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

Emotional Button Control

I have been writing a booklet about writer's block for a lecture I'm giving in October.* Writer's block is a form of self-sabotage, just like over-eating. People who write fall into emotional traps that push buttons, so that they lose their perspective about what they want to write. It's the same thing that happens when an emotional button sends you "hungry" for comfort food or into a tailspin of over-eating. Life happens.

If you focus on losing control, or beat your self up, you are continuing a cycle of emotional abuse. Focusing on what went wrong creates an emotional trap where perspective is lost. That's when you feel out of control. ouch!

The important thing is forgive your self.

That is when you are able to help your self. There is a saying, Give me the strength to accept things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.

Talk to your self. Feed your self language of emotional support, not language of emotional abuse. Listen to how you talk to your self.

Reality is often not pleasing or easy to understand, but it is a sounding board for choices. The next time an emotional button is pushed, you can choose to notice that the emotion has nothing to do with hunger for food. One thing is independent of the other.

There really is a possibility at all times, for you to see the bigger picture.

Eat your next meal like it's the first time you ever ate. Really taste your food and savor the experience. Notice how hungry you are and respect the body you're feeding. Accept and allow the choices you make. Listen for your intuitive voice and trust it to protect you and provide you the opportunity to eat wisely to be happy with your body.

Your 6th sense balances your emotions with your ideas so that you can make clear choices when you sit down to eat. When you trust your intuition, you use it. Intuition is your innate wisdom. You will discover that when you trust your intuition, you are in control. You will feel good about your choices.

*If interested, you can download the booklet about writer's block:
The coupon code to get it free is :QZ62A
Book page link- http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/23345

Namaste.

Jane

Temptation and Obsession

What is the difference between temptation and obsession when it comes to diet?

Being tempted to eat means you are still in control. We all live with temptation. We are in a kind of flow, where choices must be made before we realize it. You are tempted to stay longer, leave earlier, eat more, work-out less, make a call, turn off the phone, take a chance, stay with the familiar, stop learning new things, start something new- .  

• Temptation makes you think twice. It puts you to the test. 
• Because temptation forces you to think twice, you are in control.

Temptation is the opportunity for you to remember your eating priorities. Feeding this satisfies you physically and emotionally. Think twice about what your body needs to feel satisfied by noticing what you notice.

• When you tune in to your body and make the choice to respect your self, things start to make sense. 
• Amazingly temptation brings out the best in you.

Obsessing feels like being out of control. It's unpleasant. In fact, obsession is losing perspective about what makes you feel good. It's like filling a sieve with water - it doesn't work. Perhaps the obsession is pizza, chocolate, or pasta and you only can think of finding satisfaction with your obsession. But- the problem is that it doesn’t happen. The result is of obsessive eating is physical discomfort and emotional dissatisfaction because in fact, food is not a substitute for what you really want. 

Only eating for good health, 

for quality of life, 

to enjoy the sharing the pleasure and 

to experience the satisfaction of taste and smell, can satisfy you physically. 

Anything else that may drive you to eat is self-destructive.

You can stay in control by remembering emotional demands are not your friend. Emotional demands ignore physical needs. Your senses connect with you physically.  Trust what you see and taste with what you know, before you allow your emotions to boss you around.  Ideas that turn into obsessions about what to eat, are not in sync with your physical needs. Don't abuse your body or allow stress to defeat your eating goals.

• Be flexible with yourself and you will discover that you have the answers. 
• Your first intuitive sense is your survival instinct. Use it. 

Many people write to me because they identify with my March 23 blog: Zig Zag Eating, http://fine-tuning-eating.blogspot.com/2010/03/zig-zag-eating.html.   Is that you?

We’re in this together, and we’ll walk through this together. You are not alone. Keep your head up and your eyes open. You have "it".

Namaste.

*JaneBernard

Every day is unpredictable.

     Every day is unpredictable. What happens decides what we much genuinely need to eat. For example- the weather, stress, happiness, and sleep all impact our organic self. We are intuitively responding with our senses to everything, all the time. 

Be gentle, you are organic.

Organic means: not artificial.

To be your ideal weight: work with your body, don’t fight it, or ignore it.

     Feed yourself what nourishes, not what ‘fills you up’. Nourishing ourselves is done with food, and with ideas. It is done by connecting with our 6 senses when you eat. Our senses work with our mind and body to keep us clear about what is nourishing. Let intuition be your guide and trust yourself.

