My Sugar-Holic Recovery!

Have you ever finished a block of chocolate without really tasting it? A mindful eating workshop teaches you to notice that moment, and Chris Lalor’s own sugar story shows where it can start.

Mindful eating workshop: the short answer

A mindful eating workshop teaches you to pay attention to how, why and what you eat, without judging yourself. Chris found that the attention has to come first. Yoga and breath meditation built it for her, and the eating changes followed. Research on mindful eating is encouraging, though much of it is small or based on surveys, and we say which below.

Iyengar yoga is the style developed by Mr BKS Iyengar. In the 20th century he did more than anyone to set down traditional Indian yoga, through his books and his teaching, and he pioneered the use of props. It is sometimes called modern classical yoga, and it’s the style we teach at Flametree. This note sits in our food and habits notes.

This note in short form

• What it is: paying close attention to the food and the eating, using all your senses, and noticing hunger and fullness.
• Chris’s view: mindful eating steps only work if you are already mindful, so she builds mindfulness first, through yoga and breath meditation.
• Her story: sugar as comfort and reward, years of tummy upsets, then a change of habit. It is one person’s experience.
• Research: a small Deakin University trial found less binge eating after 12 weeks of yoga, and a large survey found less weight gain in long term yoga practitioners. Neither proves cause.
• Safety: if eating feels out of control or distressing, talk to your doctor first.
• Next step: your first class is free if you are new to Flametree.

What is mindful eating?

Mindful eating means paying close attention to the food and the experience of eating. You notice the taste, smell and texture, how the food makes you feel, and when you have had enough. You do it in the present moment, without blaming yourself.

It often means eating slowly, sitting down, putting your phone away, and noticing hunger and fullness. Because you are more aware of what and why you are eating, you may be less likely to eat for emotional reasons. The diagram below shows some of the usual steps.

Why does mindfulness come before the eating steps?

Chris’s teaching view is that most mindful eating advice lists the steps and skips the harder part, which is becoming mindful in the first place. Mindful eating practices without mindfulness are like a sailing boat without a sail. In her experience, regular yoga and breath meditation (pranayama) are how you build that attention.

Part of the idea is simple. Yoga asks you to notice your body and your breath in the present moment. Many people find that this awareness carries into mealtimes, so they notice flavour and fullness more easily. In the Iyengar tradition, the quieter, slower poses, such as restorative yoga and forward bends, are used to settle the mind. This is practice-based teaching and not a promise of any result.

What is Chris’s sugar story?

Chris’s sugar habits probably started with her mother’s cooking, or at least her mother gave her sugar habit a good push along. Chris grew up in a small country town in Australia, where home baking was generous, and even in university holidays her mother would send her back with her little old car packed with cakes, tarts and preserved fruit. Later, work in Melbourne added fine food and more sugar.

For years, ice cream was a reward and a comfort. It made outings feel special, and she says she can still recall the quality and location of every ice cream shop around Darwin. She also had years of tummy upsets after sweet food, and she did not connect the two for a long time. Chris’s mother brought her up to be a strong, independent woman, but neither of them knew that, with food, their emotions (and their lack of knowledge about sugar) were feeding them rubbish.

The turning point came at the Flametree retreats in Bali. The food there was more wholesome, with more vegetables, less processed food and less added sugar, and each year her digestion felt much better. After one retreat, she decided to cut nearly all added sugar. She cleared three bags of processed food and sweetened sauces out of her cupboards, and she has kept to a low sugar way of eating since. She says her body now copes badly with very sweet foods, and her digestion has been better.

This is one person’s story, not a promise. Chris also says she did it with years of yoga and breath meditation behind her, and that the mindfulness made the change easier to keep. Another person may need a different approach, and a doctor or dietitian can help with that.

For a quick tool for the moment a craving hits, see how to quit sugar cravings. For the wider habit side, see how to make yoga a daily habit.

How are stress and eating linked?

Many people eat more when they are stressed. Dr Tim McCall, a physician and yoga therapist, describes stress hormones such as cortisol as one link between stress and eating, and says yoga may help by easing stress. He also says that when you really pay attention as you eat, you are more likely to notice the signals that you are full. These are his views as a physician, and this area is still being studied.

Chris found the link in her own life. Ice cream had been her stress and comfort food, and as her breath meditation practice grew she was able to notice the urge before she acted on it.

What does research say about yoga and mindful eating?

A 2009 randomised trial from Deakin University in Australia, led by Shane McIver, tested a 12 week yoga program in women who met criteria for binge eating disorder and had a BMI over 25. The yoga group reported statistically significant reductions in binge eating and increases in physical activity, with small reductions in BMI and waist and hip measurements, while the wait-list group did not improve. Only 25 women in each group were analysed, so the authors call it preliminary. See the study at doi 10.1016/j.ctim.2009.05.002.

A 2005 study of 15,550 adults in the US, led by Alan Kristal at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, found that people who practised yoga for four or more years gained less weight over ten years in middle age. The weight data was self-reported and the study was observational, so it cannot show that yoga caused the difference. See the study on PubMed.

Harvard Health summarises a related finding: researchers built a questionnaire to measure mindful eating, and people who practised yoga scored as more mindful eaters, with more years and more minutes of weekly practice linked to higher scores. Read it at Harvard Health, Yoga benefits beyond the mat.

