The Flavor of Patience

Eating is about more than food.

That's why losing weight is about more than eating.

Patience is the taste of connecting with what we really want. That's self-respect. When we ignore what we want physically, mentally or emotionally, we develop a habit of resentment. No one can move forward to achieve their goals with resentment.

Eating is about taking care of ourselves. To lose weight permanently, we have to acknowledge and feed what we care about within ourselves. Because love, conversation, sleep and relaxation nurture us, these are all ways we feed ourselves.

Approaching mealtime with an attitude of patience brings a gentle fresh perspective that we can taste with our spirit and inhale with our hearts.

• How does that happen? 
• When we're patient with ourselves, our spirit connects with hope; it's naturally soothing.
• Our heart feels efforts acknowledged, which is uplifting. 

• How does that help me lose weight?
• Self-respect reduces stress. This reduces emotional eating.

•  Seriously?! How can patience stop binging?
• We are born to enjoy our bodies. Our body is the home of our heart. When we ignore what feels right, we sabotage ourselves. Binging is a confused way we try to soothe ourselves. It's an effort to cover pain that instead, causes the pain to implode. That's why we feel badly about ourselves after a binge. 

Patience is a big part of self-respect and key to the natural power of self-control. The flavor of patience is satisfaction. Being patient by taking a deep breath before digging into our dinner is a stress buster in our busy lives. You may think, 'I don't have time for patience when I eat', but the opposite is true. Patience is an intuitive tool that prevents abusive eating.

To learn more ways of using patience and other intuitive tools, download a copy of Am I Really Hungry? 6th sense diet : Intuitive Eating.

#janebernard

Eat less; taste more.

Stop struggling with your body to lose weight.  Why not love yourself, eat less and taste more instead? It's much easier.

Taste is personal and so is our body. Our bodies are designed to be part of a flow. Just like our hearts, internally everything has a rhythm. Ignoring who we are inside doesn't change it. It's easier to identify with who we are and then be good to ourselves.

Starving, binging and overly ambitious self-discipline are all hostile to our body. When we do these to our selves, instinctively our body feels physically threatened. This releases a protective hormone that signals our system to grab a layer of fat for survival.  It may sound crazy, but that's what happens.

From a sensual intuitive perspective, the point of eating is pleasure and satisfaction.

Eating for pleasure is all about taste. Besides enjoying that moment when the perfect taste of your choice explodes on your tongue, taste includes sharing that sensual experience. We are all sensual beings. Eating is a perfect time to let that part of us shine. Find someone whose tastes match yours and split your favorite meal. If you're really close, feed each other. Be sure to include eye contact because this makes the taste experience even more amazing.

The kind of satisfaction our body gets from eating is finding more energy, physical comfort and good health. None of these can be forced. Instead, eat less and taste more. When we really taste our food, it takes less food for us to feel satisfied.

Be kind to you. Decide to give yourself the chance to lose weight naturally by enjoying food more! While your body is personal it is also an efficient, independent machine with systems, connections and it's own way of keeping you alive. Work with yourself and watch the results!

#janebernard

Results from Eating Tiny Bites

Tiny bites are the secret to eating less. But is it practical to eat in tiny bites?

3 Results from Eating Tiny Bites

(1)      We absolutely eat less.  

• The physical reason we eat less is that we give our body time to signal us that we're full. 
• We don't have time to eat as much, but we do have time for enough.
• The emotional reason we eat less is it feels good to pamper ourselves in ways that are good for our body. It's good to indulge the need to take control. Tiny bites is you taking control.

(2)      We get more pleasure from eating. 

• More physical pleasure happens by putting less in our mouth, because we allow our whole tongue to experience the flavors released when we chew. This also has the physical benefit of letting digestive enzymes that naturally exist in our mouth begin breaking down food. Eating tiny bites creates more efficient digestion, so we get nutrition out of what we eat. 
• The emotional reason for more pleasure is we're taking care of ourselves. We're nurturing our health, our self-image and our state of mind. 
• If we're eating with a partner, a sexy benefit of small bites is the tease, sharing the taste sensations and going back for more. It's especially fun with dessert!

(3)      We eat what we want.

