'Surgery is my only hope': A qualitative study exploring perceptions of living with obesity and the prospect of having bariatric surgery.

The health benefits of bariatric surgery are well documented; however, the occurrence of weight-regain after surgery, along with the development of mental health difficulties poses a question of how contemporary psychology could assist to prepare people living with obesity prior to undergoing bariatric surgery. This research explored individuals' (in the immediate pre-operative and post-operative population) attitudes, beliefs and experiences towards obesity and their journey to bariatric surgery. Seventeen adult participants (males n = 4; age range: 26-64 years) were recruited and participated in a semi-structured interview. Twelve individuals participated prior to undergoing bariatric surgery. Five individuals participated in the early post-operative period (<3 months post-surgery). People living with obesity displayed high optimism for positive outcomes, with participants hoping that bariatric surgery would be different to previous attempts at weight regulation, with there being a clear shift in the locus of control for weight management from self to healthcare professionals. Whilst this is adaptive, there was the presence of seemingly unrealistic optimism, with many pre-surgery participants not relaying the realistic possibility of post-surgery weight-regain. Despite the optimism individuals feel about bariatric surgery, participants felt that the psychological factors influencing eating behaviours are not being addressed by healthcare. These findings suggest that mindfulness, mindful eating, and self-compassion approaches should be incorporated into clinical practice to support weight regulation and adaption to physiological changes after bariatric surgery.

Does controlling for epicurean eating or the tendency to supersize food portions change the relationship between mindful eating and grazing?

The study examines the potential for Epicurean eating to offer fresh perspectives on the predictive value of mindful eating. This research seeks to ascertain whether accounting for Epicurean eating (or its antithesis, supersizing), could influence the previously identified negative relationship between mindful eating and grazing habits. In a cross-sectional study, 419 participants completed questionnaires on epicurean eating, grazing, and mindful eating. The findings suggested mindful eating and epicurean eating were significantly associated with grazing, with both variables accounting for a significant amount of variance in grazing. Further analysis of the mindful eating subscales showed that eating without distraction, eating with awareness, and hunger and satiety cues accounted for this association with grazing when epicurean eating was included. Finally, whilst eating without distraction, eating with awareness, and hunger and satiety cues were associated with grazing, preference for supersizing did not account for a significant amount of variance in the relationship with grazing. The complex interplay between grazing and mindful eating becomes more apparent when considering the influence of epicurean eating. Exploring cross-cultural factors through additional research could provide valuable insights into the dynamics of epicurean eating and grazing. Simultaneously, incorporating alternative mindful eating scales may yield a more nuanced interpretation of mindful eating. Collectively, these avenues of inquiry warrant further investigation. Limitations and future directions are discussed.

Exploring the relationship between orthorexia nervosa, mindful eating and guilt and shame.

BACKGROUND: Orthorexia nervosa (ON) is an under-researched maladaptive eating behaviour which focuses on the quality and purity of food. Mindful eating refers to being aware of what we eat by making conscious food choices. Guilt and shame are negative self-evaluative emotions which have been associated with maladaptive eating behaviours. This study explores the relationships between ON, mindful eating, and feelings of guilt and shame. PARTICIPANTS AND PROCEDURE: Two hundred and fifty-two participants were recruited from various online platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. They were asked to complete self-report questionnaires on ON, mindful eating, and guilt and shame. RESULTS: The findings suggested that ON was significantly negatively associated with the mindful eating subscales focused eating, hunger and satiety, and eating with awareness and significantly positively associated with guilt and shame. In addition, guilt was significantly negatively associated with focused eating, whilst both guilt and shame were significantly negatively associated with hunger and satiety and eating with awareness. Further investigation suggested that guilt and shame mediated the association between mindful eating and ON. CONCLUSIONS: It was concluded that guilt and shame could explain the association between mindful eating and ON. Limitations and future directions are discussed.

'I didn't feel like I was a doctor': a qualitative interview study exploring the experiences and representations of healthcare professionals' capacity to deliver compassionate care and to practice self-care during the Covid-19 pandemic.

