Study Reveals That Meditation Can Shed Seven Times More Weight Than Standard Diet

A newly published study suggests that mindful eating, which was taken from the Buddhist practice of meditation, can help lose weight while allowing people to eat the food they want. The finding was presented at this year's European Congress on Obesity held in Porto, Portugal.

Researchers at North Carolina State University examined the effectiveness of an online weight management program developed by the school called Eat Smart, Move More, Weigh Less, which focused on mindful eating. For the study, 80 participants were equally divided into two groups.

The first group designed their own diet while the other engaged in daily meditation. They were also made to fill out a 28-point survey called the Mindful Eating Questionnaire to measure their mindfulness level. The 15-week trial revealed that the mindfulness group shed an average of 4.2 lbs. – seven times the other group's average weight loss of 0.6 lbs.

Mindful eating is paying attention to what one eats as well as when and how it is eaten. The practice entails savoring the food's taste by concentrating on eating without distractions that are common in "mindless eating." The latter involves eating while watching TV, working on the computer, playing video games or other activities.

But "mindless eating" isn't limited only to normal activities as there are people who are driven to eat by an emotional crisis like fear or depression. Stress eaters turn to food for relief or comfort and to relieve them of negative emotion. Mindful eating, therefore, entails concentrating on the eating alone.

The good thing about mindful eating is that the person doesn't have to give up the food he/she loves. The secret is to limit eating those high-calorie dishes to only one or two bites and relishing the flavor. Another feature of mindful eating is planning meals and snacks to avoid hunger pangs that may lead to overeating.