• Physically this is intuitive eating. Because we're taking tiny bites and tasting them, we can tell if our body is pleased. We can also tell if the food is too greasy, salty or sweet to be really enjoyable. If you eat tiny bites and don't like the taste, don't eat it. Listen to your body.
• Tiny bites allow us to tune into our priorities. We're more comfortable with our choices. When we're comfortable, we savor our food. It's good to be good to you.

Tiny bites and savoring our food are sexy and time-consuming. When you don't have time for all the fun, here is how to take control when you eat tiny bites:

• When rushing, take control by dividing your portion, eating only 1/2, but still take tiny bites. You will discover you feel satisfied and not 'loaded down' when you continue your day.
• When watching TV, don't put the whole meal in front of you. Put food on a small plate or in a tiny bowl instead. When you want more, get up and get it. The act of getting up between bites burns calories. If you're too busy watching your show to get up, you're full. Stop eating and enjoy TV.
• When starving the way to take control is to remove the temptation to gorge. 
• Eat with a teaspoon or small fork. 
• Do not stuff your mouth under any circumstances. Put your hands in your lap between bites.
• Cut a sandwich into four pieces and then cut each piece in half. Eat one piece at a time. Put your hands on your lap between bites. 

After eating tiny bites you won't get that 'full' feeling. Instead you will be filled and happy. Best of all you will have taken control of your choices, your time and peace of mind. You decide if it's practical.

#janebernard

Independence and Eating

Today is independence day. We can flip a switch in our minds to connect with eating independence by tuning-in to what we sense, how our body feels and what makes us happy. Sound simple? It is!

• Independence feels like freedom and self-respect. 
• Tuning-in connects us with intuitive signals.
• Intuition is the source of our self-respect. 
• Self-respect keeps us safe, happy and in tune with our heart, mind, body and soul.

The pleasure of being in control when we eat feels like freedom. Convenient intuitive signals help us recognize what feels right every time we eat. It's convenient to be curious. We take control of our personal fate by being curious.

• Curiosity is looking closer and hearing more. 
• It includes looking closer at how we feel physically and emotionally.
• Food choices based on curiosity are a spontaneous response to what we sense.
• Curiosity is keeping a flexible attitude and open mind. Forget rules. Trust your gut.

Use independence to imagine your ideal, healthy, body image. Make a commitment to notice and respect your personal boundaries. Use the inner intuitive signal -- tenacity -- to work with this vision and connect with your dreams.

• Tenacity is power that is easy access.
• Use it with curiosity to stay focused on eating choices that feel good to your mind, body and heart.
• Tenacity creates momentum that builds inner strength. The more we depend on it, the stronger we become. Independence becomes a way of life.

Celebrate your independence by being your best self. There is always something exciting, admirable and inspiring about a person who's committed to doing what feels right. Don't be surprised if your choice to trust your gut inspires others to join in. It's not always easy to be the best we can be. But since we only get rewarded when we refuse to give up, it's worth the effort! 

"Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile and sometimes your smile is the source of your joy." ~Thich Nhat Hanh

#janebernard

Little Lies

Do you tell little lies to yourself about how much you eat?

The most important person in your world is you. That's who is going to protect and feed you and give emotional support when things don't go well. While nobody likes feeling they are 'overweight', returning to a healthier number only happens when we are honest with ourselves. Lies are abusive. If we cannot trust ourselves, who can we trust? 

Last night I had dinner with a friend who's trying to lose weight.  He told me that he hadn't eaten all day. When I reminded him that wasn't wise, he sheepishly listed what he actually had eaten during the day. While it wasn't much, it was nourishing foods.  People ignore what they see and hear and lie to themselves about how much they eat.  Don't ignore what you know!

• When we don't eat all day as a weight loss technique, it backfires.
• When we ignore food all day, our body thinks we're starving. It automatically goes into survival mode. This lowers our metabolism rate so that we don't 'die' from hunger. 
• What happens when we do eat is that since our metabolism is slower, we don't burn our calories as fast and as a result, can gain weight.
• To protect us from starving to death, the body instinctively 'helps' us store fat.

I explained to my friend that to lose weight, all he needs to do is eat smaller portions three times a day. This way, his stomach will naturally shrink while he maintains optimum energy and health. Importantly, he won't feel like he's starving.  So when the waitress came to our table, he ordered a cocktail and an appetizer. I made a mental note to mention the very high sugar content of alcohol the next time he mentioned trying to lose weight.

