The question we tackle in this final Module is what comes after you reach your goal.
Yes – I’m that confident that you’ll reach your goal that we must have the important conversation about what comes next. Of course, the truth is that I hope you find your new way of eating so empowering and so satisfying that you’re willing to live in this space for the long term. And I also know that life does happen, so we will address what happens when you get off track so that a slipped step doesn’t become a landslide down the slope.
The word diet comes up a lot in a course like this. After all, in module 2, I defined the “diets” I lean heavily upon in my private practice. But to really get what I believe you have come here for, you must reframe the idea of a diet. Success does not come from being ridiculously strict for a week or two, or even a month, until you lose a few pounds or simply can’t take any more. The success we seek here is one that is sustained for months, years, even the rest of your life. In short, here we seek freedom.
And that is why I encourage you to incorporate the tools of this course into your life. At the deepest level, make this a lifestyle change!
I encourage you to maintain the best of what has worked for you in terms of dietary changes, AND I encourage you to continue to practice the Ninja Tricks, going deeper and deeper in to a new relationship with food – one that feels natural, effortless, and light.
Embrace the words satisfied over starving!
Years ago, I learned that there are two fundamentally different approaches to food. In the simplest of terms, they can be described as abstinence and moderation.
The abstinence philosophy says, don’t take the first bite (of the trigger food), and you won’t binge.
The moderation philosophy says, all things in moderation is the key to longevity and the ticket to preventing a binge.
I will NOT choose for you. In the way that I see some patients are sprinters and others are joggers or walkers, I have seen over and over that some are natural moderators; others abstainers. If you ask a moderator to abstain, she will feel deprived. She will lean on will-power until she runs out, at which point she will either lose the game or be miserable fighting it.
If you ask an abstainer to moderate, she will continually struggle with temptation and cravings, never getting comfortable, never entering the flow, never finding freedom.
Ultimately, it’s all about freedom. Your freedom. So you must look into yourself, be honest, and choose. Are you an abstainer or a moderator?
Don’t worry! You don’t have to get it right. Take your best guess and try it on. If it doesn’t feel easy, try the other approach. Choose the one that feels more natural. Neither is superior to the other. This is simply about doing what works.
When you began this program, your body was most likely dependent on sugar (carbohydrate). This is very common, especially among those struggling with weight and fatigue.
By now, you are starting to get a taste of the latitude that comes from being able to burn fat. It is this capacity that leads to your ability to go longer stretches of time without hunger, headaches, and mood swings. It is this capacity that leads to the experience of ease with food that I call body freedom.
But that doesn’t mean that you can’t ever eat sugar/carbs again without risking a return to carb-obsession.
The key to maintaining metabolic flexibility is to spend a few days eating lots of healthy fats after any significant carb indulgence. This will help reset your system before you become carb-dependent again.
Why must the pendulum swing back toward fat quickly after eating a carb-rich meal or enjoying a carb-rich weekend?
Because you’ve probably spent decades as a carb-burning system, and it will take time (probably several months) to support your body in regaining and retaining the metabolic flexibility that you were born to enjoy.
And while I’d love to see you spend those months without interruption to your new lifestyle, I’m a realist, and I know that life happens. That’s why I want to you be empowered through the knowledge that if you slip, you can always reset. No harm. No foul.
In the last module, we discussed the value of slowing down. Now, we will add the final Ninja Trick – savoring your food. This one is my favorite, but we had to wait until the other pieces were in place for you to take full advantage of this delight.
Rather than explain this one, I want you to encourage you to try it. Try it now.
Here’s what you’ll do…
Go grab two small squares of the best dark chocolate you can find. If you don’t like chocolate, it’s fine to substitute with anything you really enjoy. You only need two bites.
Step 1 – pick up one square and pop it in your mouth. Take the chew, chew, swallow approach that you may have taken months ago, half hiding, somewhat rushed, a bit embarrassed that you’re eating something “you know you shouldn’t…”
And then grab your journal.
