Emma Randall: Mindful Eating

15/08/2026

If you’ve ever felt stuck in the diet cycle, this one’s for you.
I’ve written about why diets seem so appealing at first, and why they quietly pull us back into the same patterns again and again.

https://mindfuleating.org.uk/why-diets-dont-work-and-how-to-build-better-eating-habits/

The Problem With Diets Most people don’t struggle with food because they lack willpower- they struggle because dieting disconnects them from their bodies, their needs, and their relationship with food. Diets teach rules and restriction, and they cultivate good/bad thinking and eating behaviours,

12/08/2026

WHY WEIGHT LOSS FEELS HARDER WHEN ULTRA‑PROCESSED FOODS DOMINATE

Even foods that look wholesome can be ultra‑processed- it’s about how they’re made, not just what they’re called.

Weight loss feels harder when ultra‑processed foods (UPFs) dominate your day. Many UPFs, like melt‑in‑the‑mouth milk chocolate or fast‑food burger and chips that are low in fibre and protein, are designed to override fullness cues and keep you eating long after your body has had enough. That leaves you relying on willpower alone- but willpower isn’t enough when your fullness cues are being bypassed.

These foods also tend to be low in the nutrients that support stable mood, steady energy and emotional regulation. So you’re not just fighting hunger, you’re fighting how you feel.

Mindful eating helps you slow things down enough to reconnect with hunger, fullness, satisfaction and mood. Choosing foods with real texture, fibre and nutrients gives your body what it needs to regulate appetite naturally, support mood and make weight loss feel calm and doable rather than chaotic.

It’s not about perfect eating- it’s about choosing foods that support your mood, appetite and energy, not just what the scales say.

If you’d like psychology‑led support with this, visit my website for information about my one-to-one mindful eating sessions.

https://mindfuleating.org.uk/mindful-eating-practitioner-one-to-one/

29/07/2026

If you tend to eat mindlessly when your phone is glued to your hand, try this tiny shift.

Eat the first half of your meal or snack without your phone.

Place it face down (ideally on silent).

If you feel impatient, restless or pulled towards it, just notice that, without self‑judgement. It’s not a sign you’re doing anything wrong; it’s simply the pull back towards distraction.

Then gently connect with hunger, fullness, emotions or any body cues.

This small pause creates a window of presence before distraction re‑enters- and that’s where mindful eating starts.

If this resonates with you, you can find out more about my work here: https://mindfuleating.org.uk/

28/07/2026

Due to popular demand, ticket number availability has been extended for this free event:-

FREE Event!
'The Brain's Tug-of-War: Emotional Eating Explained'

If food feels like your go‑to in moments of overwhelm, this free 45‑minute webinar will show you why- and what you can start doing differently.

You'll learn how the 'survival brain' drives emotional eating, explore real-life case studies, and leave with grounding tools you can use straight away.

If you’d like to continue this work, a 90‑minute deep‑dive session runs on Wednesday 4th November, six weeks after this introductory webinar.

Tickets for the deep‑dive session will be released once the introductory webinar has finished, so you’ll know exactly what to look out for and when.

http://tiny.cc/ubh7101

Discover why the 'survival brain' drives emotional eating before the thinking brain can step in, and learn how to start breaking the cycle.

22/07/2026

Our phones shape how we eat more than we realise. They can be a grounding tool or a fast track to autopilot eating- it all depends on whether they pull you into yourself or away from yourself.

Helpful uses: phones can support mindful eating when they help you pause, name what’s happening, and reconnect with your body. Typing or voice‑noting a single word or phrase about how you feel before eating creates a moment of emotional awareness. Recording your experiences can also help you to understand your patterns without needing to give up your phone entirely.

Unhelpful uses: phones become tricky when they distract, overstimulate, or speed you up. Scrolling whilst eating can disconnect you from yourself and your needs, as well as your hunger, fullness and satisfaction cues, making mindless eating and comfort/stress eating more automatic.

Practice exercise:-
Before you eat, type or voice‑note a single word or phrase that describes what’s just happened and how you feel.
Then place your phone face‑down (ideally on silent) or in another room.
Eat the first few bites without the phone.

Even 60–90 seconds of this will help you to connect to your food and notice what, how, and why you’re eating. This tiny pause can interrupt emotional autopilot eating and gives you a chance to check in with yourself when you’re feeling stressed or uncomfortable.

If you feel impatient to pick your phone back up, simply observe that feeling. Sit with it. That moment of awareness is the beginning of addressing emotional eating, using your phone as a supportive, boundary tool that helps you to come back into your body. It's self-care. Just keep practising it.

17/07/2026

Check out my new About Me Page!
Find out more about my work as a Mindful Eating Practitioner

https://mindfuleating.org.uk/mindful-eating-practitioner/

16/07/2026

FREE Event!

'The Brain's Tug-of-War: Emotional Eating Explained'

If food feels like your go‑to in moments of overwhelm, this free 45‑minute webinar will show you why- and what you can start doing differently.

You'll learn how the 'survival brain' drives emotional eating, explore real-life case studies, and leave with grounding tools you can use straight away.

If you’d like to continue this work, a 90‑minute deep‑dive session runs on Wednesday 4th November, six weeks after this introductory webinar.

Tickets for the deep‑dive session will be released once the introductory webinar has finished, so you’ll know exactly what to look out for and when.

Discover why the 'survival brain' drives emotional eating before the thinking brain can step in, and learn how to start breaking the cycle.

16/07/2026

...I suggested she focus on practising new eating behaviours and less on her weight- that way the weight loss would happen.

Scales readings can be stressful, and she was also in the habit of unhelpful daily weighing. What does she do daily now? She focuses on managing her eating, realising that she can't try and control what the scales says daily.

She told me: "I am now losing weight with your help. You're so right that pure focus on weight loss is just stressful, and instead it's about enjoying the foods that make me feel good, physically and mentally".

Focus on your eating behaviour, not your weight, and weight loss will happen!

Looking for a mindful eating coach to help you with your relationship with food? Read more about my one-to-one sessions:-
https://mindfuleating.org.uk/mindful-eating-coach/

16/07/2026

Early, very large blackberries as a result of the heatwave and a south facing garden!