Food Is Not the Enemy

 

I’ve waged major battles with food.

Kristin versus Ben and Jerry.

Kristin versus Land O’Lakes butter.

Kristin versus The Vending Machine.

For so many years, my predominant way of thinking was that I had no self control.  I felt completely powerless over food.   If I found myself within 100 feet of food, I’d feel desperate.  If food was there, I would have to eat it, whether I liked it or not.  For years, I felt that I had no choice in the matter.    And during those years, my thoughts began with, “I can’t. . .” or “I don’t. . .”  or “I shouldn’t have. . .” or “I should have. . .” 

Of course, during those years, my weight fluctuated dramatically--over 200 pounds of body weight was gained and lost and gained and lost in the course of my adult life.  

I thought the enemy was food.  But it was never food.  The enemy was always my perception and my thinking, and the battleground was always in my mind rather than in my refrigerator or on the dinner table. 

When I realized that the only way to win the battle was to surrender to truth and to surrender to reality and to surrender to pleasure and to surrender to joy, then my body weight began to change.  But it was only by changing my perspective that I was able to change my weight.  It was only by choosing to view my body with love and kindness and compassion that I was able to release weight.  And it is only by making the daily choice to view my body with gratitude and appreciation that I am able to maintain a healthful weight. 

When we surrender to the truth of what is, we can truly be free. 

Up Next:  What They Don’t Tell You About Losing Weight

Visit me at http://www.fallinlovewithyourbody.com

Our Bodies Love to Move

I just returned from spending the evening with a good friend of mine I haven’t seen in several months.

It was wonderful to reconnect with her.  

And I noticed that over the past several months, she’s released a lot of weight from her body.

“What have you been doing?” I asked.

“Nothing, really,” she said.

“Have you been exercising?”  I pushed.

“No, I’ve just been really happy.  And busy,” she replied.

My friend has not been working out with weights or running on a treadmill or doing yoga or pilates or the elliptical machine at the gym.  But I have a feeling that she’s been deriving a lot of pleasure from moving her body, because she was happy.

I believe that there is a strong correlation between feelings of well-being and body weight.  Maybe the best calorie burner we have yet is the simple state of happiness!

Up Next:  Food Is Not the Enemy

And visit my website:  http://www.fallinlovewithyourbody.com

Are You Worth It?

 

Do you deserve to be happy?

Do you deserve to love your physical self?

Do you deserve to feel at ease in your body?

Do you deserve to treat yourself well?

Do you deserve to see yourself as beautiful?

Do you deserve to enjoy every aspect of your physical self?

Do you deserve to pay close attention to what pleases you?

Do you deserve to live your life from a place of deliberate and conscious intention?

Do you deserve to consider the far-reaching effects of discovering how precious your human body is?

Do you deserve to eat only food you love?

Do you deserve to pay attention to what you think about yourself and how you talk to yourself?

Do you deserve to change your view of yourself?

Do you deserve to take total responsibility for your capacity to feel pleasure?

Do you deserve to experience beauty through each of your five senses, every day?

Do you deserve to make your own joy, peace, delight, and happiness the number one priority in your life?

Do you deserve to be happy?

Are you worth it?

Up Next:  Our Bodies Love to Move!

Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Body

It’s true.

Changing your thoughts about your body may be the most important thing you can do to release weight.

It can also be the most difficult, especially since most of us have been well-schooled in self-deprecation and humility.  We can be ruthlessly critical when we see our reflection, for it feels easier and more natural to focus on our flaws rather than on how fabulous we are.

But focussing on our fabulousness is a lot more fun than focussing on our flaws.  Someone said, “We move toward what we picture in our minds.”  And so if we see the beauty in our physical selves, regardless of our size or shape, that beauty will expand and increase exponentially as we place our attention upon it.

Making the decision to see what is beautiful about our bodies can be difficult.  But making single decision can be the catalyst for amazing changes in what you eat, in how much you move, in how you chose to spend your time. . . .

But it first begins with a thought.

Up Next:  Are You Worth It?

And pay me a visit at my website!  http://www.fallinlovewithyourbody.com.

Declare Your Independence. . .