OBJECTIVE: The increased demand on healthcare professionals (HCPs) during the Coronavirus Disease (Covid-19) pandemic reduces opportunities for HCPs to deliver compassionate care to patients and to maintain self-care. This study explored how HCPs understand and experience compassionate working practices during the Covid-19 pandemic to better support HCPs' wellbeing and to sustain quality of care. DESIGN: All nineteen participants worked as an HCP during the Covid-19 pandemic, resided in the United Kingdom (UK) and took part in individual semi-structured interviews. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Using a thematic analysis approach, we developed three themes: (a) The art of compassionate care: Feeling and action, (b) The impact of Covid-19 on compassionate care and (c) Suffering during Covid-19: The importance of self-compassion and self-care. RESULTS: Overall, the analysis illustrated the strong and negative impact that Covid-19 had on the ability to deliver compassionate care, resulting in moral injury and psychological and behavioural difficulties for HCPs, particularly in terms of self-care. CONCLUSIONS: This research demonstrates an imperative need for organisations to better support HCPs' health and wellbeing, through a self-care system that promotes self-compassionate and self-care practices.

Exploring the moderating role of mindfulness, mindful eating, and self-compassion on the relationship between eating-disordered quality of life and orthorexia nervosa.

Orthorexia nervosa (ON) is characterised by an obsessive focus on healthy eating, following restrictive dietary practices and dietary restrictions escalating over time. The aim of this study was to explore mindfulness, mindful eating, self-compassion and quality of life in a female population. Two hundred eighty-eight participants completed Orthorexia, Self-Compassion, Mindful eating, Mindfulness and Eating Disorder Quality of Life scales. The results indicated that there was a negative relationship between ON and mindfulness, self-compassion and mindful eating. Furthermore, the present study found a positive relationship between lower quality of life and ON, while findings indicated that self-compassion and the awareness facet of mindfulness moderated the relationship between ON and QOL. The present results contribute to a better understanding of orthorexic eating behaviours in a female population, and identify the moderating capacity of self-compassion and mindfulness. Further implications and future directions are discussed.Level of evidence Level V, cross-sectional descriptive study.

Exploring the association between self-compassion, mindfulness and mindful eating with eating behaviours amongst patients with obesity.

Background: People who have obesity often experience problematic eating behaviours, contributing towards their excessive weight gain. Aims: Understanding problematic eating behaviours and their association to self-compassion, mindfulness and mindful eating is important for the development of future interventions that improve weight-loss and weight-regulation. Methods: One hundred and one participants attending their first session of a 6-session dietetic programme within a Tier 3 medical weight management service in the West Midlands, UK were recruited to complete questionnaires on self-compassion, mindfulness, mindful eating and eating behaviours, such as, emotional, restrained, external, fat and sugar consumption and grazing. Results: The findings suggested all three constructs, self-compassion, mindfulness and mindful eating were significantly and negatively associated with grazing and emotional eating, but mindful eating was the only construct that also displayed a significant and negative association with other eating behaviours that are often barriers to successful weight regulation, such as external eating and fat consumption. Further investigation suggested mindful eating had an indirect effect on fat consumption and grazing via external eating. Conclusion: Whilst, self-compassion, mindfulness and mindful eating displayed a negative relationship with grazing and emotional eating, mindful eating also displayed a negative relationship with fat consumption and external eating. Possible explanations and directions for future work are discussed with an emphasis on the need for more empirical work.

Exploring the association of body mass index, mindful and emotional eating, and orthorexia.

BACKGROUND: Orthorexia nervosa (ON) is defined as a fixation on healthy eating behaviours. Research exploring ON and body mass index (BMI) has been inconsistent, with some findings indicating a positive relationship between ON and BMI, while other studies have suggested no relationship. To date, potential associations with emotional and mindful eating have been explored only in a vegan population. The present research adopted an exploratory approach and examined the relationship between orthorexia and BMI, and possible associations with emotional and mindful eating. The potential predictive value of mindful and emotional eating with respect to ON was also explored, while the role of four different types of emotional eating (happiness, sadness, anger, anxiety), utilising an emotional eating scale incorporating positive and negative emotions, was further explored. PARTICIPANTS AND PROCEDURE: Two hundred and twenty-three participants completed the online survey that was distributed via social media to a British sample. RESULTS: The findings suggested a negative correlation between ON and BMI. Participants who presented higher levels of orthorexia were more likely to display higher levels of focused eating, a central aspect of mindful eating, as well as lower levels of emotional eating in response to happiness - two elements that further predicted ON in multiple regression models. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest a need to conduct further research to explore the possible role of happiness as a potential protective tool against ON, and further suggest the likely negative role of some components of mindful eating in ON. Future directions are discussed in light of the present findings.