How do you feel? Describe your mood. Describe your energy. Are you satisfied? Could you easily stop now without wanting more? If you had to write a few sentences about the chocolate, could you?
Try to notice as much as you can about your experience of hurriedly eating the chocolate.
And then shake that off (I mean it… stand up and shake it off) before Step 2.
Step 2 – pick up the second square of chocolate. Look at it. Smell it. Feel it. Appreciate it. Just be with the piece of chocolate for a few seconds before putting it in your mouth. When you do, take note of the texture against your lips and tongue. Does it melt? Is it bitter, slightly sweet, rich and creamy or powdery? Chew it slowly, watching the flavor evolve in your mouth. When you finally swallow, grab your journal.
How do you feel? Describe your mood. Describe your energy. Are you satisfied? Could you easily stop now without wanting more? If you had to write a few sentences about the chocolate, could you?
Pay particular attention to the differences in your mood, energy, and sense of satisfaction after eating the chocolate in two completely different ways.
Here is what I hope you take from this experience…
It’s not the chocolate that determines your mood, energy, and satisfaction. It’s the experience of chocolate.
If you slow down and savor your food, a small amount will feed your energetic body, leaving your physical body feeling deeply satisfied with only a small amount. There is no guilt. No shame. Just satisfaction, even delight.
But when you hide or rush or simply don’t pay attention to the food you eat, your energetic body is left hungry long after your physical body has met its need for nutrients. The craving for more is simply your energetic body signally that she’s not done.
My parting words for you as we close this course are the recommendation that you befriend your energetic body. Listen to her. Feed her first. Allow her to be your guide as you continue to refine this new relationship with food.
SELECT YOUR MODULE
The question we tackle in this final Module is what comes after you reach your goal.
Yes – I’m that confident that you’ll reach your goal that we must have the important conversation about what comes next. Of course, the truth is that I hope you find your new way of eating so empowering and so satisfying that you’re willing to live in this space for the long term. And I also know that life does happen, so we will address what happens when you get off track so that a slipped step doesn’t become a landslide down the slope.
The word diet comes up a lot in a course like this. After all, in module 2, I defined the “diets” I lean heavily upon in my private practice. But to really get what I believe you have come here for, you must reframe the idea of a diet. Success does not come from being ridiculously strict for a week or two, or even a month, until you lose a few pounds or simply can’t take any more. The success we seek here is one that is sustained for months, years, even the rest of your life. In short, here we seek freedom.
And that is why I encourage you to incorporate the tools of this course into your life. At the deepest level, make this a lifestyle change!
I encourage you to maintain the best of what has worked for you in terms of dietary changes, AND I encourage you to continue to practice the Ninja Tricks, going deeper and deeper in to a new relationship with food – one that feels natural, effortless, and light.
Embrace the words satisfied over starving!
Years ago, I learned that there are two fundamentally different approaches to food. In the simplest of terms, they can be described as abstinence and moderation.
The abstinence philosophy says, don’t take the first bite (of the trigger food), and you won’t binge.
The moderation philosophy says, all things in moderation is the key to longevity and the ticket to preventing a binge.
I will NOT choose for you. In the way that I see some patients are sprinters and others are joggers or walkers, I have seen over and over that some are natural moderators; others abstainers. If you ask a moderator to abstain, she will feel deprived. She will lean on will-power until she runs out, at which point she will either lose the game or be miserable fighting it.
If you ask an abstainer to moderate, she will continually struggle with temptation and cravings, never getting comfortable, never entering the flow, never finding freedom.
Ultimately, it’s all about freedom. Your freedom. So you must look into yourself, be honest, and choose. Are you an abstainer or a moderator?
Don’t worry! You don’t have to get it right. Take your best guess and try it on. If it doesn’t feel easy, try the other approach. Choose the one that feels more natural. Neither is superior to the other. This is simply about doing what works.
When you began this program, your body was most likely dependent on sugar (carbohydrate). This is very common, especially among those struggling with weight and fatigue.