• Ordering an appetizer for dinner when trying to lose weight - especially if we've had breakfast and lunch -- is a reliable choice to make.

His appetizer was a ragout leg of duck with two pureed servings, one white, one green and some pea sprouts on the side. It was pretty. It was also pretty fattening. Because he did not know what the green and white dollops were, I tasted them. They were very rich, full of butter and cream. At that point, I felt sorry for my friend. He, of course, ate his entire meal quickly.

• If you are trying to lose weight and decide to eat less, don't eat a smaller plate that has more calories than a full portion.
• Avoid sauces, candied vegetables, deep fried or rich choices.
• Allow as many 'empty' nourishing calories as you want.
• carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce, etc - salad ingredients without the dressing
• If you have salad, ask for dressing on the side. Be stingy with it. An alternative is lemon juice or a simple vinaigrette.
• When we eat less, it's more socially satisfying  if we eat slower. Plus eating slower burns more calories and we are generally more satisfied. 

Just like unwanted pounds, little lies add up. When you lie to yourself about what or how much you eat, you are the victim of fraud.

• Pay attention to what you sense. Enjoying what you eat means more efficient digestion and more fun!
• Honor your truth. You will feel lighter and eat less.
• Allow yourself physical and psychological satisfaction. Don't be a victim of self-abuse.

Learn to trust yourself by using intuitive tools that will never let you down. You deserve the best quality of life. Eat less, sense more.

#janebernard

The Lucky Ones

We're the lucky ones. While in every country there are people who do not have enough to eat, we have such abundance that we choose what we want, and focus on what not to eat! If you're worried about having self-control so you look good in your bathing suit this summer, think about others before you overeat.

With every blessing comes responsibility. Our food abundance gives us the responsibility of choosing what to eat wisely. It also gives us the responsibility to help feed those who are hungry. One way to turn obsessing about food and eating into positive and productive choices, is to think about food needs of others.

It's as simple as pushing a button - or as involved as you want to be. We can volunteer in a soup kitchen or share on Facebook. Helping others feeds our own social and emotional hungers. Being aware of everyday hunger around the world beyond our own, leads us to recognize and celebrate how lucky we are.

Amazingly, there is always enough time to draw into our lives exactly what is right. When we value curiosity and dignity, there is always enough time to help others. Doing good widens perspective so that we know ourselves better. Perspective bringd feelings of balance and self-control. When we help others who are hungry, we reinforce and compliment the good within ourselves.

Where people are starving there cannot peace. Here are some ways to help by pushing a button:

• The Hunger Site
• Feed the Children
• The Mercy Corps
• Feeding America
• My Charity Water

"The day hunger disappears, the world will see the greatest spiritual explosion humanity has ever seen. " Federico Garcia Lorca 

For more ways to help the hungry, read: The Lucky Ones, in Am I Really Hungry?

Caveman Diet or Intuitive Eating?

A friend of mine, who is uncomfortable with the words self-discipline and food in the same sentence, has been tricked into being an intuitive eater!  This happened because he tried a modified caveman diet option. He ate whatever he wanted five days a week. Then, on two random days, he fasted all day - only drank water - and then ate whatever he wanted for dinner. This worked for him because knowing he could eat whatever he wanted made him happy. The surprise is that he has stopped enjoying his favorite fast food items and his 'habits' are changing. The reason why is that he started tuning-in to his body differently.

He noticed that when he did eat fast foods - especially after a day of fasting - he felt lethargic. Also, his stomach started shrinking from the small amount of fasting. He's eating less and has been steadily losing weight. I googled Caveman Power Diet and the website is easy to read, understand and follow. What they say makes sense to me. Cavemen certainly trusted their intuition. The reason why intuitive eating works for us today is, it lets us take control of our own choices and eating habits. We each are on intimate terms with our bodies. This means we can recognize what we want and need and when we feel full.

The way, we eat is often a mirror of the way we approach living. When we are barreling through life, it's common go off in the wrong direction. It's helpful to pause and get our bearing. Living well and eating well i a balancing act. Connecting with what we want and getting what we need always makes sense. 

That's why, using our senses to notice what we notice and intuitive tools to connect with what feels good, is so easy. Life is complex; hunger is simple. We need to eat for energy and good health, but we don't need diet restrictions or eating habits. Our physical needs vary every day. We don't need to be cavemen to choose what we want to eat.

      

#JaneBernard