood and stress levels when you eat. Challenge yourself to try this fun activity: keep a food journal for the next seven days. Record everything you put in your mouth along with the portion size. Then note answers to these questions: 

• Who were you with? 
  
• What was your hunger level and mood at the time you ate? 
  
• What was your mood an hour later?  
  

Then review your journal and look for patterns to emerge. For example:

• Do you eat sweet or salty things when you are stressed? 
  
• Do you eat when you are bored? tired? happy?
  
• Do certain foods cause you to eat uncontrollably? 
  
• How do you feel when you make a good food choice? 
  
• How about your emotional satisfaction level? 
  

What do you notice about your eating habits when you are: 

• Eating alone? 
  
• Eating with a friend? 
  
• Bored with your food choices? 
  
• Eating at a favorite restaurant?  
  

How can you use this new information to change your eating habits? I’d like to hear from you! Send me an email (sarawolfsen@gmail.com) with your findings. I’m fascinated by food and mood discoveries. I hope to hear from you.

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Sara Wolfsen is a Certified Health Coach who specializes in helping people make their own healthy changes by providing private health coaching, nutrition education and wellness classes, and gentle weight-loss guidance and support.  Visit her Facebook page at Sara Wolfsen, Certified Health Coach for healthy tips, recipes and resources. Schedule your complimentary coaching session and learn more online at www.sarawolfsen.com.

For the last several months I have been studying the concept of mindful eating. Recently, I was a guest blogger for a mindful eating website (www.eatq.com) so I have created a series of articles from my experience and offer these mindful eating tips for you.

Have you ever considered the fact that our dining companions having a significant impact on how we eat?  It’s important to be conscious of the way others change the way we eat. Let me illustrate:

Sundays are always a difficult day for me; everyone is home, relaxing, and often munching mindlessly. I really think eating is contagious. We see others grab a snack, and automatically we reach for one too.  I try to keep junk out of our house, to help all of us make better choices. If we have a “treat” like soda, cookies, etc. I try to keep it off the counter and out of sight.  On the other hand, I try to promote healthy snacking by keeping a fruit bowl brimming with fresh fruit (this time of year – crisp Michigan apples – red and yellow – yum!).  I also make time to clean, chop, and prepare my vegetables when I get home from the store. Fresh, ready-to-eat options stored in clear containers greet us when we open the refrigerator.

I remember a specific Sunday last Fall when we were under serious storm watches for much of the day (high wind warnings, tornadoes, hail, sleet, thunderstorms, etc.) so the stress of watching the weather reports had me wishing for a snack. I watched my husband grab crackers and a granola bar. Then he made coffee with flavored white chocolate mocha creamer, which almost sent me out of this world for an indulgence.  Very often, if I feel I can’t trust myself to make good food decisions, I will take a Sunday afternoon nap. My logic? While I’m not burning calories, I’m not eating calories either!  Besides, it’s a perfect opportunity to rest and recharge for the week ahead.  It’s been an effective tactic for years so I headed to the couch, cuddled with Piper (my poo-chi terrier mix), and zonked out while the Lions football game droned in the background.

Typically on Sunday evenings, I lay out a spread of finger foods and we “graze” on things like veggies and dip, apple slices and peanut butter, chips and salsa, crackers and cheese, popcorn, lettuce salad, etc.  This is the one night a week when we fill our plates and watch television. The kids like choosing what they want to eat and I like the simplicity of the meal with minimal clean-up.

Take action this week by remaining mindful of your activity choices, your dining companions, and your food options. And remember, bad eating could be as contagious as good eating!

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Sara Wolfsen is a Certified Health Coach who specializes in helping people make their own healthy changes by providing private health coaching, nutrition education and wellness classes, and gentle weight-loss guidance and support.  Get more exciting tips, recipes and resources on her Facebook page and schedule your complimentary coaching session and learn more online at www.sarawolfsen.com.

For the last several months I’ve been studying the concept of mindful eating. Recently, I was a guest blogger for a mindful eating website (www.eatq.com) so I have created a series of articles on my experience with mindful eating tips for you.

Boy, it is so easy to criticize myself for the choices I make. Yet I find when I am kind to myself, making the best choice comes easier.

This is an area I have really been working on over the last few months.  Becoming aware of my own harsh thoughts and judgments is just not helpful in loving myself.  It has become so important to change the direction of these thoughts, forgive myself, and look for a positive way to acknowledge my efforts.  This lesson has been HUGE for me. I find when I cut myself some slack, but continue to be responsible, I am a much kinder person, mother, co-worker, friend, coach.

I find it helpful to keep encouraging phrases, sayings or quotes visible and use them to keep me motivated.  Being a former Weight Watchers leader, I kept a variety encouraging quotes in my mind and often used one as inspiration to close my meetings.

Lately, the mantra that keeps me focused on making healthy choices as I prepare for a meal (or bite-by-bite on tough days) is pausing and thinking “Will this bite take me closer to my goals, or further away?”