By now, you are starting to get a taste of the latitude that comes from being able to burn fat. It is this capacity that leads to your ability to go longer stretches of time without hunger, headaches, and mood swings. It is this capacity that leads to the experience of ease with food that I call body freedom.
But that doesn’t mean that you can’t ever eat sugar/carbs again without risking a return to carb-obsession.
The key to maintaining metabolic flexibility is to spend a few days eating lots of healthy fats after any significant carb indulgence. This will help reset your system before you become carb-dependent again.
Why must the pendulum swing back toward fat quickly after eating a carb-rich meal or enjoying a carb-rich weekend?
Because you’ve probably spent decades as a carb-burning system, and it will take time (probably several months) to support your body in regaining and retaining the metabolic flexibility that you were born to enjoy.
And while I’d love to see you spend those months without interruption to your new lifestyle, I’m a realist, and I know that life happens. That’s why I want to you be empowered through the knowledge that if you slip, you can always reset. No harm. No foul.
In the last module, we discussed the value of slowing down. Now, we will add the final Ninja Trick – savoring your food. This one is my favorite, but we had to wait until the other pieces were in place for you to take full advantage of this delight.
Rather than explain this one, I want you to encourage you to try it. Try it now.
Here’s what you’ll do…
Go grab two small squares of the best dark chocolate you can find. If you don’t like chocolate, it’s fine to substitute with anything you really enjoy. You only need two bites.
Step 1 – pick up one square and pop it in your mouth. Take the chew, chew, swallow approach that you may have taken months ago, half hiding, somewhat rushed, a bit embarrassed that you’re eating something “you know you shouldn’t…”
And then grab your journal.
How do you feel? Describe your mood. Describe your energy. Are you satisfied? Could you easily stop now without wanting more? If you had to write a few sentences about the chocolate, could you?
Try to notice as much as you can about your experience of hurriedly eating the chocolate.
And then shake that off (I mean it… stand up and shake it off) before Step 2.
Step 2 – pick up the second square of chocolate. Look at it. Smell it. Feel it. Appreciate it. Just be with the piece of chocolate for a few seconds before putting it in your mouth. When you do, take note of the texture against your lips and tongue. Does it melt? Is it bitter, slightly sweet, rich and creamy or powdery? Chew it slowly, watching the flavor evolve in your mouth. When you finally swallow, grab your journal.
How do you feel? Describe your mood. Describe your energy. Are you satisfied? Could you easily stop now without wanting more? If you had to write a few sentences about the chocolate, could you?
Pay particular attention to the differences in your mood, energy, and sense of satisfaction after eating the chocolate in two completely different ways.
Here is what I hope you take from this experience…
It’s not the chocolate that determines your mood, energy, and satisfaction. It’s the experience of chocolate.
If you slow down and savor your food, a small amount will feed your energetic body, leaving your physical body feeling deeply satisfied with only a small amount. There is no guilt. No shame. Just satisfaction, even delight.
But when you hide or rush or simply don’t pay attention to the food you eat, your energetic body is left hungry long after your physical body has met its need for nutrients. The craving for more is simply your energetic body signally that she’s not done.
My parting words for you as we close this course are the recommendation that you befriend your energetic body. Listen to her. Feed her first. Allow her to be your guide as you continue to refine this new relationship with food.
The question we tackle in this final Module is what comes after you reach your goal.
Yes – I’m that confident that you’ll reach your goal that we must have the important conversation about what comes next. Of course, the truth is that I hope you find your new way of eating so empowering and so satisfying that you’re willing to live in this space for the long term. And I also know that life does happen, so we will address what happens when you get off track so that a slipped step doesn’t become a landslide down the slope.
The word diet comes up a lot in a course like this. After all, in module 2, I defined the “diets” I lean heavily upon in my private practice. But to really get what I believe you have come here for, you must reframe the idea of a diet. Success does not come from being ridiculously strict for a week or two, or even a month, until you lose a few pounds or simply can’t take any more. The success we seek here is one that is sustained for months, years, even the rest of your life. In short, here we seek freedom.