     We each have a physical and a mental process of growing that cannot be rushed. We can’t be rushed to change our thinking, our weight, or our style. The first step is effort. Be proud that you are seeking answers and knowledge. That means you’re smart and you’re cool.

While you’re thinking, ask your self:

Do I have eating patterns?

What gets in my way of supporting my health and fitness when I eat?

How can I approach eating differently?

     Often, when thinking about losing and maintaining weight, we are easy prey to doubts or fear that we won’t be able to stick it out.  These self- defeating thinking habits interfere with responding to what our body needs. There is no such thing as a quick fix that endures. Every dieter knows this from experience.

Don't feed your self doubt or fear. 

When we listen to our senses, we are feeding ourselves compassion, and understanding. 

This is empowering!

Your body is not a machine and you are not generic. That’s why only you know your best eating choices. Use your eyes to see what you want. Connect with how your body feels. Think about what’s in your best interest. Respond to your life as it’s happening. Plan to feed your self in a healthy way to maintain your weight. That is a nourishing thought.  It is you respecting your self.

Your body cannot be rushed into change. To lose weight or maintain weight loss, be gentle with your self. Being gentle is the secret of self - control. 

Enjoy eating with all of your senses and you will eat less.  That's a promise.

Tricks

Are you being tricked into eating more than you’re really hungry for?

Fifty years ago the average restaurant dinner plate was just 8 inches across. That size plate holds about 140 calories. Today your dinner is probably served on a plate that is 12 inches across (or bigger). That size holds about 350 calories. Even spoons and forks are bigger now then they were.

Yikes- the bigger the plate the more you eat. The bigger the spoon or fork, the more food goes in to your mouth at once. This doesn't give your stomach much of an option. Ouch.

Another trick that makes us eat more is a huge plate with what appears to be small portions on it. This fools us every time. It’s like trick photography where they show you the same piece of bread on 2 plates. The same piece of bread looks much smaller on the bigger plate. But, it’s a trick! Big plates are deceptive.

If you don’t want to be bigger, consider the up side of using smaller plates and even smaller spoons and forks. Think of it as the easy way for you to achieve portion control. When you downsize your spoon and fork and ask for a smaller plate, you can enjoy conversation and not pay attention to how much you’re eating because your portion will be exactly right- not super-sized.

When you don’t over eat, it makes sense that you will maintain your weight. When it comes to eating, bigger is not better. The way to take control, is to not be tricked by accepting huge plates of food. You have 2 choices- ask for a smaller plate and just put on it what fits, or ask for your plate to be divided. The extra food can be put in a bag to eat another day, or if taking it home is a form of temptation, then give it away.

Eating what you like is an intuitive trick for burning more calories!

Enjoying what you eat at every meal is intuitive. It has been proven that when you enjoy what you eat, your body digests food more efficiently. This means eating what you like, instead of forcing yourself to eat “what is good for you”, actually burns more calories. And obviously, it keeps you happy.
Nice.

Climate Control

Hot Weather means different body needs.

I live in NYC and the heat for the past 3 days has been over 100 degrees setting all kinds of records. Heat affects us in so many ways- besides the obvious sweating and discomfort- really hot weather impacts our appetite. We instinctively eat less or lighter foods in hot weather.

This sounds good for losing weight, but the problem is that a lot of us live with air conditioning. When you’re cooled off, a big hot steak, and a piece of heavy cake looks appetizing. Ouch.

Don’t be fooled into eating by climate control.

Extreme heat also effects us emotionally. Temperatures can shorten, and moods can dip. Emotions that make you eat destructively or want to give up are not intuitive. Intuitively you want the best for your self.

A good summer habit is to sip water while working or relaxing.

Be careful of fruit drinks because they often are as sugary as soda. 

What your body wants when you are hot, is water. 

If you don’t like the taste of water, then try some of these tricks:
         -Put about an inch of fruit juice in your glass and fill the rest with water. If it’s available, add ice to help you cool down. Plus, the chilled drink may taste better to you.

         -Keep some herbal/fruity iced tea in the fridge. Many herbal teas have raspberry or other fruits in them. Since it’s hot to make tea, if you have the time, any tea can be made in advance by just placing tea bags in a pitcher of water, and letting it sit in a sunny window for a few hours or overnight. The flavor will automatically seep out of the bag and into the water. Sweeten your tea with fruit juice.

