The Inner Game of Eating

Imagine eating what you want, knowing when you're hungry and feeling happy with your body and yourself. It's all part of the inner game of eating self-control. The inner game keeps your head in tune with your gut feelings and your body with simple intuitive tools.

• Our head is the hard drive where we store experience and where our values connect. 
• Our gut feeling is the connection that protects us by staying clear about what we sense and long term priorities. 
• Our body is the source of energy, health and pleasure. Naturally, we want to tune in to that! 

Intuition is having an open mind and a flexible attitude. Sitting down to eat without a plan is having an open mind. This arms you with an awareness that you drives you to feel curious about choices. Part of the inner game of eating is realizing that there is always an option.

Having a flexible attitude gives perspective. For example, If I eat this whole pizza, will I like what it does to my body?, If I slam this sandwich down my throat without even tasting it, will I feel satisfied?  The inner game of eating keeps us in charge of what we do.

• Perspective is how you know yourself. 
• It allows you to get out of your own way to see where you're going. 
  
  
  The inner game of eating includes checking in with your body with all 5 senses before you put food in your mouth. Doing that is your intuitive way of showing self-respect. Our senses give us an intimate reality check. What's real is not a plan or a number on a scale.  What's real when it comes to the inner game is how you feel, what you sense and personal priorities. 

Listening to your 6th sense teaches you about yourself. The better you know yourself, the easier it is to be good to yourself by maintaining eating self-control. It's surprisingly natural to get through the maze of eating challenges and diet stress to discover satisfaction with yourself by knowing the inner game of eating self-control.  Intuitive tools include:

• curiosity: is noticing what you notice with your senses and your mind
• prudence: reminds that we always have options and the ability to choose what feels best
• foresight: is thinking about the results of our choices, first, so there are no regrets.

The inner game of eating connects with what we value long-term in our life. You can stay clear about what gives you satisfaction and away from what fills you with regret. It feels like common sense.

Self-control begins by recognizing what pushes our buttons. When we master this, self-control becomes a natural focus that empowers all of our choices. Download Am I Really Hungry? 6th sense diet: Intuitive Eating, and learn how to recognize what you really want. It's the natural way play the inner game.

On Thursday, March1st at 1PM EST, I will be doing a teleseminar about how to re-invent personal dieting by connecting with your inner game of eating self-control with Holistic Nutrition Coach, Nancy Desjardins. Registration is free. Sign up and get some answers! See you there.

#janebernard

Overeating hurts! Eating is supposed to feel good.

You go out with friends to feel good. If you focus on food at a party, instead of feeding your present physical, social or emotional hungers, it doesn't feel good. Overeating is a trap because it never feels good physically or emotionally. 
 
To stay your healthy weight, remember that eating is supposed to feel good.  It's personal,  a direct response to your physical needs. It's intuitive to stay aware of how your body feels when you eat.

Is this you? :

• I eat fast and I eat a lot so I don't miss anything. This results from a habit of starving yourself as a form of control instead of realizing your body always tells you when you're hungry and when you're full.

• I stay by the buffet at a party because eating feels comforting. Overeating is never comforting to your body. Focusing mainly on food at a party is being dishonest with yourself because it leaves you feeling emotionally and socially starved.

• I go for 2nds and 3rds because I have high metabolism and everyone watches how much I can eat or
• I always talk about my diet at parties.  It's emotionally twisted to use eating to get attention, and it backfires. No one admires a pig. Also, no one really enjoys being with someone who complains about their diet or their body, instead of joining the fun.  

Intuition is action. Use intuition when you celebrate. If it feels good, do it!

• Listen to your heart and tune in to your libido. Use all of your senses at a party to feel good while you're there and feel satisfied with yourself later.

1. Eye contact with people opens doors that are gently exciting.
2. Listening to conversation and adding your thoughts feels good because communication nourishes your heart.
3. Really tasting your food slows down eating and is a way of experiencing pleasures that you notice with your mind.
4. It's mutually satisfying to talk about pleasure. Be sensual. If the chocolate mousse is like a dream on your tongue, talk about it. 

