Enjoy your meal!
Why I am not a fan of dieting? Because everybody has a different body and different needs. It is like postures: we can go to the yoga studio and do as the teacher shows, but actually this is more like a gym class; yoga postures are about much more than just stretching the body, and everybody needs a different approach according to his/her specific needs.
The same is for the food; in different stages of the year, of our life, of our mood, we need different food. So dieting? Niet. Conscious eating? Yes! One of the strongest experiences I did with food was in the Yoga Institute Santacruz in Mumbai during my very first yoga teacher training. During the lunch, we sit on the floor, no talking, totally concentrated on our food; veg, of course, and in order not to waste, we were supposed to only take what we really thought we would eat.
During the first days, I was putting too much food on my plate, in a scarcity mindset and being afraid that I will be hungry (only one service). I quickly realised that it was actually way too much because, when you actually pay full attention to what you eat and you eat it slowly, you eat less. Way less.
After one week, I was eating half of what I started with. I also dramatically changed my eating habits at home. After two weeks, not only I lost some weight, but I felt very little need for food, just the right amount of rice that holds when you cup your hands together and that's it. Three weeks of eating this way changed my perception of eating and nourishing ourselves in general.
This way of conscious, silent and slow eating is basically the opposite of everything we usually do: we swallow our lunch in a hurry because so many things on our To-Do-list are not done yet. We eat quickly, standing up or walking on the street. Or we actually enjoy the dinner time but we talk with friends, eat too much, drink too much. Other times we eat mindlessly watching TV or while checking our Facebook, reading newspapers or checking emails.
The worst is to have very negative discussions or upsetting conversations during our family or professional meals.
How many times do we REALLY pay attention to what, how and how much we eat? How often do we observe how we feel while eating and when our body says stop?
I highly recommend to try, during the next 3 weeks, to eat REALLY mindfully: in silence, slowly, putting on the plate only what we believe we will eat, with high quality food and ingredients yet simple ones. Forget bechamel, cream, heavy sauces, useless seasoning or packaging, too much of anything. Watch your thoughts and emotions. Observe when you feel not hungry anymore.
Fully enjoy the ACT of eating, nourishing your precious body, bringing in only precious things, no more garbage. Because you are NOT a garbage bin for anything or anybody.
Make eating an action of self-love and pleasure.
If you are struggling with the perception of yourself, with your weight, with your health and shape, and you are really ready to make the change in your body and life happen, check my 21-Day Get In Shape online coaching program and make the decision NOW: no more excuses, I am taking care about myself NOW.
Have a wonderful and mindful dinner tonight.
