What are you craving?

July 4th is Independence Day. 

It's intuitive to crave freedom.

For intuitive eaters, freedom's not just another word. Freedom is self-control.  It's eating what you want, when you're hungry. No rules, no pressure to eat what you don't like. It's positively relaxing.

It's human to have cravings.

We crave love, sex, chocolate, money, happiness, understanding, affection, good health, companionship or a new pair of shoes. The list is personal. When you have a craving and your eyes look at food, ask your self, Am I really hungry? Most cravings are not for food, they're social.

Eating intuitively puts you in control of your choices. It's trusting and listening to your body. Instead of planning what to eat in advance, intuitive eater's look at food options and ask, Am I really hungry?

If you believe you're craving food, eat protein. People who diet are usually hungry for protein. Fruit and salad won't satisfy you if you need protein. Eat a handful of almonds or walnuts if you're on the run, and your body will relax and the craving will be satisfied. Nuts are a dense protein that take time for your body to metabolize.  When you eat what you need, suddenly there's time and freedom for other cravings to be satisfied- even if it's as simple as craving a good nights sleep.

 The 15 Minute Solution is about candy and craving.  It's a method you can trust to know if you're craving is social. Do you want affection or another piece of pie? Take control of your craving and feel some relief from the pressure. Connect with a freedom from cravings.

When you're alone and craving a container of chocolate ice cream, use The 3 Minute Rule, and you'll realize that you know what you want.

When you feel trapped by cravings, it's an uncomfortable gnawing inside. As you practice eating intuitively you'll know yourself better, and free yourself from cravings. When you recognize what's pushing your buttons and use your intuitive tools to keep an open mind, you make choices that bring long-term satisfaction.

When you are in sync with yourself, you always find choices. Ask yourself, Am I really hungry for food? and if you're not sure, give yourself the freedom to say, no. 

Take the plunge. Keep an open mind. Tune into yourself and eat intuitively. Nobody craves a ball and chain and restrictive dieting is a ball and chain. Nobody wants to feel trapped and when you don't feel in control of yourself, you feel trapped. Give yourself a chance.

Happy Independence Day from New York City!

Let the golden lights of the fireworks shine a path of eating freedom for you.

The 3 Minute Rule

Sometime an unhealthy food craving can be nearly overpowering. Overcoming it happens when you use the 3 minute rule. You will discover that ignoring the feeling by really focusing on being patient and kind with yourself for 3 full minutes totally puts you in power.

Take control of what's eating you by using the 3 minutes rule to get through difficult emotional moments and challenging personal situations. It's called "Doing the Intuitive Pause".
         
            1. Stop yourself from being mentally manipulated.
            Ignore the craving by focusing on being kind and patient with yourself for 3 minutes. Tune in to your body's needs and your state of mind. It's intuitive to respect your body by remembering your physical priorities.

            2. Notice your attitude towards yourself.
            Don't compromise who you are because you're angry, frustrated, lonely, stressed or bored. Instead, find something besides food to make you feel better.

            3. Use all of your senses to notice what's triggering your appetite.
            This includes using common sense to notice what's impacting you outside of your body. Common sense is the intuitive way of being alert.

            4. Decide how you will feel about yourself if you eat what you're craving. If you won't be happy with yourself an hour later, it's not physical hunger.
         
            5. If you recognize the food craving is from your body, then enjoy eating it by noticing how satisfied your body feels while you're eating. It's intuitive to enjoy eating. In fact, you get 70% more nutrition from food when you enjoy it!

Being patient: gives you the opportunity to be clear about your values. 

Being kind: means you're allowed to do what feels healthiest long term for you.

Intuitive eating puts you in control because you make the rules. 

Your really do know what's right for you.

Since your survival instinct won't let you starve and your metabolism rate works with your body and genetics are real, dieting can only be a temporary fix. The way to achieve long term body health success is to take control of your eating by trusting your intuition.  

3 minutes can change everything

Give yourself 3 minutes and take control of your eating.

Then move on with healthy eating and trash the craving.

Your intuition connects the dots in your Life so you stay connected to what matters in the big picture.

As you take action by eating intuitively, there is no more overeating and you lose weight for good. 

Your relationship food and with your body will never be the same. 

Tips for Intuitive eating:

Start today by eating only when you are physically hungry.
Use your senses to notice what's triggering your appetite.
Decide if you will feel good about yourself afterward - before you eat.
If you feel yourself craving what you will later regret- use the 3 minute rule.

The purpose of eating is to create the foundation for the rest of your Life.
Don't deprive yourself.
Eat for long term strength, health, and contentment.
And be sure to taste and enjoy what you eat.

:)

Complaints

Is your body complaining?
Your body doesn't play games with you. It is merely a vehicle you use to maneuver through your day and your Life. But the body does complain. We experience complaints as tension, high blood pressure, discomfort, exhaustion, and a general sense of dissatisfaction.

Being nagged physically or emotionally is unpleasant and tiring. Sometimes you experience this as cravings. When emotional demands override the physical needs of your body, the complaining starts. ouch. Balance physical needs with nagging distractions that push your emotional button by depending on experience and intuitive common sense. I promise, you absolutely have the answers.

When you are around food, take a deep breath, and choose to Think Clearly.

Listen to your body by paying attention to your 6 senses: to what you see, taste, touch, smell, feel, and know in your heart, and mind.  

Small decisions  you make every day create the big picture of your Life.

Are the messages getting through at meal time that you're stuffed? or that the food is not what will fill you up because it's not what your body is craving. The message is: Pay Attention to your body with your 6 senses. You don't need the complaining.

Suggestions for a happy body:
When you're craving something sweet here's a satisfying alternative to junk food.

• Keep unsweetened frozen blueberries, strawberries, blackberries or raspberries in the freezer for sweet noshing. Berries taste good, and have anti-oxidants, and fiber. Anti-oxidants are good for fighting the effects of air pollution, and fiber keeps you regular. 
• You can also buy unsweetened frozen cantaloupes or mangoes to have on hand. 
• I like to freeze seedless grapes for a cool snack.

Frozen fruits can be mixed in the blender with ice cubes, milk, unsweetened juice, or yogurt for a fruit smoothie. In the morning, have a smoothie and a handful of walnuts and almonds for a quick, healthy, and power packed breakfast.

A kitchen timer can help you change your habit of eating too fast.
Set it for 30 minutes when you sit down to eat, then eat slowly so that your last bite coincides with the ding. This will allow for fullness signals to make it from your stomach to your brain. Also this will allow for more efficient digestion, because eating slowly is eating more relaxed.

Your body won't complain!