•  Pause, look at who you're talking to and notice yourself. It's intuitive to be clear about where you are and what you're doing. You'll discover some amazing and amusing things, and you'll change your habits because you won't like everything you see. You know yourself best. Notice what you notice.

If eating doesn't feel good to your heart or body - don't do it. Tune-in to your body and trust it by not abusing yourself. Download Am I Really Hungry? and get common sense advice that makes it easy.

Be Curious.

It's time. Learn to think with your senses.

If you're ready to get off the diet treadmill and stop fighting with your weight -

Make 2 resolutions to get results you've been dreaming about.

Start easy.

1.  Taste every bite of food you put in your mouth. This is you reconnecting with your body.

2.  Be curious. This is you reconnecting with your intuition.

• Everyone has intuition. 
• Curiosity is intuitive. It's part of your survival instinct. 
• You don't think, curious; you feel curious. It's a physical intuitive nudge.  
• The more curious you are, the more aware you are, and so the more you discriminate, the better choices you make. 
• Be curious and respond to what you sense.

2012 is your year to feel and look great. It's easy.

In 2011, 95% of dieters gained back their weight. 2012 is the time to think differently.

OLD diet methods are generic and create stress.

NEW is custom-tailored to you and effortless.

It's natural to base what you eat on cues from your senses that tell when you're hungry and when you're not.

Intuition works with your brain and your body as a focusing, balancing and awareness lens. This creates a relaxed way of being in sync with yourself that's easy & relaxing.

Welcome to the 21st century!

Am I Really Hungry, 6th Sense Diet: Intuitive Eating tells you exactly how to recognize your intuition. Then, it shows exactly how to be aware of it and use your senses as a protective guide when you're around food. Make it easy for yourself in 2012.

Check this link for more ways to stay in control of your weight without dieting! 

Time to be liberated!

Am I Really Hungry reinvents dieting!!!!

Has any of this ever happened to you?

Diet makes you feel deprived..

You feel resentful..
You see what you want, but "can't" have..
A stressful day at work..
Frustration makes you feel bottled up..
The man or woman who you have been seeing for the past 3 months, turns out to be a lying, cheating cad..
The children need you - 24/7..
Bills piling up, but you keep buying..
You really need to talk and your cel phone just fell in a puddle..
The diet isn't working..
Life isn't predictable or fair.
You're not alone. Every day, when buttons are pushed, dieter's punish themselves with confused, self-destructive food choices.

Confusion causes self-doubt that comes out as bad decisions.

Intuitive eating keeps you in sync with yourself.

It's never intuitive to be self-destructive.If you know when you're really hungry and what you're hungry for, your 6th sense is absolutely clear about what you need.
When you know how to tune into your body around eating, there's less confusion.
When you learn how to use intuitive tools clear decision making becomes automatic because you know what really matters.
Even kids can do it.

Intuitive eating diffuses your diet hot buttons.

Recognizing what you notice with your senses can make you aware of opportunities in your life in many ways:

- help you lose weight because you are tuning into your body
- cure loneliness because you are connecting with your emotions
- improve business environment because your priorities and values are in perspective

Eating intuitively keeps you clear about your personal boundaries and about protecting yourself in all areas of your life.

Take advantage of what's easy to do. Open your eyes and follow your gut.

When food or diet hit you emotionally, use your intuition to stay in control or your choices.

Instead of feeling manipulated, you will feel liberated.

It's too hot for stress and guilt!

Wow- Summer is half-over but the heat won't let up and there are still weeks ahead of wearing clothes that reveal every unwelcome bulge. The surprise is- only you see flaws. Other people see pleasing curves. We are all our own worse critics.

Did you know that being hard on yourself can make you fat?! That's right, stress and guilt sabotage weight loss. Our bodies are primitive. Energies like stress and guilt feel threatening. When your body's threatened, it holds on to fat.

To be your ideal weight: work with your body, don’t fight it or ignore it.
People who diet have the habit of ignoring their bodies.
So, why not connect with your intuition and get some relief?

