Your Body Knows...

[Guest guest]

I liked this 7/16 newsletter from Inner Weight Loss about listening to our

individual bodies about what to eat:

She's right--in her case she can't eat sugar every day and can't tolerate

dairy... in my case, I tolerate dairy but only things like cheese or

yogurt, not fluid milk--and although you'd think taking lactase would help

it doesn't fully. So I just stick to what works for me... I have also

found that I need a minimum of 50 or 60 grams of fiber a day to feel good.

I have friends who would be running to the bathroom with that much fiber

but I love my bran cereals and fruits, etc. So I do agree that we're all

different and diet books don't tell us how to listen to our bodies...

enjoy the newsletter.

Sue

Inner Weight Loss Thin Thoughts Daily E-zine - www.innerweightloss.com

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Tuning into Your Body's Needs

Most eating plans (or the dreaded " D " word - diets) tell you which foods

you are allowed to eat, and how much of those foods you can have. Usually

these foods are chosen because of their nutritional or caloric benefits.

Low calorie foods, low carb foods, low glycemic foods, low fat foods - in

the past you may have had to abide by these guidelines.

On the opposite end of the spectrum are all the " forbidden " foods: high

sugar foods, high fat foods, processed foods, junk foods, fast foods.

Most of us have grown up with a complicated set of " rules " that govern

every bite of food we put in our mouths. Some of us have rebelled against

these rules and eat whatever we damn well please, which is usually all of

the forbidden foods we're not supposed to be eating according to " the

rules " .

Have you ever noticed something essential that seems to be missing from

the big picture?

What does your BODY want to eat?

Most of us make food choices from our minds, not according to what our

bodies want to eat. We eat foods we think will be good for our bodies, we

overindulge on foods we believe to be bad for our bodies - but we don't

ask our bodies what THEY want.

Perhaps you've never considered this before, but your body communicates

with you constantly and it tells you in no uncertain terms when you eat

foods that disagree with it.

Listening to these messages rather than trying to follow someone else's

idea of what is best for your body can go a long way in helping you to

lose weight and get healthy.

Starting now, pay close attention to how your body feels after you finish

eating. You may discover that your body doesn't process certain foods very

easily, even if they are supposedly " good for you " . You may discover that

you actually hate the way you feel after consuming sugar or fast food, but

you kept eating it out of rebellion.

Pay attention to your body's digestive symptoms, muscle symptoms, energy

level, clarity of thought, and more. Tune into your body and ask it, " Did

you enjoy the food I just fed you? " Your body will let you know if it was

a good choice or not.

When you realize that a food or beverage doesn't agree with you, you may

decide to eliminate it from your diet and gravitate more toward foods that

do make your body feel good.

Believe it or not, that's a lot easier than trying to avoid foods because

you " have to " or they are " forbidden " . You'll simply choose not to eat

them most of the time. If you do choose to eat them occasionally, you'll

be prepared for any side effects that come along with the indulgence.

Overall, allowing your body to have the final say about what it wants to

eat according to how each food makes you feel is a fantastic way to

balance your eating habits. You will naturally gravitate toward foods that

nourish and fuel your body, rather than empty calories and chemicals.

Don't believe me? Try it for a week and you'll be amazed at the things you

will discover.

Here are two surprising things I learned while doing this:

1) I feel awful if I consume sugar every day. I'm okay if I have some

sugar occasionally, but if I eat it every day I develop an awful case of

fatigue, cloudy thinking and headaches. Before I started paying attention

to what my body wanted, I thought I " needed " sugar for energy. I had

tricked myself into believing that it was helping me, but once I started

paying attention to my body I realized it was making me feel rotten! I

still enjoy sweet treats here and there, but for the most part I avoid

sugar because I feel so much better without it.

2) I don't tolerate dairy products well. When I was a child I would

occasionally have stomach upsets when I ingested milk products, but it

didn't happen regularly, so I just learned to deal with it as I grew up.

After I started listening to my body, I realized that every time I drank

milk or ate cheese, I would feel slightly nauseous and bloated. Even my

fingers seemed to swell a little bit, making my rings tighter. Out of

curiosity I cut out all dairy products from my diet - and within 3 days I

could not believe how much better I felt. No bloating, no upset stomachs,

I even had more energy. I still eat dairy products very rarely, but for

the most part I have no desire to put them into my body because I don't

want to feel that way again. It was easy for me to give them up because I

know I'll feel yucky after I eat them.

Keep in mind that these two examples pertain to my own experience - your

experience might be completely different. Start listening to your body and

you might be surprised to learn that some of the foods you think you can't

live without make you feel awful - and some of the foods you were

resisting eating actually make you feel great!

Your body will let you know. It is much wiser than any " authority " out

there.

P.S. If you have food allergies or must avoid certain foods for medical

reasons, be sure to consult your doctor before making changes to your

diet.

Today's affirmation:

My body knows the way to wellness.