The best way to snap out of bad feelings about how your body looks is to shift your focus away from appearances. Go move your body in a way that feels good. That might be a particular workout that you love, or a walk, or even just certain stretches that feel great.

Tapping into this sense of awareness can be really incredible, and give you appreciation for how cool your body is. At first, it might be tough to stop thinking about how you look while moving. Body acceptance is a key part of intuitive eating, and the same is true in reverse.

Just as body acceptance can help you break free from dieting, feeding your body properly can help you accept it. And, give it foods that actually feel satisfying to you. Body acceptance is about accepting all bodies, not just your own.

This is one way that social media can actually come in handy! Fill your Instagram feed with people in all different bodies. Seeing bodies of different sizes, gender identities, races, and ability levels helps you realize that body diversity is normal and wonderful. The comparison trap is really hard to avoid.

Constantly comparing ourselves to the bodies we see on social media and TV can lead to dissatisfaction, depression, eating disorders, and a slew of other mental and physical health conditions. If social media leads to comparison for you, consider taking a break. Or, take the advice above and fill your feed with diverse bodies!

Often, the hardest comparison to quit is the comparison you might have going with a former version of yourself. So many of us think constantly about fitting into old clothes. Or trying to look the way we did 10 years ago. To snap out of this, focus on the things in your life that are better now than they were then.

Or, maybe you have more fulfilling relationships. Why would you expect your body to do this? The most actionable way to work towards body acceptance, I think, is to wear clothes that fit and feel good.

Although, clothes that fit do tend to look better! When clothes are pushing or pulling on our body parts, your attention stays on those body parts. On the other hand, when clothes fit the way you want them to, your attention can drift elsewhere.

When you quit dieting and stop trying to change your body, your life will get better. Your brain will have space for other things. Existing relationships will improve, and new ones will be easier to start. I take a weight-inclusive, gender-affirming, patient-centered approach.

Learn more about my nutrition counseling, offered in Raleigh, NC, and virtually to clients in several states. Intuitive Eating What Is Set Point Weight? Best Body Image Books: Acceptance and Liberation. Wha t Is Orthorexia—And Do I Have It? Looking for a free intuitive eating course? Your email address will not be published.

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Submit Comment. Ruby Oak Nutrition is a safe space for adults and teenagers to recover from disordered eating and work towards food and body peace.

Body Acceptance Is Key to Intuitive Eating. What is body acceptance? Social media gives a pretty skewed picture of body acceptance. The body positivity movement is about fat acceptance, not transformation. Learning how to practice body acceptance is a journey.

Think of it as body neutrality, instead of body love. Here are 5 ways to work towards body acceptance right now. Focus on what your body can do. Eat foods that are satisfying and make you feel good.

Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. The Nutrition Source does not recommend or endorse any products. Skip to content The Nutrition Source. The Nutrition Source Menu. Search for:. Home Nutrition News What Should I Eat?

What Is It? How It Works Mindful eating focuses on your eating experiences, body-related sensations, and thoughts and feelings about food, with heightened awareness and without judgment. Acknowledge where the food was grown and who prepared the meal. Eat without distractions to help deepen the eating experience.

Engage all senses. Notice the sounds, colors, smells, tastes, and textures of the food and how you feel when eating. Pause periodically to engage these senses. Serve in modest portions. This can help avoid overeating and food waste. Use a dinner plate no larger than 9 inches across and fill it only once.

Savor small bites, and chew thoroughly. Eat slowly to avoid overeating. Going too long without eating increases the risk of strong hunger, which may lead to the quickest and easiest food choice, not always a healthful one. Setting meals at around the same time each day, as well as planning for enough time to enjoy a meal or snack reduces these risks.

Eat a plant-based diet, for your health and for the planet. Consider the long-term effects of eating certain foods.

Processed meat and saturated fat are associated with an increased risk of colon cancer and heart disease. Production of animal-based foods like meat and dairy takes a heavier toll on our environment than plant-based foods.

Watch: Practicing mindful eating Mindful eating starts with being conscious of every bite you take. Learn more about this practice and other mindful living approaches from the Thich Nhat Hanh Center for Mindfulness in Public Health.

Are mindful eating strategies applicable in youth? It is likely that the way mindful strategies are presented to younger ages needs better understanding as it may be different than in adults. An example could be using new online technologies that are specific to their developmental age and learning ability.