Eating based on a book or a program is stressful because it's not about you, your body or your life realities. Rushing to lose weight, forcing yourself to follow a program, or starving yourself all create stress. It's really too hot in August to bring on more heat from stress.

Eating intuitively puts you in sync with your body. You feel comfortable with yourself. It's refreshing. Why not cool off with intuitive eating?

Becoming an intuitive eater is natural; it doesn't create stress.
Everyone can do it because using intuition is being plugged into yourself. Your appetite is personal, just like your fingerprints or DNA.

Eating is as easy as breathing and as important for your health and energy level. If you tried to restrict your breathing the way you control your eating, what would happen?

Diets create stress. Intuitive eating is long term satisfaction.
August is too hot for stress.

People who don't diet and stay a healthy weight are intuitive eaters that have tools to stay in sync with their body goals. These tools demolish hot buttons like stress and guilt that sabotage weight loss.

Nourishing your self is done with food, ideas and emotions. It's all connected inside you. Your senses work with your mind and your body to let you be clear about what is nourishing.

Use your intuition and get rid of dieting for good.
Am I Really Hungry? 6th sense diet : intuitive eating  has the answers you're looking for.

Your Inner Rebel

Louise was trying to lose weight, walking every day and being conscious of portion size. Louise was doing a great job of changing her body. She was converting fat to muscle and felt tighter, but since muscle weighs more than fat her weight was the same. Louise didn't trust herself or even deeply believe in her efforts. Instead she depended the scale for validation. But the scale didn't budge and she felt defeated.

Using a scale to validate your progress to lose weight sabotages by undermining your efforts. Sabotage often is experienced as craving or binging. In fact, your scale is an obstacle in the way to connecting with the needs of your body.  When we define ourselves by measuring 'progress' we're not allowing the space and time of organic change to unfold in a natural or enduring way. 

When you decide to lose weight, instead of supervising yourself with rules, listen to your body. Imposing control that feels stressful won't bring long-term weight loss. That type of control feels restrictive and encourages your inner rebel. The inner rebel is your survival instinct- it feels stress and holds on to those fat cells until it feels safe. 

Use your eyes to see portion size and use taste to judge quality. Get moderate exercise and eat slow enough to notice how you feel. Let experience remind you that respecting your body is respecting your self. Respecting yourself  makes your body feel safe and allows it to let go of fat.  

Use the intuitive tools of dignity and determination to allow your body to complete it's process so you look and feel good.  Dignity, determination and self respect is how to walk the walk of long-term body health.  

It's a bold step for a dieter to trust her body. Spring is a time of new beginnings. Take the first step to change by tuning in to your senses to notice what you notice. You don't need a scale to validate your efforts. Use dignity and determination to fortify the bold choice to trust yourself. You're worth it! 

Catch Spring Fever & Burn Calories

Catch Spring Fever and burn calories! Let it lift your spirits and ground your commitment to honor and respect your body, mind and heart. Spring Fever connects with vitality and new beginnings.

Spring's a time of heightened emotional response. When Spring's in the air, suddenly there's a spring to your step. Colors are more intense and daylight lingering makes evenings more seductive. It's exciting. Spring is a time we naturally re-connect with our 6 senses.  Go with it. Get excited and lose weight intuitively.

When your senses are alert, eating habits become obvious.  Emotional eating is a disconnect from your body. Spring is the time to reconnect with your body. Connect with your senses and what feels good to you. Only eat when you're hungry. 

Balance emotions with common sense. Find nourishment for all of your appetites with your eyes, ears and heart. Spring is a time of renewal for every living creature. Renew the commitment to having a healthy body by embracing all 6 senses. Resolve to move forward by staying in step with Spring.

When you connect with your body, Spring Fever really takes off!

It's a new season so try new foods that are seasonal. Go on an adventure with your nose: inhale perfumes of flowers, aromas of your meal and the scent of fresh air. Use your eyes to really look at who you love and to love your Life. This sort of emotional nourishment is surprisingly satisfying.

