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How Mindfulness Can Help You Lose Weight and Balance Hormones

Picture yourself sitting quietly, breathing deeply, and truly noticing what your body needs. This is mindfulness in action—a simple practice that can have a powerful effect on your weight and hormones. When you bring awareness to your eating habits and daily choices, you create space for healthier living.

 

What Is Mindfulness?


Mindfulness means paying attention to the present moment without judgment. It is about noticing your thoughts, feelings, and bodily sensations as they happen.

This awareness can help you make better choices, especially around food and stress.

 

Mindfulness and Weight Loss


Research shows that mindfulness training can help people lose weight.


In a study of obese individuals, those who practiced mindfulness along with following a healthy diet lost more weight than those who only dieted.


The results lasted for at least two months after the training ended1.


Mindfulness helps you notice when you are truly hungry or just eating out of habit or emotion.


A systematic review found that significant weight loss happened in most studies where people used mindfulness-based programs for weight loss2.


Mindfulness helps reduce impulsive eating and increases physical activity3.


It also makes you more aware of your body’s hunger and fullness signals5.

 

How Mindfulness Balances Hormones


Stress is a big factor in hormone imbalance, especially for people with conditions like PCOS. When you are stressed, your body releases cortisol, a hormone that can make you gain weight and throw off your natural hormone balance. Mindfulness practices like meditation and deep breathing can lower cortisol and help your body find balance4.


Mindfulness also helps you recognize emotional eating, which is often linked to stress and hormone fluctuations4.


By becoming more aware of your emotions and how they affect your eating, you can make choices that support both your weight and hormone health.

 

Practical Tips for Mindful Eating


  • Eat slowly and savor each bite. Pay attention to the taste, texture, and smell of your food.

  • Notice your hunger and fullness. Stop eating when you feel satisfied, not stuffed.

  • Avoid distractions. Turn off the TV and put away your phone while you eat.

  • Check in with your emotions. Ask yourself if you are eating because you are hungry or because you are stressed, bored, or sad.

  • Practice gratitude. Take a moment to appreciate your food and where it came from.

 

Mindfulness Exercises to Try


  • Deep breathing: Take slow, deep breaths for a few minutes each day.

  • Body scan: Close your eyes and notice how each part of your body feels.

  • Mindful walking: Pay attention to each step and the sensations in your feet.

  • Guided meditation: Use apps or online videos to guide your practice.

 

What Experts Say


Experts agree that mindfulness is a helpful tool for weight loss and hormone balance. Studies show that mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, along with a healthy diet, is more effective for weight loss and lowering BMI than diet alone6.


Mindfulness also helps control binge eating and increases physical activity3.


According to Harvard Health, mindfulness can help you recognize emotional eating and make healthier choices4.


This is especially important for people dealing with hormone imbalances, as emotional eating can make symptoms worse.

 

Take Action


Ready to give mindfulness a try? Start with just a few minutes each day and see how it changes your relationship with food and your body. For more tips and support, visit strongwithsherni.com and join a community that cares about your health.

 

References:

1. Effectiveness of mindfulness training and dietary regime on weight loss in obese patients


2. Mindfulness and weight loss: a systematic review


3. The effects of mindfulness training on weight-loss and health-related behaviors


4. Losing weight: Mindfulness may help – Harvard Health


5. Mindful Eating and Weight Loss, Results from a Randomized Trial


6. Effectiveness of mindfulness based cognitive therapy on weight loss, decrease in BMI, hypertension control


 

 
 
 

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