The review also found that mindfulness in the form of meditation and mindful breathing can have significant effects on disordered eating through better stress management and reduced overeating caused by depression and anxiety.

Studies are still scarce in children, but novel programs are emerging. A pilot mindful eating intervention was tested in a low-income school in California involving third-through-fifth grade children including Hispanic and non-Hispanic children.

Surveys at the end of the program showed that the children and parents liked the activities, and there was an increase in parents serving nutritious meals and practicing mindfulness during meals e.

Mindful eating in context of COVID As COVID lockdowns began, reports of food stockpiling by consumers with trends toward shelf-stable, energy-dense comfort foods fueled concern that adults may increase their overall food intake during extended isolation, thus leading to weight gain.

If boredom or stress is the source, reroute your attention to an activity you enjoy, call a friend, or simply spend some time breathing. If you have a craving for comfort foods, pause and take a few in-breaths and out-breaths to be fully present with your craving. Take a portion of the food from the container a handful of chips, a scoop of ice cream and put it on a plate.

Eat mindfully, savoring each bite. Listen: Hear from Dr. Kelly Brownell. References Fung TT, Long MW, Hung P, Cheung LW. An expanded model for mindful eating for health promotion and sustainability: issues and challenges for dietetics practice. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Hanh TN, Cheung L. Savor: Mindful Eating, Mindful Life. HarperCollins Publishers. Stanszus LS, Frank P, Geiger SM. Healthy eating and sustainable nutrition through mindfulness? Mixed method results of a controlled intervention study. Ogden J, Coop N, Cousins C, Crump R, Field L, Hughes S, Woodger N.

Distraction, the desire to eat and food intake. Towards an expanded model of mindless eating. Katterman SN, Kleinman BM, Hood MM, Nackers LM, Corsica JA. Mindfulness meditation as an intervention for binge eating, emotional eating, and weight loss: a systematic review.

Eating behaviors. Obesity reviews. Ruffault A, Czernichow S, Hagger MS, Ferrand M, Erichot N, Carette C, Boujut E, Flahault C.

The effects of mindfulness training on weight-loss and health-related behaviours in adults with overweight and obesity: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Warren JM, Smith N, Ashwell M.

At first, it might be tough to stop thinking about how you look while moving. Body acceptance is a key part of intuitive eating, and the same is true in reverse.

Just as body acceptance can help you break free from dieting, feeding your body properly can help you accept it. And, give it foods that actually feel satisfying to you. Body acceptance is about accepting all bodies, not just your own.

This is one way that social media can actually come in handy! Fill your Instagram feed with people in all different bodies. Seeing bodies of different sizes, gender identities, races, and ability levels helps you realize that body diversity is normal and wonderful.

The comparison trap is really hard to avoid. Constantly comparing ourselves to the bodies we see on social media and TV can lead to dissatisfaction, depression, eating disorders, and a slew of other mental and physical health conditions.

If social media leads to comparison for you, consider taking a break. Or, take the advice above and fill your feed with diverse bodies! Often, the hardest comparison to quit is the comparison you might have going with a former version of yourself.

So many of us think constantly about fitting into old clothes. Or trying to look the way we did 10 years ago. To snap out of this, focus on the things in your life that are better now than they were then.

Or, maybe you have more fulfilling relationships. Why would you expect your body to do this? The most actionable way to work towards body acceptance, I think, is to wear clothes that fit and feel good. Although, clothes that fit do tend to look better! When clothes are pushing or pulling on our body parts, your attention stays on those body parts.

On the other hand, when clothes fit the way you want them to, your attention can drift elsewhere. When you quit dieting and stop trying to change your body, your life will get better. Your brain will have space for other things. Existing relationships will improve, and new ones will be easier to start.

I take a weight-inclusive, gender-affirming, patient-centered approach. Learn more about my nutrition counseling, offered in Raleigh, NC, and virtually to clients in several states. Intuitive Eating What Is Set Point Weight? Best Body Image Books: Acceptance and Liberation.

Wha t Is Orthorexia—And Do I Have It? Looking for a free intuitive eating course? Your email address will not be published. Body Image, 15 , 1—7.

Hussain, M. Exploring the role of self-kindness in making healthier eating choices: A preliminary study. International Journal of Behavioural Medicine.