Everything we do burns calories, including getting excited.. who knew? Yes, it's that easy. As you depend on your intuition, you feel in sync with yourself. It feels good. Spring is a time for renewal and re-connecting. Renew your commitment to being true to yourself.

Enjoy!  :)

The Blame Game

Do you play the 'Blame game'?  

Jessi is a dieter who is becoming an intuitive eater. She decided to have a healthy snack and opened a bag of carrots. She took a bite and the carrot tasted strange. The inside of her mouth felt tingly, even fuzzy. Jessi ignored her senses and decided it was her fault for buying the carrots in a bag instead of fresh. Because she 'knew' that carrots were 'good', Jessi assumed she was 'bad' and the source of the problem.

Her mouth was practically screaming that the carrots were unhealthy. But the diet mentality is to blame yourself and ignore your body, and so she did.  She ate 5 carrots and then grabbed a cupcake to get the taste out of her mouth. No one wins the blame game.

When you play the blame game you stop noticing what you notice with your senses. Ignoring your senses betrays your inner dignity. This feels really awful. 

  

Forcing your body to eat what it rejects is not intuitive.  

Eating intuitively is to respond to your body. 

As soon as you respond to your body, you are in control. 

That's all it takes!

Jessi is learning to notice messages from her senses. Her tastebuds told her the carrots were bad. But the habit of diet programs told her she was bad. This blame game had become her habit. Once Jessi realized it was a habit and that she could take control, she felt like a different person. 

Notice what you notice. Habits are hard to break. But self-defeating habits are worth breaking. It is never intuitive to 'blame' yourself. The intuitive choice is to look for options when your senses give you a heads up.

The Myth of Self-Control

Change happens inside us. 

'Self-control' imposed by ideas or rules can feel like a threat to your body. Feeling threatened puts your body in the survival mode. 

Your body :

              - is genetically programmed for survival. It can force you to eat, breathe or sleep to survive. 

              - will be fat any time it decides that being fat is the best way to keep you safe. 

              - decides how much you weigh, not your conscience or a book you read. 

That's why self-control is a myth. Since our body controls itself, it has complete control over how fast we burn fat. Because it's intuitive to protect and empower your body, trusting your intuition keeps your body feeling safe. 

Tune in with your senses and notice what you notice. Your 6th sense will kick in to enhance your observations and what is right to eat to be your healthy shape will be automatic.

Intuitive eating feels like self respect. Your body relaxes, you enjoy eating and the pounds fall off! That's what's happening with people doing my IntuEating program right now! It's easy to talk about, but letting go of self-control is a challenge when you are used to dieting. Be patient with yourself.

Begin this way:

            - Nourish your body every day by only eating what you really want.

            - Listen with your senses to your heart and body.

            - Visualize your healthy fit body, exactly the way you want to look and feel before you get out of bed in the morning and before every meal. Feed that body.

When you force yourself to lose weight, you are violating your bodies natural laws and it rebels by holding on to fat. The real path for self-control is to connect with yourself using dignity and your senses to be clear about what feels right. Take a deep breath and realize that your body is talking to you.

Listen to your body and trust yourself.

The Eating Challenge, Take 2

Intuitive eating is knowing that what you need for energy and health is what you want to eat. It takes courage to maintain your intuitive connection through challenging eating situations.

You may need to eat bread with your meal, or protein, or you may just feel like having yogurt. You may decide that you had such a big lunch that you will just have an appetizer for dinner. Sounds simple, but it takes courage. Courage is when you recognize what you know, and you respect who you are. Courage is following through with what you know and doing what you respect.

Words make it sound easy, sure. Doing what sounds easy just may surprise you. The real eating challenge is to trust yourself to be good to yourself. 

Challenging eating situations happen every day. We feel tempted or starved, or like there is no choice, or like pleasing others. The challenge to be true to physical needs, while feeling pressure from stress or from exhaustion is often the result of not trusting what you intuitively know your body needs.

