I had planned a different blog post today. VERY different. However, the beauty of writing a blog is that many ideas flow through us each day and most, if not all, can be expanded and written about.
Last night, after a long day of cleaning and running errands, the errand that had not gotten done was the grocery store shopping. No groceries translates to not having anything to prepare for dinner. Long story short, I realized around 8pm that I wasn’t even hungry and so for all of my irritation at not having anything to cook, eating wasn’t something I even needed to be doing…. I literally was going to eat because it was evening. Never mind the fact that I had been nibbling on food all day in between tasks and errands. So, it dawned on me for the thousandth time…. I’ve got to free myself of being a slave to old beliefs about eating and food.
Enough with this negative body image, for one thing. I have to learn to listen to my body; so that I eat what I want to, when I want to, and stop when I have had enough. This means turning off the voice in my head that reminds me about the ice cream in the freezer unless it’s a special treat after dinner. This means reminding myself that I can’t get fat because of one indulgent meal but that I need to view food as food and not a replacement for something else. It’s fuel, pure and simple.
The truth is that our bodies will always tell us what it NEEDS. It’s our emotions telling us what we WANT. See the difference? Because until that soaks in, we will battle ourselves. So, let’s try to practice this together. It might be a new habit so it’s going to take some time to make it “stick” but we can do this, right?? (I didn’t hear you. Were you mumbling and grumbling?)
Thoughtfully, intentionally ask yourself before you eat what you need to be nourished, healthy, strong and vital. There is no one out there who can tell you what diet is going to work best for you, because we are all unique. How our bodies function organically is the same, but how we process information is unique to each of us.
We have been force fed (pun intended) a plethora of information about what we should eat and how we should eat it, so no wonder so many of us are unhappy with our bodies, and weight in particular. Intuitive eating takes effort because it requires you to tune into your own body every time you want to eat. That is a good thing! The more you tune into your own body, the better you get to know yourself! I love a helpful list and here is one I’ve compiled from multiple sources- none of which are get-skinny-quick schemes.
Key steps to eating intuitively are:
1. Toss out all the diet books. What works for your body won’t be what works for your neighbor. You’ve heard it before….this has to be a lifestyle. Just ask someone who has dropped a ton of weight through popping pills or getting a shot in the butt. They were inflicting damage on their bodies for a quick fix and the pounds eventually crept back (and brought some more of their friends for good measure).
2. Get quiet and ASK your body what it needs to feel good, nourished and healthy. It will tell you, and you may be surprised at what you “hear.” You might crave certain things early in the process but that will pass and that craving isn’t a need. You don’t NEED the pasta, you want it (believe me, I know).
3. Honor your hunger. Eat when you are hungry, stop when you have had enough. Let go of all preconceived ideas about when to eat and how to eat.
4. Trust your body. It will get the proper nutrients and the right amount of calories from what you eat as long as you are in tune with your body and feeding yourself accordingly.
5. Remove emotion from eating; make peace with food. Did you hear that? Make PEACE with food.
6. Love yourself the way you are right now. You are perfect. Realize this, accept it, and be at peace with yourself, then learn to listen to what your body is telling you. Understand that we all have different body types, bone structure, etc. Some of this you cannot change, but when you listen to and honor your body, you take back control; the control that we have given away.
7. Approach eating with gratitude for what is in front of you, for your body, for your ultimate good health.
8. We are what we eat but we are SO much more than that! Stop allowing food to hold you captive. Enjoy life and all that matters…family, friends, love, joy, and happiness.
Do you have any additional tips on making peace with food? I’d love to hear them!
Be blessed,
Amy