        -A slice of lemon or lime can make a glass of water a drink. Lemon or lime with a few tablespoons of juice mixed with water is very refreshing.

So when you’re feeling frazzled, drink some ice water sweetened with juice and take a cool shower. Don’t make any important decisions until your body is comfortable. Then use your six senses, tune in to your heart, remember lessons of past experiences, and you’ll know what is best for you.

Use the hot summer months to eat differently and see how your body responds. Trust your instinct to eat light and you will feel lighter. Winter eating habits are for the winter- your needs change with the seasons. Go with the flow and be adventurous.

3 CHOICES

Eating habits are not healthy.

Each time you eat a meal, you have one choice which is to satisfy your hunger. That is the purpose of eating. The way to do this is not so simple because of habits that tell you there are three choices when you see a large plate of food in front of you. These are:

#1: Allow things to work out is your intuitive choice.

This means you tune in to your body, and listen to your senses, and remember what you know from past eating experiences. If you tune in to your body and there is no hunger response, the choice is to not eat. You are not always hungry. This is listening to your inner truth. It is you, connecting with your intuition.

Allowing things to work out takes courage and determination. Courage is energy you are born with and can always tap into. Like your intuition, it is always present. ( March 2010 blogs speak about courage in depth.)

Allowing things to work out means trusting your inner truth, and
connects with your self-esteem.
Ultimately it feels great and you look great!

#2: Forcing your self is a habit.

When you force your self to eat certain foods, or within certain calorie constraints, you are fighting your self. The result is often dissatisfaction with your meal, and even rebelling by over-eating Even if you succeed in restricting your intake based on external rules, the victory is both hollow and temporary. 95% of people who lose weight by dieting gain it back.

Eating is natural. Instead of forcing your self, tune in to your body, and your heart, and reflect on what makes you feel good, when you eat. Connect with your whole self. When you trust your self, you will not be destructive.

Yes, it’s good to learn about diets and food. Curiosity is a powerful intuitive tool. Use it as a guide, and trust where you’re going. Reading this means you’re going toward your goal of being your healthy weight.

People who are starving are restricted by circumstances. Celebrate your good fortune by respecting your self and allowing things to work out. Keeping clear about your priorities connects with your inner courage and you feel liberated.

#3: Ignoring the problem is a habit.

Ignoring something doesn't make it go away. Because every meal brings a new set of circumstances, it is not always wrong to relax your sense of balance, and eat an extra donut to celebrate or have desert, because you are with good friends. However, ultimately you must respect your body and your senses, and not eat destructively. Cravings are often just habits.

It feels wrong to abandon your self-respect.
Remember, if it feels wrong, it is wrong.

Relaxing "self-control" does not mean abandoning self-respect. It means allowing your self to listen to your whole being- heart, mind, soul and body and to stay in the moment. Trust your intuition, don't ignore it.  Your intuition keeps your perspective clear so you can allow things to work out in your best interests.

You have one choice and you have habits. Habits around eating are not helpful. Lose those habits and enjoy the difference in your quality of Life!

Compromise = Heart Ache

Talking and Eating at the same time...

I got the following question about last weeks blog that I want to share with everyone.  I think the question about how to be social and pay attention to the smell and taste of food is one many people have.  Let me know if this helps!  ;)

Good blog. Especially relevant is being alert when eating. All too often, I find myself picking up the fork by rote without paying any attention to the smell and taste of the food. A huge challenge to this is while engaged in conversation with a table mate, how do you concentrate on the food when you're trying to pay attention and stay in the conversation? from Linda K.

Instead of focusing on concentrating on food only, be completely in the moment. Bring what matters to you in to the conversation. While engaging in the conversation, why not mention how good the food smells or tastes? Or why not mention the obscene size of the portion? Both of you are eating. I expect that the person you are socializing with also is wanting to be his or her healthy and attractive weight, and has concerns about food and eating.

You will discover that when you let the moments flow and keep alert about the big picture, then everything will happen as it should. When you relax while you eat, this is easier. When you relax, the person you are with will also! Try it and see!

It’s all connected- food, conversation, politics, your life.. Relaxing is to trust your self. Being true to your self means staying connected to the big picture of your Life. When you are eating and talking, the moment is not just about the conversation, or food, or why you two are together.

Being alert means seeing the big picture.