Take the eating challenge and observe yourself around food. Use your eyes, your ears, taste, touch and smell. Notice messages from your stomach and notice how you feel in your heart and your head. Fine tune your senses. Listen to your intuition, and recognize habits that end up making you feel badly about your self. When it is time to eat, use your senses to smell, taste and see what you are eating and think about how your body feels and what you want for your self. Give your self a chance.

Intuition is a kind of natural courage. Connect with your intuition, and eat only what you know and feel is right. When you tune into your body, and your hunger with courage, you start to recognize your eating needs. Then you trust your self and take control of feeding your hunger. This is not easy because it's probably not something that you thought about before. So, give yourself a chance to think. Take a deep breathe in and now breathe out really, really slowly until there is nothing inside. Good.

It takes courage to recognize and trust your self.

It takes courage to stand up for your self.

It takes courage do what is right.

It takes courage to acknowledge what you need.

It takes courage to recognize habits, but if you don’t, you will never be happy with your weight. Ignoring your senses, your body, and what you know, creates a vicious cycle when you eat, and all it takes to stop, is connecting with the courage to follow your truth.  Ah yes, that is the eating challenge.

 

If Your Body Could Talk - an exercise

Trash talking your body makes it shut down. 

Eating intuitively keeps an open honest connection with your body.

What would you do if your body could talk?

This 2 part exercise is powerful. It helps for losing weight , and importantly, this is good for putting your head back on track with your heart.   Doing the exercise opens up a different way of trusting your body/mind intuitive connection. Try it. Let us know what happens.

1. On a blank sheet of paper write a letter to your body: 

Start with Dear Body. Take a breath and tell your body whatever you want. Be patient, and let the words stream. No one will read this but you.

2. Give your body a chance to reply. On another sheet of paper, use pencil and write yourself a letter from your body to you:

Use your other (non-dominant) hand. Start with Dear and your name. Take a breath and start writing.  If your body could talk what would it tell you?

Using your non-dominant hand forces you to connect differently with your body. I ended up printing.  It will take effort to use your other hand and be hard to read but, do it and see what happens. 

In an eating situation where you feel emotional or pressured to act, you may find that you stop listening to the intuitive connection with your body. Stress can put you in a self-destructive place where you are mean to your body. When you're in an eating environment that pushes your buttons, take and breath and use your senses to connect with yourself. Give your body a voice.

It takes effort to remain open. This exercise is worth the effort. I saved it and found reading what I wrote the next day moving.

You will discover it's intuitive to be kind to yourself. Intuition is subtle in the beginning. Write yourself a letter from your body and feel the connection.

Get Sensual.

Intuitive eating includes being aware of sensations like hunger and fullness. It is intuitive to use your mind to notice how your body feels. 

Recognize how your body feels by using your 5 senses: taste, touch, smell, sight and hearing. 

Being sensual keeps you in touch with what matters. 

Your 5 senses tune you in to your body and the intuitive tools guide you to re-connect with self control around eating.  (http://www.IntuEating.com)

How the senses work:  

>The job of your senses is to give you pleasure and protection.

>When you use your senses, you are giving yourself every advantage they offer. 

>When you take them for granted, you ignore them and miss opportunities to protect yourself from  over eating.

You will discover that using your eyes when you eat keeps you more tuned in to how much you're eating.  Being aware of tastes, textures, smells and at the same time of being aware of how your body feels keeps you clearer about eating choices. It's the natural mind/body connection of your intuition. 

Be sensual. Changing from the habit of ignoring your senses to noticing what you notice will help you shed pounds. When you connect with your intuition, and use your 5 senses, you connect with your body.

Using your senses- sight, taste, touch, smell, hearing and your intuition 

complete the mind/body connection you need to make choices that protect you and

keep you eating healthy.

As you use your senses, start trusting what you notice to make your eating choices.
You know what you want for yourself.
You have learned from experience portions that feel good to your body.

Connecting with your body when you eat is a way of respecting yourself. It's the way to give yourself the chance you deserve to be healthy and happy. 

Intuitive eating is how to be clear about what's important for you. It is making eating choices that make sense and  feel good to you emotionally and physically. The only way to predict your future is to create it. By eating intuitively you create the body you want.

