Mindful Eating Weekly Sessions
Online
Tuesdays, 7-8pm
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From June 10
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Cost: ​
1 class - £6
5 classes - £25
10 classes - £40
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Discounts available for people on low incomes.​​
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Please get in touch to find out more and book a free trial session.​
The Mindful Eating sessions can help you:
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reduce binge eating, emotional eating and overeating
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manage cravings
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reach and maintain a weight you’re happy with
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find a sustainable way of eating that makes you feel happy and well
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enjoy food more
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be part of a friendly group for ongoing support.
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If Tuesday evenings don't work for you, our Tuesday morning Mindfulness online drop-in sessions can be very helpful for managing behaviours like overeating.
We also offer 1-1 sessions, online and in-person.
What happens in a session
A typical Mindful Eating session:
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​​1. Discussion of how your last week has been with food - it is completely fine not to speak if you would rather not.
Exploration of any challenges that arose. (10-15 minutes).
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2. Short talk about the impact of certain foods on our bodies and minds. (5 minutes).
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3. Introduction of a specific technique to explore for the week ahead to help with overeating and changing habits. This might be a new technique each week or further exploration of ones previously explored.
(15 minutes)
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4. Short meditations to help us relax, cope with difficult emotions and thoughts, change habits, and be kind to bodies and ourselves. These can be done sitting in a chair or lying down.
(15 minutes).
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5. Focus on your personal plan for the week ahead. (10 minutes).​
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When you come for the first time,
we invite you to come at 6.30pm,
for a brief introduction.​
- We will explain what mindful eating actually is and our approach to healthy eating;
- how mindful eating and cutting down on ultra-processed foods (UPF) and sugar can help reduce cravings and with weight management;
- and hear from you what you'd like to gain from the sessions.
Each week we explore different aspects of the following:
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Your personal goals and challenges:
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What do you want, how would you like to be eating, how would you like to feel, what would you like to change?
And what might be stopping you?
Mindfulness meditation:
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To help with thoughts and overthinking; techniques to stop eating when stressed, anxious or bored.
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Key areas we focus on:
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- Changing unhelpful habits;
what to do when we cannot stop eating.
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- Exploring why we eat when not hungry and when we're stressed, anxious, bored, socialising, or just as a habit.
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- Facing difficulties without turning to food; night eating syndrome; how to stop cravings and overeating.
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- How to deal with thoughts and over-thinking; techniques to stop eating when stressed, anxious or bored.
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- Coping with emotions; strategies for
binge eating, emotional eating and social eating.
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- Being kind to ourselves and our bodies;
overcoming binge eating through
self-compassion.
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Creating your personal plan of action:
- celebrating new habits and achievements.
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FAQs
What happens in a class?
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Each session has a theme, such as emotional eating or cravings. We discuss common challenges and habits, practise simple meditations (sitting on a chair), and do various exercises, sometimes involving food! There’s no need to speak or eat anything if you don’t wish to. Online classes are delivered via Zoom.
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Payment:
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For the 5-class or 10-class rate, full payment needs to be made in advance, and sessions attended weekly. If you don't attend, I'm afraid we cannot give refunds. However if you give at least one week's notice for any planned absence, you will not be charged for the session you miss.
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What does Home Practice entail?
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Each week there are exercises and meditations you can practise at home. This is what will make the most difference to your journey to a calm, happy way of eating. It is between sessions when you’ll make changes to the way you eat and your life. MP3s of meditations will be provided.
Are the sessions suitable for everyone?
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The sessions have been designed for people who struggle with diets and overeating. If you have an eating disorder, please get in touch to discuss if the sessions are suitable for you. If you feel at risk of self-harm, please consult your doctor.
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Can I choose not to eat certain foods?
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The course is designed to support you eat in a way that works for you.
This might be a particular approach to weight-management or dietary needs, allergies or preferences. The course can provide support if you’re following a weight-loss programme and it can help you maintain weight loss.
Will the course help me lose weight?
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By following the suggested practices, you can reach and maintain a weight that makes you feel well and happy. Weight loss can occur during the course if this is something you would like.
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What is intuitive eating?
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Eating intuitively means tuning into internal cues from the body to decide when and what to eat. It breaks the cycle of constant dieting by connecting with your body's signs of physical hunger and what the body wants in that moment. It can lead to less stress eating, less preoccupation with food, improved confidence and mood. Although we explore intuitive eating, we also encourage you to eat when it is most practical, or if you want to enjoy food on holiday or at a social event, whether you're physically hungry or not.
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What other support does Mindful Surrey offer?
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We run mindfulness drop-in sessions most Tuesdays, (9.30-10.30am,
online), developing skills to cope with anxiety, stress, depression, sleep problems and help us enjoy life more. Coping with difficulties without turning to food and being kind to ourselves are core aspects of the Mindful Eating sessions.
If you would like to attend both the morning and evening sessions, the cost is £100 for 2 months, come when you like.
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How can I keep up what I’ve learned after I stop coming to sessions?
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To help with healthy eating we offer ongoing support. This is through online drop-ins, courses, and one-to-ones.
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Comments from recent participants
"I developed a more balanced approach towards eating."
"This course is refreshing and offers a revolutionary approach,
by looking at what's behind the eating, rather than what we're eating."
"It has been a really helpful mindset change for me."
"Your courses have been so helpful in giving me peace of mind, and helping with my over-thinking and worrying."
"Thank you Catherine for a wonderful course."
How Catherine developed the Mindful Eating sessions
Binge eating, cravings and emotional eating are all things I have personal experience of. And also of many attempts to diet!
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I know from experience the negative impact these habits can have on our mental and physical health. And also how hard it can be when there are so many mixed messages about how to eat, when unhealthy food is so much part of our culture, when we do actually have to eat, plus all the clever marketing from the food industry to buy their products, and that so many foods are designed to make us want to eat more of them. But I have found one very simple solution that works for me.
Having tried many diets and approaches to eating, for me, the most effective way to stop cravings is to cut down on ultra processed foods and sugar. I would love to be one of those people who can just eat one biscuit, but for all sorts of reasons, ultra processed foods (UPF) and my brain just don't work well together.
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However, I also know that I have to let myself have these things occasionally otherwise the rebel in me surfaces and I lose all sense!
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We are all different and in my sessions I do not advocate any one way of eating. Being told what to do when it comes to food rarely works in the long-term. What has been most important for my journey has been to feel I am making changes for myself. So in the sessions, although people might mention weight loss, and weight-management might be something many of us want, I try to keep the focus on celebrating changes in how we eat and what makes us happier. There won't be any clapping for pounds lost.
I'm more interested when someone discovers how amazing something tastes when we really savour it!
Mindful Eating sessions
I’ve been teaching mindfulness for several years, helping people let go of
unhealthy habits and behaviours. Overeating and emotional eating are such common issues, I decided to create a course focusing on these habits. We ran a few courses and people gained a lot from them, but it seemed what was needed was ongoing support, rather than just a 2 month course.
Being part of a healthy eating group
During times in my life when I've struggled with overeating, the thing that was most helpful was when I was in a group that I felt connected to, whether it was a self-help group for people with different types of eating disorder or a weight-management group. A core part of our recovery can come from being part of a supportive, non-judgemental group. There can be so much shame and secrecy being an overeater, realising you’re not alone can be life-changing in itself.
Please get in touch if you’d like to discuss your situation, find out more about the sessions or book a free trial.
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Best wishes, Catherine.
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