Most of the time, this simple thought slows me down, keeps me in control, and guides me to my choice. For example, before I reach for another piece of pizza, I pause and ask myself “will this piece of pizza take me closer to my goal, or further away?”. Powerful! Effective! And an opportunity to praise myself for a good choice.

Another classic mantra? “Nothing tastes as good as healthy feels.”

Take action this week by seeking out your own encouraging phrases, sayings or quotes. Then write one on a post-it note and stick it somewhere that you will see it throughout the day (on a mirror, window, or computer screen), or make it the wallpaper on your cell phone. Not sure where to start? Check out my Facebook page (Sara Wolfsen, Certified Health Coach) for many inspiring posts.  Healthy blessings!

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Sara Wolfsen is a Certified Health Coach who specializes in helping people make their own healthy changes by providing private health coaching, nutrition education and wellness classes, and gentle weight-loss guidance and support.  Schedule your complimentary coaching session and learn more online at www.sarawolfsen.com.

For the last several months I’ve been studying the concept of mindful eating. Recently, I was a guest blogger for a mindful eating website (www.eatq.com) so I have created a series of articles on my experience with mindful eating tips for you.

How often do we take a lunch break and focus on something else while we are eating? This week’s focus is about staying present at the plate. I have been practicing living in the moment instead of allowing my mind to race ahead of me while I eat a meal.

My boys (ages 9 and 13) and I recently spent a lazy day perusing the store aisles for Christmas ideas (read: Legos and electronics).  We stopped at Qdoba for lunch and sat down just before the lunch crowd started. I really enjoyed focusing on our conversation while practicing everything I have learned about mindful eating. I took time to be grateful for our food, ate slowly and mindfully, noticing each individual taste of my lunch – especially the fresh lime I squeezed over it – YUM-O!

As the restaurant swelled with hungry patrons, I couldn’t help but notice people around us that were eating alone and numbly shoving food in their mouth or sucking on giant soda cups, while scrolling on their phone or reading a book. That would have been me a few months ago. It reminded me of the small, but consistent changes I’ve made as I’ve become more aware of my mindful eating habits.  

Take action this week by slowing down to focus only on your food. Use your senses to smell, taste, feel each bite of food, and savor a quiet moment. Take a single-pointed focus on YOU for better food choices and satisfaction.  Use the time to breathe deeply, be grateful and rest.  Your e-mail, Facebook status and tweets can wait. Enjoy!

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Sara Wolfsen is a Certified Health Coach who specializes in helping people make their own healthy changes by providing private health coaching, nutrition education and wellness classes, and gentle weight-loss guidance and support.  Schedule your complimentary coaching session and learn more online at www.sarawolfsen.com.

For the last several months I’ve been studying the concept of mindful eating. Recently, I was a guest blogger for a mindful eating website so I have created a series of articles on my experience with mindful eating tips for you.

Today’s mindful eating focus is on the importance of Stopping Yourself by using your mind and psychology to cool your cravings.  Just like firefighters that take time to stop and assess the situation before taking action, we can take a minute to assess our level of hunger and food choices as well as monitor our physical level of eating satisfaction before inhaling everything in front of us.

Last Tuesday was a very busy day for me so I didn’t spend any time thinking about my cravings but I did notice – for the first time ever – that it’s natural for me to automatically pair things together without pausing to consider whether I am hungry or not.  This was a new (exciting!) thought for me.  I realized I have always paired my salad with crackers. Yesterday, I finished my salad and made a mindful gut-check – and realized I didn’t need those crackers. I was satisfied for the moment.  I didn’t panic; I told myself they would be available later in the day if I got hungry. And I moved onto my next project. BAM! An Aha moment and learning experience indeed.

Then I began thinking about how many pairs I put together without stopping to consider my satiety (hunger/fullness) level.  Eggs and toast, sandwich and chips, a burger and fries, Diet Coke and pretzels (a FAVORITE snack back in the day), two poptarts (they are packaged together so they must go together right?), soup and a big hunk of homemade crusty bread (Mmmmmm!), sandwich + crackers + applesauce + cheesestick + yogurt. Wow.

So I feel like a new woman with a new tool in my tool purse. Remembering to Stop! Think! Feel! As I eat and know when I’m satisfied.  WOOT! WOOT!

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Sara Wolfsen is a Certified Health Coach who specializes in helping people make their own healthy changes by providing private health coaching, nutrition education and wellness classes, and gentle weight-loss guidance and support.  Schedule your complimentary coaching session and learn more online at www.sarawolfsen.com.

For the last several months I’ve been studying the concept of mindful eating. Recently, I was a guest blogger for a mindful eating website (www.eatq.com) so I have created a series of articles on my experience with mindful eating tips for you.

Breakfast. Lunch. Dinner.

One would think these are the only food choices we make. Did you know that a recent scientific study found that we make over 250 food choices each day? 

Coffee – black? cream? sugar? in my favorite blue ceramic mug? to-go thermos?

Breakfast cereal (which?)? with almond milk? fat-free milk?

Or oatmeal? brown sugar? maple syrup? walnuts? raisins? milk? apple? banana? frozen blueberries?