The 15 Minute Solution

Cravings and Candy

December is a time of heightened cravings. Family and friends ask, what do you want? We feel this emotionally, physically, and socially. When teased with holiday deserts, we see food not only with our eyes, but also with our hearts.

I was asked, "How can we connect with our intuition to know the difference between intuitive eating and 'unhealthy' cravings?"  

Intuitive eating feels good an hour later. 

'Unhealthy' cravings feel bad an hour later.

Intuitive eating balances what you crave with what you need to eat. Eating a square of chocolate because it makes you feel good and you like the way it tastes, is healthy. Chocolate is an anti-oxident. The body uses anti oxidents help to clean pollution from your system. Your body is intuitively efficient. Craving to eat something can mean that your body needs it. Intuitive eating is working with your body.

       When you eat one square of chocolate, it takes a full 15 minutes for your brain to know that your stomach has had happy piece of chocolate. This means, after eating one square of chocolate, take 15 minutes to socialize or even relax, to give your head time it needs to know if you still are physically craving chocolate.  Try it, and you will be surprised. 

Your body, just like your mind and and your heart, has a process it uses to be the best you can be. 

 -Respect and connect with your stomach by taking the harmless temptation of craving seriously. 

-Guide yourself intuitively by staying clear about what matters to you in the long run. 

     While you may crave candy, I bet you crave affection more. Overeating ignores your body and isolates you from others because you are not responding to what you really want. Your social needs, emotional needs, and physical needs are equally important.

Intuition connects with your point of balance so you know what you want. 

Balance is the secret of self control.

Unhealthy cravings lead to self-defeating behavior that feels bad. We all have an inner baby that manipulates us with impatience, self-pity, anger or doubt. Don't be bullied by 'unhealthy' cravings. 

Do your best for you.

Use the 15 minute rule before you go for more. 

During your 15 minutes, imagine how you feel when you take control of your choices, 

and with an open mind, stay clear about what matters to you. 

Trust your process. 

Intuitively you know what will make you feel good.

Wanting the love.

Everybody knows "food is love." Everybody intuitively wants love. That's why, at a celebration, where food is abundant, it's common to overeat. 

It's not surprising at Thanksgiving, a holiday of appreciation and feasting, to discover that you feel stuffed, instead of comfortably full. Maybe the sweet potatoes with marsh mellows were better than you remembered, and the vision, you intended, of portion control didn't work. Stuff happens, and it's okay. What really matters, is that you are aware of what happened that didn't make you feel good about your self, and that you commit to be kinder to your self next time. 

Don't beat yourself up. 

It is intuitive to forgive your self, because forgiving your self is a sign of self respect. Doing this will help you automatically be more prudent about eating choices over the rest of the holiday season. It is human nature to fall down, and it is intuitive to get back up and to keep going.

Because intuitive eating is having a flexible approach, post Thanksgiving is the time to cut your self a little slack. At holiday meals, the natural focus is on socializing. However, your intuition still is there. You are changing the way you want to maintain your optimum weight. Since you've already started being aware of your body, and of messages from your 6 senses, intuition is automatically part of  your food choices.

Intuitively: You take control of your eating by staying connected to what is really important to you, which is the way you feel, and the way you look.

Intuition is not something that you force on your self. Instead intuitive eating is a way of trusting your self to eat what's in your best interest for your optimum health - even when you're "socializing."

Stay committed to intuitive eating by choosing to forgive a holiday slip up, and try to maintain more vigilance the next time spirits are merry. Everything worth achieving takes time and effort - including getting the habit of being an intuitive eater.

Enjoy the holiday and enjoy eating. You deserve the love.<3

 

Party with the present.

Parties can be scary when they dredge up emotional memories. Parties can be fun and an opportunity to re-invent yourself, when you stay in the present.

Fear around eating is about the past. Intuition is about the present. During the holiday season, it's tempting to dwell in the emotional past. Use self-respect to avoid the temptation.

