Medifast and Multi-Tasking -- In Defense of Diets and Un-mindful Eating

There is a huge un-dieting movement afoot whose missionaries contend that eating food mindfully and savoring each bite eliminates the need to adhere to a strict eating plan. The idea is we often eat too much -- and usually the wrong things -- because we are eating while doing something else. Reading the newspaper. Working at our desks. Watching TV. Driving in the car.

I, myself, have been "guilty" of all of the above. And yet when I tried to lose weight by un-dieting, paying close attention to each bite and attempting to eat as clean as possible, my stubborn pounds remained. The fact is, I enjoy eating while doing something else. The trick was to find foods that did not make me fat.

I was a failure at mindful eating

One of the things I love most about Medifast is that it's the perfect diet for multi-taskers like me. I often don't make time for lunch before work, so I blend up a shake and drink it in the car. Racing the clock in the late afternoon, I snack on a bag of Medifast chili cheese puffs or chocolate peanut butter chewy bar. A bowl of chocolatey brownie batter makes catching up on my Facebook or watching TV before bedtime even sweeter.

"The old-school meal begins with food, proceeds with mindless eating, and ends with feeling stuffed and existentially empty. The new meal begins with a first course of relaxation, proceeds with a second course of self-awareness, and then progresses into mindful, conscious, intimate appreciation of the world at large through food. "

--Excerpted from Reinventing the Meal

As lovely as the mindful eating scenario sounds, there is a reason people eat popcorn at the movies. Eating makes the movie subconsciously more pleasurable. Though one's mind may not be deliberately focusing on the food, the food intensifies the movie watching experience.

The truth is, eating while doing something does not make me feel existentially empty. It is part of a lifestyle I have deliberately chosen, and thankfully Medifast has provided me with foods that make this habit consistent with maintaining a healthy body weight.

If you're interested in learning more about how you can lose weight safely and more rapidly with the Medifast 5&1 plan, please visit my Take Shape for Life website.

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