C E Ackerman, writing on positivepsychology.com, summarises other studies. Mindfulness has been linked with less impulsive eating and healthier snack choices, and a mindfulness-based program with less binge eating, depression and perceived stress.

In short, the research is encouraging but mostly small, self-reported or observational. It does not show that yoga treats an eating problem. For weight questions, see is Iyengar yoga good for weight loss, and for fasting, yoga and intermittent fasting.

If eating feels out of control

Binge eating and other eating problems are health conditions, not a lack of willpower. Yoga and mindfulness may support a healthier relationship with food, but they do not replace care. If eating feels out of control, or food and your weight cause you distress, talk to your doctor or an eating disorder service. Tell your yoga teacher too, so classes can be chosen with that in mind.

What are simple ways to practise mindful eating?

• Sit down to eat, and put your phone and other screens away.
• Take a few slow breaths before the first bite.
• Take small bites, and notice taste, smell and texture.
• Pause halfway and ask whether you are still hungry.
• Notice why you are eating: hunger, habit, stress or comfort.
• Stop when you are comfortably full, without blaming yourself.

How do you get started at Flametree?

Flametree does not teach mindful eating from a script. Chris teaches the skill underneath it, which is mindfulness, through Iyengar yoga and breath meditation. Gentle options include restorative yoga, and our breath meditation classes and pranayama breath meditation course teach the breath practice step by step. The meditation and mindfulness retreat page explains the Bali retreats, where Chris first noticed her habits change. See the timetable for current classes.

Practise this at Flametree

Flametree Yoga Studio teaches Iyengar yoga in the studio at Woolner and Coolalinga in Darwin, and LIVE online.

• New to Flametree? Your first class is free. In the studio, just come along. Online, go to our online class list, click the class time you want and we email you the link to join.
• Beginners: new students, and anyone who has been away three months or more, can get a half price 10 class pass with 2 extra classes free, to use online, in the studio, or both. See the beginner half price pass.
• Already practising yoga? The same half price 10 class pass with 2 extra classes free, for new students and for anyone away three months or more, is also available as the non-beginner half price pass.
• See every class time, including online classes, on the timetable.

Can’t make a class? Practise at home with our video courses.

Mindful eating workshop: questions people ask

What is a mindful eating workshop?

A mindful eating workshop teaches you to pay close attention to how, why and what you eat, without judging yourself. It usually covers slowing down, noticing taste and fullness, and spotting emotional eating. Chris adds that you first need to become mindful, which yoga and breath meditation help build.

What is mindful eating?

Mindful eating means paying attention to the food and the experience of eating, using all your senses and noticing hunger and fullness, in the present moment and without judging yourself. It often means eating slowly, sitting down and eating without screens.

How does yoga help mindful eating?

Yoga asks you to notice your body and breath in the present moment, and many people find that awareness carries over to mealtimes. A survey summarised by Harvard Health found that people who practised yoga scored as more mindful eaters. That is an association, not proof of cause.

Can yoga help with binge eating?

A small 2009 Deakin University trial found that a 12 week yoga program was linked with less binge eating in women who met criteria for binge eating disorder, and the authors call it preliminary. Yoga does not replace care, so talk to your doctor or an eating disorder service if eating feels out of control.

Does mindful eating help with sugar cravings?

Some people find it does, and Chris’s own story is one example. Research so far is encouraging but mostly small or self-reported. Mindfulness helps you notice the urge before you act on it. Our note on how to quit sugar cravings has practical steps.

Do I have to give up sugar completely?

No. Chris cut nearly all added sugar, but that was her choice, and she says it was easier because she was already mindful. You can start by noticing when and why you eat sugar. A doctor or dietitian can advise on what suits you.

What are simple mindful eating steps?

Sit down to eat, put screens away, take a few breaths, take small bites, notice taste and texture, pause to check your hunger, and stop when you are comfortably full. Notice why you are eating, too: hunger, habit, stress or comfort.

Is there a mindful eating online course?

Flametree does not teach a script for mindful eating. It teaches the mindfulness skill underneath it, through LIVE online breath meditation and yoga classes, and a pranayama breath meditation course. See the timetable for current classes. Your first class is free if you are new to Flametree.

Where can I start learning mindfulness through yoga in Darwin?

Flametree Yoga Studio teaches Iyengar yoga and breath meditation in Darwin, at Woolner and Coolalinga, and LIVE online. A gentle beginner or restorative class is a good place to start, because the slow poses and breathing settle the mind. Your first class is free if you are new to Flametree: in the studio, if you have lived in the NT for three months or more, and online, for anyone new. Tell your teacher about any health condition before class.

Flametree Yoga Studio teaches Iyengar yoga in Darwin, at Woolner and Coolalinga, and LIVE online. This article is general information, not medical advice. If you have a health condition, diabetes, are pregnant, take medication, or have concerns about your eating, talk to your doctor before changing your diet.

Sources (studies found through PubMed): McIver S, O’Halloran P and McGartland M, Yoga as a treatment for binge eating disorder: a preliminary study, Complementary Therapies in Medicine, 2009, doi 10.1016/j.ctim.2009.05.002. Kristal AR, Littman AJ, Benitez D and White E, Yoga practice is associated with attenuated weight gain in healthy, middle-aged men and women, Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, 2005, PMID 16053119. Harvard Health Publishing, Yoga benefits beyond the mat. Ackerman CE, positivepsychology.com, mindful eating research summary.