Fear is emotional sabotage that leads to self defeating choices. It is an emotional bully that makes you ignore your senses, common sense and your heart! The result is you feel 'out of sync' with yourself and may gorge at a party, or privately eat a loaf of bread.

• When you get that 'out of sync' feeling, reconnect with the present by using your senses to reconnect with what's real around you. Notice what you notice.
• Be honest with yourself about what's important to you and trust your intuition to stay clear about your personal priorities and values.
•  Allow yourself to feel dignified.

When you connect with your intuition, there is nothing to doubt. It is as real as your eyes reading this. When you are at a party, don't re-live your past, instead, connect with self-respect to protect and be good to who you are. Every effort you make, to be the best you can be, is important and admirable. :)

Being honest with yourself is what makes intuitive eating easy. 
It's honest to recognize fear is an emotion that has nothing to do with your appetite.

Stay true to you and stay 'in sync' with your body. 

Party with the present. 

The past is history. 

When you respect yourself, you protect yourself.  
Make a promise to do that.  

Breaking up is hard to do.

Why Good Diets Don't Work Long-Term...

Leaving a diet program can feel like defeat or even like a broken heart. But instead, it's the way of being true to your body.

My neighbor was ecstatic for 2 months. She was losing weight, feeling great, and 'knew' that she had finally found "the one". No, she had not found the man of her dreams, but she believed she had found the diet that worked for her. It was exciting, something like love.

And then stuff happened. First it was the backlash from a really horrible day, which resulted in a box of donuts with a coke, and that was followed by a great party where she thought she was having fun- until the next morning. Feeling let down, nothing was making sense for her. Emotion driven hunger had put her out of touch with her body, and out of touch with her common sense. 

There are many good diets. The reason they work in the beginning is the diet is new, full of potential and promise. In the beginning instead of feeling restricted, you feel like you're part of the program. 
Problem is, the program is consistent and does not vary, but Life is not consistent and your body's needs vary. 

So after the flush of new wears off, you start to become physically weary of this wonderful diet, and start rebelling, by breaking the rules of the program. It's intuitive to be true to your self. But when you're emotionally invested in a diet program, it's hard to do it without feeling guilty and emotionally let-down. This is when self abuse starts.

When you reach the point where your diet is becoming frustrating, or inconvenient, or just isn't working, it is time to use common sense. Common sense tells you to listen to your body, not to abuse it. My neighbor didn't realize that she could have outgrown the great diet. Her body was telling her that she needed to change.

A good diet is not the same as a romantic commitment. A good diet is only good while it works for you. When a good diet gets stale, it's time to fine tune your senses and tune into intuition and your body to see what's missing. 

Sure, breaking up is hard to do, but changing what you eat, and how you do it, is natural, healthy and keeps you slim. Visualize your ideal body, and see it when you see yourself. That's where your heart is. 

A diet is an agenda. If the agenda works for you, do it. When it gets stale, find a new agenda.

Enjoy the occasion.

With Halloween around the corner, the annual time of parties and eating approaches. This year, decide to enjoy the company and the occasion - more than the food. It is a habit when we diet to focus on food at a party instead of the party, the fun, the company and the occasion. The result is we miss stuff.

Worrying about food challenges and weight control puts pressure on you to obsess about food and eating. The result is you are knocked off balance emotionally. That's when self-destructive eating takes place.

Enjoy the company- but connect with your 6 senses first! It's a way of really being in the moment. Talk about what you sense. This is a great conversation starter because everyone gets pleasure through their senses.

Whether it's business, or a casual social environment, enjoying your self by connecting with your senses, you will be showing that you respect your self. You will send signals without using words, that you have priorities. Everyone respects that.

If a fellow reveler thrusts a huge slice of pumpkin pie your way, cut it in half, and find a plate to slide the extra on, so you won't be tempted. Smell the pie and really taste it. Ask another guest if she has tasted the pie. Instead to talking about how much you're eating, enjoy the flavor. Talk about the celebration, and how time flies, and how good it is to reconnect with people, and catch up on what has happened since the last time.

