The first thing people usually ask me to do when they hire me as their Eating Psychology Coach: An eating plan. 

They say, "Just tell me what to eat and I'll do it!!" I usually laugh and kindly say 'not gonna happen. I'm not here to subscribe to you the same thing that you have most likely done for years that hasn't worked. It's time to try something different.'

This is about YOU figuring out what works for you.  

We are so used to having other people tell us what we should and shouldn't eat that we've lost all reliability on our own intuition and body wisdom. 

You see, this is where so many of us get tripped up: we sign up for the diet, the exercise routine, the class, the gym membership expecting all the structure and rigidity and red tape will keep us in line and we will finally, finally lose the weight, feel confident and happy in our skin. 

It's been jammed down our throats that the answer to all of our eating, health and weight struggles lie in the numbers, and for God sake, all we want is ANSWERS, we want reliability, we want to be told. exactly. what. to. do. 

We think "If I could just get my shit together, buckle down, and work hard, I'll lose the weight and finally be happy with myself and my life." Often times it's the discipline we think we need - more will power, more motivation, more discipline and hustle, when in reality, what we really need is more self love, more flexibility, more flow. 

Controlling our diets and our lives and everything that happens in it doesn't work, darling. It's a losing fucking battle. Control gives us a false sense of comfort and tricks us into believing that if we just do x, y and z we will be "fixed." 

What's scary? Most of our lives is out of our control. Every single day is completely different from the next - we wake up cranky or enthusiastic, we are on our periods, fighting with our partner, just had the best sex of our lives, ate something that didn't settle right, and so on and so on. It's ridiculous to think that life, and food for that matter, could be so fucking rigid. Nothing about life is black and white - it's everything in between.

However, the in-between is also where all the magic happens. We can push and force and control all we want, but the truth is, the body and life are going to do what they're going to do. We may lose weight, we may not; we may meet our Soul Mate, we may not; we may move, have kids, travel, win the lottery - we don't know. 

Life (and food) aren't black and white - they're fucking technicolor. 

So what works? What can we do to set up our lives and our bodies to be optimally healthy and happy? 

trust

Self trust leaves room for flexibility - it doesn't demand you eat more protein or torture yourself at the gym. 

We've gotten so far away from trusting ourselves.

Controlling = constriction. Trust = expansion. A new diet, eating plan, exercise regimen or routine may feel good for awhile. But what what happens

Two things to consider putting into practice:

Slowing down so you can hear your intuition. 

The Universe, God, Source, "that thing up there in the sky," whatever you want to call is, is constantly speaking to you. It's leading and guiding you and synchronizing to your thoughts and energy. Your innate wisdom, your intuition, is the most honest voice you could ever listen to. It will wholeheartedly guide you into what to eat, say and do. But we have to slow down long enough to listen. 

Listening to hunger and fullness signals.

The body is constantly giving you messages about energy, mood, hunger, needs, desires, etc. But those messages are often clouded by other people's agendas, information and advice. Listen to your body's advice.  

quality

The food we are eating these days is a little frightening. Our fruits and vegetables are being grown in nutrient-deficient soil and so many of the foods on our shelves are processed and manufactured in a factory. Not only is the food we are eating questionable, but our lives often mirror our food - they lack substance and true nourishment. 

One piece of nutritional and life advice to live by: Increase the quality of your food, relationships and your life. You will not be sorry.  

Seeing everything as sacred

We put way too much value on how much we weigh, how our bodies look, the clothes we wear, the house we live in, the money we make....I mean, don't get me wrong, I understand the appeal. But where's the substance?

Life and living and fully embodying the human experience goes way beyond what we put in our mouths and what our bodies look like. Everything in life is sacred. Give your life gratitude. Please. Everything our bodies and minds do is a fucking miracle, and sometimes we don't realize it until it's too late. Looks fade, weight varies, minds wander, money comes and goes, but what stays the same? Just how colorful and beautiful the world really is. Enjoy the technicolor. 

We are half way through the year - can you believe it?? And if you're anything like me, you may have lost sight of some of your most important goals. Are you ready to get back on track and regain focus so you can finish out the year strong? Check out Nourish Your Year, a 90-minute workshop and accountability program for getting those goals met this year, because guess what? There's still time.