Best Way To Lose Weight: “Discovery” Eating

Pleasure mongering…

If you want to regulate your weight, then discovering the maximum pleasure out of food will help!

When we jam food down our throat, it’s difficult to really notice what the food tastes like.

Let’s take a “fer instance.”

What about a potato?

Potatoes get such a bad rap in so many dieting and weight loss programs.

But did you know that a potato actually has about 70 calories?

It’s not the potato — it’s all that other junk we put on it — usually some sort of fat — like butter or sour cream — that ramps up the calorie count.

Have you ever eaten a potato without anything on it?

Or tried it with different things on it.

What about … lemon juice?

If you eat a potato slowly, not just wolf it down, you will likely notice different flavors.

Potatoes are SWEET when you take the time to chew them.  This is because potatoes have a lot of starch in them.

What is starch?  Starch is actually a complex molecule that is made up of simple sugar molecules.  The enzymes in your saliva actually break down the starch into the component sugars.

As I mentioned in the previous post — an important strategy in losing weight is making friends.  Making friends with your body…and making friends with the food that you eat.

When you start to make friends with your body, using the water drinking exercise I mentioned in the last post — you can begin to have a richer experience and understanding how different foods affect you.

For instance — there are certain foods that energize me and make me feel good.  Not always, but often.  One of those foods is tunafish.  Another is sardines.

There are other foods that drag me down.  Even though I like chocolate, eating it seems to be a mixed blessing.  Sometimes it nearly puts me to sleep after eating it.

That’s something I take note of– because if I happen to be having a bit of insomnia, I know what I can use to help me sleep!

But being conscious of your body, being more aware of how you feel after eating certain foods, will help you to bring and keep your body in balance.

Each day pick at least one food to eat ultra-consciously.  Before eating it, take a good look at it.  What is its shape? Its color?  Is there something about its appearance that you’ve never noticed before?  Maybe an unusual color?

How does it smell?

And what does it feel like? If it’s a “hand food” — how does it feel in your hand.  If not, at least, how does it feel in your mouth?

And notice how the taste of the food changes from the time you take a first bite to what it tastes like after chewing it.  Nutritious foods tend to expand in flavor as you continue chewing.  Less nutritious foods tend to have less “staying power”.

Keep a diary of your food adventures.  It’s part of the discovery that happens as you move to make friends with your body and with food.

You might even find someone to join you — you may have different experiences — and you can share what you discover.

When you engage more fully in the total sensory experience that various foods have to offer you, they become more authentically pleasurable to you.

There’s a whole new world out there waiting for you — one you thought you knew.

(Here’s an interesting tip that I discovered one day.  Did you know that there are about the same number of calories in an avocado as there are in a chocolate bar?  At the time I discovered this, the price was about the same, as well.  So, if you happen to like avocados, you might try substituting them for chocolate bars!)

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Lose Weight By Making Friends With Your Food

Many people who struggle with their weight claim it’s because they love food too much.

But do we really?

Perhaps you are familiar with studies that show that many overweight people simply are unaware of how much they are eating.  That is, we eat unconsciously.

Now I don’t know about you, but being unconscious to someone or something that I love doesn’t really show a lot of love.  What do you think?

Yes, I’m saying that maybe the kind of love we overeaters show to food is a bit on the shallow side.

Most people eat too much to fulfill other “needs.”  Unconscious eating habits are not unlike smoking habits.  They satisfy a deep, but hidden, need.

It’s important, then, to uncover that hidden need.

Let’s take an example.

I was talking to my sister the other day who proclaimed how much she loves peanut M&Ms.  In fact, the way she described it, I’d almost call it an addiction.

So, if I were talking with her, I’d ask a few questions.

These questions are ones that you may also want to think about.

In fact, I would recommend using a journal.

And I’d recommend being very relaxed when answering these questions.  This will be when the best answers come to you.

First, what do you feel when you can’t have your peanut M&Ms?  Where do you feel it?  How often do you feel it?

Do you notice that the desire for peanut M&Ms come up at particular times?

The next process may seem a little strange…but bear with me.

With the peanut M&Ms near you — ask them… “What do you do for me?”

And notice whatever comes up – -it may be a picture, it may be words, it may be feelings.

Thank the peanuts…no, wait…

The peanuts are not really talking to you.  One part of you is talking with another part of you.  A here-to-fore hidden part of you is communicating with you.  And that hidden part — you want to thank for communicating with you. (Yes, I know this sounds weird.  But you know what?  Many, many people notice a sudden relaxation when they do it.  As if a long dispute has suddenly been resolved.  This is part of what “loving your body” is about.)

When you discover what this is, you can find other ways to get the same result — and a sense of balance and wholeness will come into play instead of the obsession over one food in particular.

This is a fairly abbreviated version of something I do with clients.  I’ve used it to help people stop smoking — the process is essentially the same.

In my next post, we’ll talk about becoming aware of the process of eating.

While waiting, you can do this simple exercise.  Take a glass of water and take a swallow of the water.  Be as conscious of the feeling of drinking and swallowing as you possibly can.  Feel the water as it goes down your throat, into your esophagus.  Can you feel it when it gets to your stomach?

Let me know what you find out!

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Best Way To Lose Weight: How To Feel Full

I remember years ago picking up, I think it was, National Enquirer.

One of the title articles was about Bill Cosby’s secret weight loss method.  Well, at least that’s my recollection.

What was the secret? Continue reading »

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Healthy Weight Loss — An Overview

Yep, everyone talks about healthy weight loss but what does that mean?

If you grew up during the 70s or earlier, you are probably familiar with the sad story of Karen Carpenter.  Karen and her brother Richard formed a popular singing duo with two hits (“We’ve Only Just Begun”) and (“Close To You”).  Now Karen suffered from a disease you’ve probably heard about: anorexia nervosa.

And she died from Continue reading »

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Weight Loss Myths: Should You Trust BMI?

It’s crazy, you know.

They tell you how “fat” you are, what your health risks are, based upon your weight compared to your height.

Period.

(Well, okay, then they say it doesn’t apply in certain circumstances.)

This is called “Body Mass Index”.  Now, I should point out that they have also added another dimension  your measurements — in particular, your waist.

I’m sure you’ve seen them.  The little boxes where Continue reading »

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Best Way To Lose Weight: Love Your Body

It’s a heavy issue, that’s for sure … losing weight.

And it’s one that has plagued me most of my life. I’m still overweight — but that’s a lot better than where I was — not just obese — but “morbidly” obese.

Fortunately — I haven’t suffered from some of the problems that affect folks with weight problems — such as diabetes, syndrome X, knee & hip problems.

At 5’4″, I weighed in at over 240 pounds.  Not sure how much over.

Now I tip the scales at somewhere between 170-180 pounds.

There’s some good news and bad news about being overweight. Continue reading »

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