Healthy progress made with YouAte
Over a million meals were saved on YouAte, we analyzed them. Then we followed an anonymized group to see their progress over 4 months. The results were fascinating.
A little background about YouAte. It’s an easy to use food diary app that focuses on why you are eating and how it makes you feel.
By reflecting on why we ate
Did you ever stop to think about why you are eating? The answer will surprise you. That is the first question our users answer once they save a meal. Were you hungry? Or just bored? Did you eat because it was time?
“Being hungry” came out on top, but even after an 18% improvement, it was the reason only about half the time. It’s an impressive start, but it leaves plenty of room for further improvement.
So what is the second most frequent answer? “It was time” to eat. Basically, we all sit down and eat regularly not because our body is signaling that it needs fuel, but because it’s time to eat. We eat out of habit.
Together with stress and boredom, the three make up about 35% of the cases. Constantly feeding your body when it’s not asking for it can result in frequent overeating without you even noticing it.
We need to stop sticking to schedules and chasing numbers, and start listening to what our body is telling us. When it says it’s hungry, take a moment to reflect why that is and then feed it. Your body will thank you for it!
This happens when you are eating for the right reasons.
Feeling good about your meal choices is important when embarking on a new healthy journey. If you only focus on physical health and ignore the emotional side of things, failure will be the result in most cases.
Celebrating a personal win with a well deserved slice of cake puts me in an emotional state that easily out weighs the negatives. (Just need to make sure I don’t do it too often.)
Aiming for a a healthy 80/20 balance between “healthy” and “happy” choices can put you in the right mood to tackle anything and in the right state of mind to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Combine that with realistic goals and an environment that offers positive reinforcement and you are good to go.
Relax and enjoy your path!
Further improving the body and mind connection when it comes to eating
I remember always hearing from my parents that I should not be eating in-front of the TV. I always thought it was to save the couch from ketchup stains. I never thought about mindfulness.
Although I still often do it, the reason eating infront of the TV is not ideal for you is that you are not paying attention to what you are eating. This often results in overeating as you have to rely completely on your body to tell you when to stop, without your mind pitching in. And the body won’t get back to you for at least 20 minutes after the food goes down. Combine that with an exciting episode of your favorite show and you will be chewing down two dinner worth of food. (Meal planning can help, but I often find myself mindlessly running to the kitchen for refills.)
We don’t think you should completely eliminate food in front of the TV, because it’s just fun, but cutting back a bit can go a long way. Focusing on eating, while you are eating can help you hit that happy fullness level every time. Give it a try!
We are really proud of our users and impressed with the progress they have made. Love receiving all the positive stories from them on how YouAte is improving their lives. Can’t wait to see what they will achieve in the next 4 month. Very exciting!
We wish for everyone to start enjoy their healthy paths,
Esther, Richie, Mike, Csaba, Alice, Matt and Tom
from youate.com
