Tag Archive for: listen

Eating Intuitively While You’re Sick

Do you ever worry about what will happen the first time you get sick while on your intuitive eating journey? Do you worry that you’ll find it hard to listen to your body and may fall back into old habits? Unfortunately, it can be harder for you to eat intuitively while you’re sick, but that doesn’t mean you have to fall back into old habits.

 

Let me tell you a lesson I learned a few years ago about a time I was sick and how it affected my intuitive eating journey.

 

I don’t usually get sick so when I do, it really throws me for a loop.

 

After I woke up one morning from a difficult night sleep, with a sore throat, coughing, and achy body, I went into the kitchen to prepare my breakfast. What I realized as I tuned into my hunger signals was that I wasn’t really hearing hunger. I stopped to think about this. The last time I ate was dinner the night before, and I am usually hungry in the morning. Yet, I just wasn’t feeling it that morning.

 

So, what do you think I did?

 

Well, I could have left the kitchen and said I’m not going to eat because I don’t hear my hunger. But that’s not what I did. I changed up my breakfast a bit, and had a much smaller breakfast with a cup of tea.

 

A few hours later, I sensed a gentle hunger, but still not typical of my usual hunger mid-day. Yet, I realized that it’s been some time since I’ve eaten, and it’s very important to keep my energy levels up with proper fuel. And so again, I tweaked what my usual lunch would be, and had a smaller lunch with another cup of tea.

 

The lesson I am sharing with you here is this.

 

While I encourage you to tune into your inner hunger signals as your guide to eating, there are times when those hunger signals might be blunted. And, one of those times is during illness. Therefore, even if you don’t hear and feel the hunger signals like you normally do, it’s still so important to eat so you can properly nourish your body.

 

The best option when you’re sick and don’t feel or hear your hunger signals, is to choose healthful “sick friendly” foods. These types of foods are easy on the stomach (and in my case, easy on my throat). But do keep in mind while you are eating that this might be one situation where you just don’t hear those hunger signals as sharp as when you are feeling well. And that’s okay!

 

The most important thing to remember is that while you are sick, your body needs nourishment to feel better, which is why it is necessary for you to eat, even if you have trouble hearing your hunger signals.

 

If you are on your intuitive eating journey and struggling with this journey while you are sick, please reach out to me. I can help you navigate this hurdle and continue on your intuitive eating journey.

 

Email me at Bonnie@DietFreeRadiantMe.com and we can work through your sickness together.

 

How to Love Your Body Just As It Is

banner-2If you’ve been searching for the perfect diet to get the body you’ve always dreamed of, chances are you are still searching.

 

The truth is, chronic dieting and yo-yo dieting will not give you a body you love.

 

Diets are not maintainable.

 

Dieting to drop the last 10, 20 or 50 pounds can only backfire.  It is only a short-term solution to a problem that needs a long-term solution.  Chances are, when you reach your “ideal weight” (What is considered ideal anyway?  A topic for another blog), you won’t be able to stay there for long.  The reason for your need to overeat or feed your emotions will still be there.

 

You may be asking yourself, “If diets won’t get me the body I love, what will?”

 

Here’s the solution: learning to love your body right now.

 

The way to start loving your body is to step away from diets.  If all you’ve ever known is dieting, this might seem a little scary.  But, when you stop dieting, you become more in tune with your body’s internal hunger cues.  You are able to listen to your body and feed it when and what it wants.

 

Here are 3 steps you can take now to start loving your body:

 

  1. Respect your body. Respecting your body does not mean accepting your body how it is now and thinking you have to stay this way the rest of your life.  It means accepting your here and now body.  When you respect your body, treat it with dignity and provide your body with what it needs, then you’ll make room for loving every aspect of your body and what it does for you.

 

  1. Trust your body. Start listening to your body’s inner hunger cues and feed them.  Your body has the ability to tell you when it’s hungry, when it’s full and what it wants to eat.  When you listen to what your body wants, you’ll start to change your relationship with your body and see it differently.

 

  1. Stand in front of the mirror and tell your body what you love about it, whether it’s a physical trait or something your body has done for Use this as a way to show your body the same support that it has given you over the years- I love my ears, eyelashes, smile, butt or stomach.
  • I love how strong my arms are.
  • I love the freckles across my cheeks.
  • I love my legs because they take me where I need to go.
  • I love my hips because they help me carry my child.

 

When you love and respect your body, something wonderful happens.  You no longer obsess over it and see weight release happen without all the worry.  Having the ability to do this will help you succeed on your intuitive eating journey and you might be surprised to learn what your body is capable of when you show it love!

 

If you’re looking for more tools and techniques to learn how to love your body, come join my Love Yourself, Love Your Body free giveaway event happening now until September 30th.  I have complied 25+ experts who are giving away programs and gifts to help you make peace with food, enjoy guilt-free eating, a life free of dieting and a body you love.  Grab your free gifts here.

 

If you’d like help on learning to love your body again, contact me here.  I can help you.