Mindful construal reflections: Reducing unhealthier eating choices. Mindfulness , Jordan, C. Mindful eating: Trait and state mindfulness predict healthier eating behavior.

Personality and Individual Differences, 68 , — Kabat-Zinn, J. Full catastrophe living; how to cope with stress, pain and illness using mindful meditation.

Little, Brown Book Group. Kelly, A. A daily diary study of self-compassion, body image, and eating behavior in female college students. Understanding the roles of self-esteem, self-compassion, and fear of self-compassion in eating disorder pathology: An examination of female students and eating disorder patients.

Eating Behaviors, 15 , — Self-compassion moderates the relationship between body mass index and both eating disorder pathology and body image flexibility.

Body Image, 11 , — Keyte, R. How does mindful eating without non-judgement, mindfulness, and self-compassion relate to motivations to eat palatable foods in a student population? Nutrition and Health, 26 , 27— Krishen, A.

Body image dissatisfaction and self-esteem: A consumer-centric exploration and a proposed research agenda. Journal of Consumer Satisfaction, Dissatisfaction and Complaining Behavior, 24 , 90— Kristeller, J. Mindfulness-based approaches to eating disorders.

Baer Ed. Academic Press. Chapter Google Scholar. Mindfulness-based eating awareness training MB-EAT for binge eating: A randomized clinical trial.

Mindfulness, 5 , — Mackson, S. Instagram: Friend or foe? Mantzios, M. Re defining mindful eating into mindful eating behaviour to advance scientific enquiry. Nutrition and Health , 1—8. Ahead of Print. On the role of self-compassion and self-kindness in weight regulation and health behavior change.

Frontiers in Psychology, 8 , Article PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar. An exploratory examination of mindfulness, self-compassion, and mindful eating in relation to motivations to eat palatable foods and BMI. Health Psychology Report, 6 , — A randomised experiment evaluating the mindful raisin practice as a method of reducing chocolate consumption during and after a mindless activity.

Journal of Cognitive Enhancement , 1—9. Health Psychology Open, Mindfulness, self-compassion, and mindful eating in relation to fat and sugar consumption: an exploratory investigation. Eating and Weight Disorders — Studies on Anorexia. Bulimia and Obesity, 23 , — Group vs.

single mindfulness meditation: Exploring avoidance, impulsivity, and weight management in two separate mindfulness meditation settings. Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being, 6 , — Mantzios, M,, Skillett, K.

A randomised experiment between mindful construal diaries and the mindful raisin practice on chocolate consumption. European Journal of Health Psychology , 1— Making concrete construals mindful: A novel approach for developing mindfulness and self-compassion to assist weight loss.

Exploring mindfulness and mindfulness with self-compassion-centered interventions to assist weight loss: Theoretical considerations and preliminary results of a randomized pilot study. Mindfulness, 6 , — Mindfulness, eating behaviours and obesity: A review and reflection on current findings.

Current Obesity Reports, 4 , — The role of negative cognitions, intolerance of uncertainty, mindfulness, and self-compassion in weight regulation among male army recruits.

Mason, A. Effects of a mindfulness-based intervention on mindful eating, sweets consumption, and fasting glucose levels in obese adults: Data from the SHINE randomized controlled trial. Journal of Behavioural Medicine, 39 , — Reduced reward-driven eating accounts for the impact of a mindfulness-based diet and exercise intervention on weight loss: Data from the SHINE randomized controlled trial.

Appetite, , 86— Mendelson, B. Body-esteem scale for adolescents and adults. Journal of Personality Assessment, 76 , 90— Menzel, J. Appearance-related teasing, body dissatisfaction, and disordered eating: A meta-analysis.

Body Image, 7 , — Neff, K. The development and validation of a scale to measure self-compassion. Self Identity, 2 , — Self-compassion: An alternative conceptualization of a healthy attitude toward oneself.

Self Identity, 2 , 85— Self-compassion versus global self-esteem: Two different ways of relating to oneself. Journal of Personality, 77 , 23— Neumark-Sztainer, D. Does body satisfaction matter? Five-year longitudinal associations between body satisfaction and health behaviors in adolescent females and males.

