When you’re trying too hard to lose weight and notice that you are efforting to become an Intuitive Eater,  you’re fighting an uphill battle. It’s supposed to be a natural process and that means that it requires patience. If you find that you’re trying to shortcut the process and make it work faster, that’s when the scale just won’t budge and your clothes will suddenly start getting tighter, and you just can’t stop eating when you’re no longer hungry, your body is telling you something. It wants something from you.

In the past, you would have thought that it meant that you were weak and you just needed to be a bit tougher, get more committed, be disciplined. Now as a gal who is learning to make peace with all foods, you’re learning that it’s not about the food anymore. Having put dieting behind you, now you can focus on the other parts of life that have been pushed aside by your dedication to weight loss.

Imagine that you had already achieved the weight you desire, what would you love to do? I like to put myself in a good mood to think about that and the best way that I’ve found to do that is to focus on what I already love to do. I know that when I am having fun and being joyful, that everything is easier. I’d like to offer you something to think about.

Name at least 3 things that you love doing that nurture you from within. Then think about what you are reminded of when you think about those favorites. You may like to share some of those goodies and the
memories connected to them so that we might all gain some new insights and perhaps borrow upon your bliss.

Here are some of mine:

1) I love listening to music, especially some of the classic Elton John and softer rock hits. When I was young I used to lose myself in music. I remember going to the record store and buying Elton’s albums
and running home, putting them on my record player and listening to them over and over again. I remember lifting the needle on and off the record because I wanted to write down all of the lyrics to all of the tunes so that I would remember them. To this day, everytime I listen to his music, I get all gooshy inside.

2) I love having a cup of peppermint tea with lemon and sugar. I drink it in a mug and like to warm my hands on the mug and then bring them up to my face to enjoy the warmth. Drinking tea reminds me of being with my Nana when I was a young girl. I would come home from school and spend the afternoon with her. We sat and enjoyed tea and cookies, watched the soap opera “Another World” and afterwards, Nana helped me with my homework. I loved those times and the tea instantly puts me back in that space of feeling very loved and warmed from the inside out.

3) I love to go hiking in the woods with a group of friends. My favorite time is in the Fall when the leaves are turning and I can hear the sound of the crunch of the Fall leaves underneath my boots. It’s such a multi-dimensional gift for the senses. I enjoy looking up at the sky and seeing the mountains or the clouds and focusing on the feelings inside myself as I trek through the woods, step by step towards my final destination. It’s like living a lifetime over the course of a few hours.

4) I love the feel of the hand of soft fabrics. Ooh, whenever I go shopping, I always have my hands out, eager to touch and enjoy the wonderful soft and silky sensual sensations of the lovely textured materials. I also have a pillow that has a cover of brushed velvet. Whenever I get ready to fall asleep, I slide my hand between my pillow case and the pillow and get lost in the silky sensual soft feelings of the satiny pillow cover.

5. I love cuddling up on my big, comfy sofa and watching movies or seeing some of the reality shows. I like anything to do with family dynamics and relationships. I’m always curious to see how other people
think and feel about things.

6. One of my all time favorite movies is “The Sound of Music” That is the inspiration for this post. I just think about that music and the movie and no matter how I’m feeling, I will end up smiling.

What are some things that instantly make you smile?