All these choices invade my thoughts, and I haven’t even climbed out of bed yet! Okay, so the research from Cornell is probably true – but 250+ food choices a day? WOW.

I was recently listening to a news interview with a guy who was wrongfully accused of murder and spent 10 years in prison before he was finally acquitted and released. He was explaining the luxuries of making his own decisions – like having a variety of things to eat instead of whatever is served cafeteria-style that day. It makes me appreciate how fortunate I am to have 250+ daunting choices to make each day.

I take comfort in routine and know I make my best food choices when I have a plan. So many of my food decisions are made on Monday nights when I make my meal plans for the week. To you it may seem boring, mundane. To me it means control, satisfaction and security. And I know I can build flexibility within the basic framework.

I never gave much thought to the process of making food decisions until now. I guess I’d conclude that the majority of my foods are planned from habit (for example: I often eat the same foods on Tuesdays because of my routine – with the exception of dinner, which varies. But this plan is comforting and satisfying to me, and keeps me on track).

I’ve been helping people reach their healthy goals since 2007 and have observed over the years that those who take the time to plan ahead (and stick to the plan) are most successful in their healthy pursuits. It’s always an added challenge to counsel those who don’t have skills or desire to plan ahead, and make consistent choices.  But it can be done – with tenacity, dedication, support and encouragement – folks can make a healthy lifestyle of turning off the autopilot decisions or feeling ‘victim’ to careless food options. Instead, consider making and owning your decisions – one thought at a time – and take the opportunity to make a mindful choice.

Take action this week by pausing to think about each food choice and ask yourself “is this bite taking me closer to my healthy goals, or further away from them?” This can be a powerful (and empowering) thought.  The future is yours to decide. Go to it – one bite at a time!


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Sara Wolfsen is a Certified Health Coach who specializes in helping people make their own healthy changes by providing private health coaching, nutrition education and wellness classes, and gentle weight-loss guidance and support.  Schedule your complimentary coaching session and learn more online at www.sarawolfsen.com.

For the last several months I’ve been studying the concept of mindful eating. Recently, I was a guest blogger for a mindful eating website (www.eatq.com) so I thought I would share my experience with mindful eating and offer tips for you too.

My mother taught me to be honest, so…..one day this week was a total ZONK.  I’ve learned over the years to be transparent when leading Weight Watchers meetings and coaching – and not pretend or presume that when one gets to weight goal, life is peachy.  Last Wednesday, life for me was the pits.  Here’s why:

Contrary to what I have believed in the past, having PMS is not a ticket to eat endlessly. (Sorry men, but this is an important mood to acknowledge – everyone gets crabby once in awhile). Wednesday was a crabby day for me. The good news is I have recently become aware of these girl-cravings (chocolate, grease, Diet Coke) and have made valiant efforts to ignore these cravings only to raid the refrigerator and all cupboards and cabinets in search of a suitable substitute. The unfortunate lesson has been that all efforts to substitute still left me searching for THE craving. Needless to say that over the years, I have prowled all kitchen surfaces and eaten a whole lot of things that didn’t meet the need, then ended up overindulging (read: borderline abusing) the craved item anyway. I seem to make progress little by little each month since I’ve been practicing mindful eating. So today I ate the craving but made a few small changes and am satisfied with the compromise.  It was meeting night for my husband and I so (because I didn’t plan ahead) we ordered pizza and breadstix from our favorite local pizza hot spot. But here are a few changes I made:

• I enjoyed cream and sugar in my morning coffee (instead of my typical black) to indulge my sweet tooth.
  
• I ordered a medium pizza to go (instead of the all-you-can-eat buffet) which limits the consumption by sharing between four of us (and saves us $$$).
  
• I had half-glass of soda (instead of 2-3 glasses) and finished the meal with water.
  
• I cut my pizza slices in half (instead of mindlessly gulping down two big slices and reaching for more).
  
• I took the time to TASTE and SAVOR each bite of pizza, breadstix and soda.
  
• I listened to the excited chatter from my kids about their day at school and my hubby’s work day (instead of being focused on shoveling in the carbs and missing the conversation).

I’ve also learned to acknowledge that days like this aren’t ideal, but are also far-and-fewer between. I have already forgiven myself for the slip ups, and acknowledged the lessons and adjustments I’ve made.

I started the day with Yoga (a new thing for me), and plan to end my day with a few minutes of peaceful prayer and meditation. I’m learning to be kind and patient with myself, even when the day didn’t go as planned. After all, a little kindness goes a long way in learning to love oneself again.

Kindness, forgiveness, encouragement. Three things I practice each day for better health. You should too.

Learn more about mindful eating strategies when you attend my free Inner Peace and Wellness Series on Tuesday, September 30, 2014 at Vera’s House in Newaygo.  Visit my website for registration details and other upcoming events.

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Sara Wolfsen is a Certified Health Coach who specializes in helping people make their own healthy changes by providing private health coaching, nutrition education and wellness classes, and gentle weight-loss guidance and support.  Schedule your complimentary coaching session and learn more online at www.sarawolfsen.com.