Following your intuition means:
Trust what matters in your heart- and what matters is that you are committed to being good to your body, and your Life, by using your senses when you eat. Being kind to your self is not an option, it’s a responsibility. Life is a gift that comes with strings attached.

Many people don’t realize how fabulous Life is until they are dieing, or badly injured. Don’t wait to be disappointed.  Instead, love your life. Be kind to your self.

Inner truth needs no defense. People find it charming because it feels “right" when they hear it.

Why limit what you feel in your heart?
Some limits make sense because they give us strength.
Limiting what matters to you in your heart, is self-defeating.

Don’t compromise your heart.

Compromise = Heartache

Body Language

Your body is talking to you. Learn body language.

Your body clearly tells when you are hungry. It has a language all its own that is a kind of a nudge or at times a push, or even a kick in the gut. At other times, when you are around food, your body will communicate by feeling shut down. Learning to recognize your body’s language will help you to stay tuned in to when to eat and to what's good to eat.

Listening to your body will have it, and you, feeling satisfied and energized.

Tune in to your body language by respecting and feeling it.
Here are ways to stay connected with your body when you eat:

First: Be Tolerant of your whole self- body and mind, by acknowledging that you are trying hard to eat smart for your body. Part of being tolerant is forgiving the past and staying in the present.

Hey- the present is the only thing that exists right now!

Second: Stay Alert by using your 6 senses (see, smell, taste, touch, hear, intuition) when you are around food. A lot of over eating happens because we don’t even notice we are putting food into our body. Being alert you will notice how your body feels when you eat. 

Let your intuition work for you.

Trust your intuition the way you trust your ears and eyes. Using your 5 physical senses when you eat takes you away from what you’re thinking and connects you with your body.

Your intuition stays in touch with your mind, body, and your heart to keep your priorities clear.

Third: Stay Determined to follow through with being Tolerant and Alert. 

Determination is your commitment to connect with your whole being for eating smart. 

Determination is will-power.  You have it!

You can rely on following your intuitive truth to create the changes you want.

Don’t wait until your body is screaming at you with gas or bloat pain. 
Don’t wait until your body is embarrassing you when you put on your bathing suit or when you’re ready to make love. 

Listen to your body.

Then: Be proud of your body. Respect your whole self- body, mind, and heart and you will be proud of your self. Eat smart by respecting your self. Your body will be purring, and you will be happy.

Quick weight loss fix means quick weight gain.

A quick weight loss fix means quick weight gain.
Weight loss that is permanent happens slowly. We all know this, but with swimsuit season upon us, the quick solutions like “lose 30 pounds in 30 days!”, make us doubt our experience. So the question is, where does the doubt come from?

Doubt comes from fear. It is a fear of not being in control of our body or our weight. When you trust your 6 senses, you can use your intuition to let go of doubt caused by fear. You can trust your intuition because it is your inner personal trainer - always focused on your best interests.  When you follow your intuition, you are alert, determined and in control.

Martin Luther King quoted the bible many times, “The Truth Shall Set You Free!” But still we wonder- how can I know what is true?  

Your intuition will never lead you to do anything self-destructive. 

The truth feels good. That’s how to recognize it!

Listen to your intuition and you will recognize your questions. These include:

What am I really hunger for?

What am I eating? and Does it satisfy my appetite?

To know the answers use your 6 senses.

Let go of doubt and replace it with nothing.
Sounds easy but it's not so simple. What helps me to have this sort of peace of mind is my experience that only things that evolve slowly really last. Losing weight slowly means getting rid of it for good.

Eat slowly, enjoy every bite!

Be thankful that you are not hungry like so many are in our world.
Life is good when we remember to Live.  Live well by using your 6 senses. Intuitive eating feels good!

Chocolate - Share the pleasure.

This past week was my birthday, and I got a lot of tempting and delicious chocolate.

My friend Elan in Colorado baked me chocolate chocolate chip cookies from a French recipe that are huge and light and deeply, deeply, chocolate. These cookies are a delicious, amazing, seductive experience. And my daughter, gave me chocolate covered espresso beans and chocolate filled candy from an exclusive chocolatier in NYC. OMG. It has been at first very hard, because, of course, I wanted all of it.

When I spoke with Elan to thank her I confessed to actually eating 2 of the cookies in one sitting (which made me feel wildly overdosed on sugar) and she told me she only eats ½ of one at a time! Ouch.