Exploring the Environmental Manifestation of Types of Music on Reinforcing Mindfulness and Concurrent Calorie Intake.

BACKGROUND: The role of music on energy intake is conflicting, and recent research has suggested a positive association between classical music listening and mindfulness. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of music, specifically classical music on state mindfulness and calorie intake of energy-dense foods. METHOD: One hundred participants were randomly assigned to either a classical, popular or no music condition, and were served a variety of sweet (i.e., chocolate and cookies) and savoury (i.e., crisps) energy-dense foods. Results: The results found no significant differences in state mindfulness, overall calorie intake, or intake of sweet foods across the three conditions. However, participants in the classical music condition did consume significantly less savoury food than those in the no music condition. CONCLUSION: Playing classical music may be beneficial in reducing intake of savoury foods, but not through the association to changes in state mindfulness. Future research should explore extended sessions of music listening on state mindfulness and other experiential evaluations of mindfulness to conclude on the direct and indirect effects of music on sweet and savoury foods.

Exploring the Role of Self-Kindness in Making Healthier Eating Choices: A Preliminary Study.

BACKGROUND: Food selection is an important factor in the prevalence of obesity, and regularly choosing nutrient-poor high-energy foods can have negative health consequences. The present study tested whether the use of mindful construal diaries (MCD) combined with self-kindness could promote healthier eating choices. METHOD: Ninety participants were randomly assigned to either a self-kindness to the mind condition or self-kindness to the mind and body condition, and were served M&Ms and grapes as an unhealthy and healthy option, respectively. RESULTS: The results suggested that a difference in consumption was found between the two conditions, with participants in the self-kindness to the mind condition consuming significantly more grapes than those in the self-kindness to the mind and body condition. However, this difference was restricted to those who are usually low consumers of fruit and vegetable. CONCLUSION: The effect of self-kindness towards promoting heathier eating whilst considering the body thus appears to require further investigation. Limitations and recommendations for future research are discussed.

Mindfulness, self-compassion, and mindful eating in relation to fat and sugar consumption: an exploratory investigation.

While much research has focused on overeating when exploring constructs of mindfulness, mindful eating, and self-compassion, there is limited research on the specific relationship of these constructs with consumption of energy-dense foods that have a large impact on weight regulation. In a cross-sectional study, university students (n = 546) were recruited to explore the relationship between mindfulness, mindful eating, self-compassion, and fat and/or sugar consumption. Results indicated that all constructs were negatively related to fat and sugar consumption, but self-compassion did not do so in a univariate fashion. When investigating subscales, negative aspects such as isolation and over-identification show a significant positive relationship to fat and sugar consumption. Possible explanations and future directions are discussed further with an emphasis on the need for more empirical work. Level of Evidence: Level V, cross-sectional descriptive study.

How does grazing relate to body mass index, self-compassion, mindfulness and mindful eating in a student population?

Contemporary research investigating obesity has focused on grazing (i.e. an uncontrolled and repetitive consumption of small amounts of food). Meanwhile, constructs such as mindfulness, mindful eating and self-compassion have received much attention in assisting individuals with eating behaviours and weight regulation. The association between those constructs and grazing, however, has not been explored. In a cross-sectional study, university students (n = 261) were recruited to explore the relationship of mindfulness, mindful eating and self-compassion with current weight and grazing. Results indicated that all constructs were negatively related to grazing, but only mindful eating related negatively to current weight. In addition, mindful eating mediated the relationship between grazing and current weight. Possible explanations and future directions are discussed further with an emphasis on the need for more empirical work.