Before you go to a party, resolve to take a pause every time a food challenge or temptation is part of an event. Re-balance your perspective to enjoy the celebration by respecting your self. This is a personal decision. No one will notice and you will be in control. Then, enjoy the party.

Eat slowly, talk more. Eat less, enjoy it more. Focus on celebrating with your heart more than with your stomach. You will leave the party feeling great, and tomorrow you will wake up feeling in control.

Try this:

While you're eating with family, on a date, or at a party, stop eating. Put your fork down and ask the person sitting next to you to tell you about their day. Let your self be distracted from the food. Let your self enjoy the company.

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!

Navigating for Success

There is often much on your mind and shoulders when you eat. Life is a long series of hills and valleys that twist and turn without road maps. Challenges and opportunities are distracting, demanding, frustrating, fortifying, and rewarding.  

Weight issues are another twist to navigate. Eat to fortify your future. It is intuitive to focus on eating for quality of Life. Do this to re-affirm your long-term perspective and realign your priorities. The result is, the road of Life is easier to navigate. So, make meal time, a time of personal indulgence.

Do Not Quit
"When things go wrong as they sometimes will;
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill;
When the funds are low, and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but have to sigh;
When care is pressing you down a bit-
Rest if you must, but do not quit.

Success is failure turned inside out;

The silver tint of the clouds of doubt;

And you can never tell how close you are.

It may be near when it seems so far;

So stick to the fight when your hardest hit.

It's when things go wrong, you must not quit." (Anonymous)

What are you really hungry for? Hunger is a heart felt as well as a physical experience. Emotional hunger is real but you don't feed it with food. Use your six senses to recognize it. Feed what's real and you will discover that you can get what you want, and where you want to go.

Be true to your self. When you're struggling with weight issues, or emotional issues, be kind to your self, and be ready to give your self another chance. Using your eyes, ears, taste, smell, and touch when you eat, tunes you in to your body. See it healthy and your ideal weight. Feed your ideal self. Watch it evolve.

The only time you fail is when you give up.

Your intuition will never desert you. So use it. There is always another chance to listen to your body and your heart, and do the right thing. This is your Life and this is your time. Enjoy living, and enjoy eating!

Nobody is more important than you are, so respect your self. Navigate for success.

Shake it up!

This is the first day of Autumn. Leaves are turning colors and wind has picked up. The seasons are a symbol of natural rhythms that are part of Life. Shake up your eating habits and look at colors differently. Eat something that is only fresh now, and notice how your body responds. I think you'll have an unexpected energy boost.

Just like the weather has seasons and you change your wardrobe, the seasons are also a natural time for you to change the kinds of foods you eat. When eating is a habit - like you have the same lunch every day, or always eat a certain breakfast, or never have eggs for dinner- you lose touch with what your body really wants and needs.

Your body makes it clear when you're hungry. However it's important to realize your body's needs change all the time. That means different foods satisfy you at different times. Don't eat the same foods all the time because your body won't be satisfied, and you will still feel hungry. ouch. Take a few moments to notice what you're eating and how you feel.

It's September, and suddenly there are different fresh foods at the market. This is a natural head's up that something new is available. Take it as an opportunity to eat seasonal foods you never tried before. Different foods nourish different organs in your body. Your body will tell you what it needs. Be bold and enjoy the experiment.

You will achieve success of your eating goals by using your senses to notice what's going on with your body. Your senses naturally connect with what feels right, because your senses keep you in touch with the bigger picture of your life. Use your 6 senses and you will maintain, not gain weight.

When it comes to diet and eating, your habit may be to see your self though others eyes, or to feed your body what others suggest. Taking suggestions makes sense only when you use your brain with your gut and respond to what your body feels. You have the answers for you. Nobody else does.

Changing your eating routine is going to be exciting. Shake it up, feel refreshed and benefit with the body you want.

For practical intuitive solutions that are common sense for maintaining a your healthy weight, download: Am I Really Hungry? 6th Sense Diet : Intuitive Eating

and overcome eating challenges.

"If you can't solve a problem, it's because you're playing by the rules." P. Arden