. . . from fear by moving toward love.

. . . from self-doubt by moving toward self-love.

. . . from paralysis by moving toward action.

. . . from invisibility by embracing the beauty that is you.

. . . from busy-ness by moving toward ease.

. . . from depression by moving toward belief.

. . . from dependent thinking by taking responsibility for all that is you.

. . . from boredom by moving toward creativity.

. . . from negativity by recognizing truth.

. . . from deceit by moving toward clarity.

. . . from inactivity by moving your body.

. . . from mindlessness by moving toward mindfulness.

. . . from pain by moving toward pleasure.

Up Next:  Change Your Thoughts and Change Your Body

And visit me at my website:  http://www.fallinlovewithyourbody.com

 

How to Treat Your Body as the Precious Gift It Is

Over the past few years, I’ve become interested in Tibet, Buddhism, and the Dalai Lama.  I’m not sure I’d officially label myself a “Buddhist,” but I am attracted to Buddhist philosophy.  And one of the tenets of Buddhism is that our human bodies are supremely precious, not unlike the Christian philosophy of viewing our bodies as “temples.”

“If both of these traditions say similar things about the value of our physical bodies,” I started thinking a few years back, “maybe viewing my body as precious might prove beneficial.”

And so, while my body weight was still technically considered “obese,” I began to purposely and intentionally see my overweight body as precious.

What do we do with something or someone we view as precious, highly valued, and loved dearly?  How do we treat someone we admire intensely and love passionately?  How do we cherish the bodies we are presented with, regardless of their size or shape or the number on the scale?

Here are a few thoughts.

First, lighten up.  And I don’t mean lighten up in terms of food or losing weight.  What I mean is, “Give yourself a break.”  Don’t punish yourself with negative words when you look in the mirror.  Begin a daily practice of smiling at yourself in the miror, of winking at yourself.  Fitness authority Dr. Joanne Owens-Nauslar says, “You should wake up every morning and say, ‘Good morning, sexy!  I hope you never die!’”

Second, take pleasure in your body as it is.  Become highly aware of the physical pleasures you can experience, right now, regardless of your size, shape, or weight.  Enjoy the sounds you hear.  Enjoy the scents you smell.  Milk each day for all its worth in terms of delighting your five glorious senses.

Third, cultivate curiosity.  As I was transforming my perspective from self-loathing to self-love, I began to be curious.  I began to be curious about foods--”How would I feel if I ate a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables?”  and “I wonder what would happen if I took a walk during my lunch break?”  And the more curious I became, the more the results of my curiosity manifested--in terms of weight release, in terms of a higher level of energy, and in terms seeing myself in a new and different light.

What can you do today to treat your body as the precious gift is is?  What can you do to “lighten up” your thoughts?  What can you do to delight your senses?  And what can you do to cultivate your own sense of curiosity?

Up Next:  Declaring Our Independence

 

Celebrate Every Little Thing

 

No matter how small it is, celebrate it!

No matter how insignificant you think it may be, celebrate it!

No matter what else in your life may be going on at the time, celebrate everything that moves you in the direction of your desires.

If you ate half an ice cream sundae when you would normally eat the whole thing, celebrate your brilliance!

If you only ate a few almonds when normally you might choose to eat the whole can, celebrate your wisdom!

If you took a walk around the block when you might otherwise sit on the couch and watch TV, celebrate the walk!

If you chose to eat an apple rather than a candy bar, celebrate that you made a choice that aligns you with what your body really wants!

If you sat down and really paid attention to what you were eating, celebrate that you have five senses that allow you to experience food fully!

If you noticed something that made you smile, celebrate laughter, joy, and fun!

If you are alive, celebrate your precious humanness!

Sometimes we think we have to wait for a big event to have a party.  Sometimes we think we have to wait to achieve a significant milestone to celebrate.  Sometimes we think we have to wait for a holiday, or birthday, or graduation, or anniversary, or promotion to celebrate our lives.  But I say, “Don’t wait! Celebrate now!”

What can you celebrate right now?

Up Next:  How to Treat Your Body as the Precious Gift It Is

Visit me at www.fallinlovewithyourbody.com