Journal of Adolescent Health, 39 , — International Journal of Eating Disorders, 54 3 , — Pelegrini, A. The association between body dissatisfaction and nutritional status in adolescents. Human Movement, 11 , 51— Preacher, K. Assessing mediation in communication research pp.

In: A. The Sage sourcebook of advanced data analysis methods for communication research. Thousand Oaks: Sage. Regan, H. Exploring the experiences of gay men with regards to eating, exercise, and mindfulness-based concepts.

The links between body image and mindfulness-based concepts have been discussed Jordan et al. Exploration of these concepts within gay and bisexual men would highlight elements that may be important when considering a mindful or compassion-based intervention to attenuate body and eating related issues in gay and bisexual men.

Importantly, the present research assumes the close association of body acceptance to body-image, and the congruent nature of acceptance to mindfulness, self-compassion, and mindful eating to be a significant indicator of promoting healthier changes towards body perceptions.

Eligibility criteria included individuals who were over the age of 18 years old and those who has not received a diagnosis of an eating or body-related disorder within the past 2 years, this was screened for within the Participant information sheet and the Informed consent form.

According to Fritz and MacKinnon , a sample size of participants would enable observations of an indirect effect of a medium-sized alpha pathway coefficient i. Participants were recruited through volunteer sampling; an advert for the study outlining its nature, target population and link to the questionnaire was used for recruitment.

This poster was disseminated by the research team through social media platforms, highlighting the study information and linking to the questionnaire platform to potential participants.

The online survey platform Qualtrics was used to contain the questionnaire. Upon clicking the link, participants were presented with an online version of the Information sheet and Consent form which had to be viewed and agreed to before the questionnaire could be accessed.

Once all measures were completed, participants were presented with the Debrief form. This included information regarding the contact details of the researcher, further support, and details of their right to withdraw their data from the study should they wish to do so at a later date.

Data were collected from March until August Participant information sheet. Participants were asked to report their age, gender, height, weight, ethnicity, smoking and exercise engagement. The Sussex-Oxford Compassion for the Self SOCS-S; Gu et al.

Total scores were calculated and used within the analysis; with the higher the score meaning higher levels of self-compassion. Total scores were calculated and used within the analysis; with a higher score meaning lower levels of body-acceptance or higher levels of body non-acceptance.

The Dresden Body Image Questionnaire DBIQ; Scheffers et al. The DBIQ aims to assess body image, with higher scores meaning higher levels of a more positive perception of body image; total scores were calculated and used within the analysis. The Mindful Eating Behaviour Scale MEBS; Winkens et al.

Total scores were calculated and used within the analysis; with a higher score meaning higher levels of mindful eating. The Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire FFMQ; Gu et al.

Total scores were calculated and used within the analysis; with the higher the score meaning higher levels of mindfulness. All statistical analyses were conducted using IBM SPSS A total of 44 participants were excluded from the study due to incomplete or missing data, which took place within the initial screening process, leaving a total of participants completing all measures described within this study.

Bivariate correlation analysis was used to determine the relationship between variables explored within the questionnaire. Body acceptance was used as a mediator to explore the effect on the relationship between Mindfulness, Self-compassion, and Mindful Eating on Body Image. The higher the body non-acceptance, the lower the scores in mindfulness, self-compassion and mindful eating essentially meaning the higher body acceptance the higher scores in mindfulness, self-compassion and mindful eating.

As body image increased, scores on measures assessing mindfulness, self-compassion, and mindful eating also increased. Further analysis explored the mediating effect of body acceptance on the relationships of mindfulness, self-compassion and mindful eating to body image.

First, mindfulness was entered as the predictor variable and body image was entered as the outcome variable. Body acceptance was entered as the potential mediating variable.

Findings indicated that mindfulness indirectly relate to body image, through its relationship with body acceptance. The mediating effect of body acceptance in the relationship between mindfulness and body image. Further note: B-IAAQ-5 — Body image Acceptance and Action scale higher scores represent higher body non-acceptance.

Secondly, self-compassion was entered as the predictor variable, body image as the outcome variable and body acceptance as the potential mediator. Findings indicated that self-compassion indirectly related to body image, through its relationship with body acceptance.

The mediating effect of body acceptance in the relationship between self-compassion and body image. Further note: BI-AAQ-5 — Body image Acceptance and Action scale higher scores represent higher body non-acceptance.