Chocolate is wonderful, delicious, and fattening- so when you have chocolate, break it into bite sized pieces and share that wonder and delicious part with a friend or family member.  It makes them happy and it makes you feel good about your self. 

Chocolate: Connect with your body by really tasting it and savoring the flavor. Connect with your heart by sharing the pleasure. Connect with your intuition by doing what's best for you.

It doesn’t have to be your birthday to be surrounded by foods that will tempt you with their taste and make it hard to resist over eating. But do yourself and those you love a favor and keep temptation away by sharing. Take the box of candy to work and set it out on a table with a note: "Enjoy". No one will complain. And you will set a standard that feels healthy for your spirit. It’s a way of respecting your self.

Don’t be tempted by the illusion of satisfaction. Real satisfaction is a process, not a conclusion. You’ll feel good about your choice when you give your chocolate away. Having no temptation is a relief.

After talking to my friend, I remembered the Hobbits in the J.R.R. Tolkien books. They give presents to others on their birthday. So, I have been giving the chocolate cookies and candies as bite-size treats to friends to celebrate my birthday. Everyone is loving it, and I’m loving the way my body feels. It wasn’t easy but I’ve learned that difficulties can stimulate our greatest achievements! Giving away chocolates is an achievement.

Life is a gift and Intuition a S.O.R.

Loneliness is often the reason we eat when we’re not hungry. Food, in our busy and complex times, can be easier to get then human contact. Sometimes you may eat food because you are hungry for a human link. Remember intuition is your ultimate connector. It balances what you sense with what you know and what you feel, to give you the clear “right” choice. Let your intuition guide your eating choices.

Your 6 senses work with your body so that you can be clear about what you are hungry for. Your intuition will help you recognize: if you're hungry for company, or if you need to eat.  Eating what you don’t need, or want, is a sure way to gain weight.

Polishing your senses will help you recognize what to eat that makes sense for your body and to be your healthy weight. It will also help you recognize where your appetite is coming from. Importantly, fine tuning your senses opens up choices that are empowering in every area of your being.

Life is a gift. The dictionary defines a gift as “natural talent”. Fine tuning your senses nourishes your natural talents of seeing, smelling, hearing, tasting and touching, and opens opportunity throughout your Life by connecting you with your present.

Stress in our lives dulls our senses. Before you eat, choose to reconnect with the present and connect with your 6 senses. Use your intuitive breathing-  3 deep breaths in and 3 deep breaths out. Open your eyes, use your ears, listen to your heart, and respect your experience. 3 breaths in and 3 breathes out before the first bite.

When our senses are dulled we make the wrong connections.

Fine tuning your 5 senses connects with your intuition, and you strengthen positive links in your life.  Try it.

You will find clarity, and a sense of relief.

Resist Fear.

Feeling a little on the edge, about trusting your senses to lose weight or maintain your weight, is natural. Fear is an emotion. Emotional eating habits are bullies that don’t have your self-interest in mind. Emotions distract you from what's in your best interest. Tuning-in with your senses protects you form fear.  Intuition often is a feeling of clarity.

Trying new ways of doing things, takes courage. Don't underestimate your efforts.

 “Courage is resistance to fear, a mastery of fear- not absence of fear.”  ~  #Mark Twain

Many dieters are afraid that they will not be able to control their eating if they eat what they want. This is not true. Intuition connects with your survival instinct. It naturally protects your body when you eat. The way to recognize your intuition is by staying aware of your other senses. You gain weight when you are unaware of what you are sensing while you eat.

• Your senses: sight, taste, touch, smell, and hearing are natural born guides for healthy eating and they connect you with that 'gut feeling', the little nudge - that's your intuitive sense.
• Your 6th sense, intuition, balances what you sense with what you know and what you feel, so healthy eating choices result.  
• Instinctively, you know what feels good to you and is good for your body.

If you're lonely or fearful about eating, it can be because you are ignoring responding to what you sense with your eyes, ears, nose and skin. The result is you don’t connect with your body or your food and so eat wrong foods that don’t satisfy you, or else, eat in a way that may harm your body. Ouch!

Practice fine tuning by noticing what you notice and you will connect with your inner courage. As you use them, your senses become walls of protection to help you eat wisely. It's amazing.

Make the commitment to be honest about how you feel, physically and emotionally when you eat. This is courage to be true to yourself. Instead of emotional eating, learning to connect with your body this way means you'll eat when you're hungry and stop when you're not!