Lastly, mindful eating was entered as the predictor variable, body image as the outcome variable and body acceptance as the potential mediator. Findings indicated that mindful eating indirectly related to body image, through its relationship with body acceptance.

The mediating effect of body acceptance in the relationship between mindful eating and body image. The aim of this research was to explore body image, body acceptance and their relationship to mindfulness, self-compassion, and mindful eating among gay and bisexual men.

Exploring these concepts among the current population provides novel insight into body image and their relationships to mindfulness and related concepts i. Furthermore, the potential relationship between mindfulness, mindful eating and self-compassion to body-image, and the potential of explaining such relationships through body acceptance was also explored.

Findings indicated that body acceptance mediated the relationship between mindfulness, self-compassion and body image, and mindful eating and body image. This corresponds with previous literature that outlines the link between mindfulness Zamzami et al.

These findings presented within a gay population reflect the outcomes of research within general and more specific populations Albertson et al.

This research also shows the potential association of body acceptance to mindfulness and body image within this population.

The indication of the relationships between mindfulness, self-compassion and mindful eating to body image can be explained through body acceptance, highlighting its importance within this community. Correlation analysis also provided some novel and interesting findings.

Within this population, body image related positively to self-compassion, mindfulness and mindful eating. Research exploring mindfulness-based concepts and body image in female populations are similar to the current findings presented Balciuniene et al.

Higher body acceptance also related positively to mindfulness, self-compassion and mindful eating, suggesting that this construct relates similarly to body image in its relationship to mindfulness-based constructs.

It is important to consider the demographic of participants included within this sample. The average BMI of participants Future research should endeavour to capture the experiences of queer people of colour within their research, helping to provide insight into body- and mindfulness- related constructs among diverse samples.

The findings from the present study should inform future research and practice in aiming to attenuate body related issues in this population. The role of body acceptance here also provides a clear link that this construct is related to mindfulness, self-compassion, mindful-eating, and body image.

Future research exploring these concepts or investigating the efficacy of interventions should consider this construct in relation to body image. This research concedes the following limitations which are significant to consider for future research. First, the cross-sectional nature of this study does provide limited insight, and qualitative explorations should gather more in-depth data from gay men.

Second, conclusions can only be drawn from the period that data was collected. Consideration should be given to data being collected during the COVID pandemic March to August where variations of restrictions were in place across the United Kingdom.

Future research should explore these concepts within gay and bisexual men in more standard social parameters to gain a more a comprehensive understanding. All scales and corresponding items included in this study were completed at one time by participants, the anticipated completion time was around minutes.

It is also important to consider the potential risk of survey fatigue experienced by participants in completing a questionnaire with many items and the implications this may have had on the results. Common methods bias or variance is a well-documented phenomenon observed in research based on self-reported measures.

Multiple constructs are measured on multiple-item scales presented within the same questionnaire which can lead to spurious effects due to the measurement instruments rather than to the constructs being measured. For example, participants are asked to report their own perceptions on two or more constructs in the same questionnaire; this is likely to produce spurious correlations among the items measuring these constructs owing to response styles, social desirability, priming effects which are independent from the true relationships presented among the constructs being measured Podsakoff et al.

It is also important to consider the impact of the reliability score Cronbach Alpha for the FFMQ, as this was below the widely accepted 0. The disproportionate number of gay men who took part in this study when compared to bisexual men, highlights a lack of balance when considering the conclusions drawn from this research.

The office for National Statistics stated that in , the percentage of gay and bisexual men within the UK was 1. Future research should endeavour to include a more diverse sample, to produce a balanced approach to drawing conclusions around the body image and related concepts of gay and bisexual men.

Further research is needed to develop the understanding of mindfulness and related concepts within this community to aid in the development of an appropriate intervention.

The necessity for a suitable intervention to attenuate eating and body related issues experienced by gay and bisexual men is clear.

Mindful and compassion-based interventions have been effective in reducing body related issues within other populations Balciuniene et al. This research shows the unique role of body acceptance to mindfulness, self-compassion and mindful eating when relating these concepts to body image.

This provides insight into the potential addition of body acceptance and mindfulness-based concepts when considering potential avenues in overcoming body-related issues experienced by gay and bisexual men. Albertson, E. Self-compassion and body dissatisfaction in women: A randomized controlled trial of a brief meditation intervention.

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