And that is why I encourage you to incorporate the tools of this course into your life. At the deepest level, make this a lifestyle change!
I encourage you to maintain the best of what has worked for you in terms of dietary changes, AND I encourage you to continue to practice the Ninja Tricks, going deeper and deeper in to a new relationship with food – one that feels natural, effortless, and light.
Embrace the words satisfied over starving!
Years ago, I learned that there are two fundamentally different approaches to food. In the simplest of terms, they can be described as abstinence and moderation.
The abstinence philosophy says, don’t take the first bite (of the trigger food), and you won’t binge.
The moderation philosophy says, all things in moderation is the key to longevity and the ticket to preventing a binge.
I will NOT choose for you. In the way that I see some patients are sprinters and others are joggers or walkers, I have seen over and over that some are natural moderators; others abstainers. If you ask a moderator to abstain, she will feel deprived. She will lean on will-power until she runs out, at which point she will either lose the game or be miserable fighting it.
If you ask an abstainer to moderate, she will continually struggle with temptation and cravings, never getting comfortable, never entering the flow, never finding freedom.
Ultimately, it’s all about freedom. Your freedom. So you must look into yourself, be honest, and choose. Are you an abstainer or a moderator?
Don’t worry! You don’t have to get it right. Take your best guess and try it on. If it doesn’t feel easy, try the other approach. Choose the one that feels more natural. Neither is superior to the other. This is simply about doing what works.
When you began this program, your body was most likely dependent on sugar (carbohydrate). This is very common, especially among those struggling with weight and fatigue.
By now, you are starting to get a taste of the latitude that comes from being able to burn fat. It is this capacity that leads to your ability to go longer stretches of time without hunger, headaches, and mood swings. It is this capacity that leads to the experience of ease with food that I call body freedom.
But that doesn’t mean that you can’t ever eat sugar/carbs again without risking a return to carb-obsession.
The key to maintaining metabolic flexibility is to spend a few days eating lots of healthy fats after any significant carb indulgence. This will help reset your system before you become carb-dependent again.
Why must the pendulum swing back toward fat quickly after eating a carb-rich meal or enjoying a carb-rich weekend?
Because you’ve probably spent decades as a carb-burning system, and it will take time (probably several months) to support your body in regaining and retaining the metabolic flexibility that you were born to enjoy.
And while I’d love to see you spend those months without interruption to your new lifestyle, I’m a realist, and I know that life happens. That’s why I want to you be empowered through the knowledge that if you slip, you can always reset. No harm. No foul.
In the last module, we discussed the value of slowing down. Now, we will add the final Ninja Trick – savoring your food. This one is my favorite, but we had to wait until the other pieces were in place for you to take full advantage of this delight.
Rather than explain this one, I want you to encourage you to try it. Try it now.
Here’s what you’ll do…
Go grab two small squares of the best dark chocolate you can find. If you don’t like chocolate, it’s fine to substitute with anything you really enjoy. You only need two bites.
Step 1 – pick up one square and pop it in your mouth. Take the chew, chew, swallow approach that you may have taken months ago, half hiding, somewhat rushed, a bit embarrassed that you’re eating something “you know you shouldn’t…”
And then grab your journal.
How do you feel? Describe your mood. Describe your energy. Are you satisfied? Could you easily stop now without wanting more? If you had to write a few sentences about the chocolate, could you?
Try to notice as much as you can about your experience of hurriedly eating the chocolate.
And then shake that off (I mean it… stand up and shake it off) before Step 2.
Step 2 – pick up the second square of chocolate. Look at it. Smell it. Feel it. Appreciate it. Just be with the piece of chocolate for a few seconds before putting it in your mouth. When you do, take note of the texture against your lips and tongue. Does it melt? Is it bitter, slightly sweet, rich and creamy or powdery? Chew it slowly, watching the flavor evolve in your mouth. When you finally swallow, grab your journal.
How do you feel? Describe your mood. Describe your energy. Are you satisfied? Could you easily stop now without wanting more? If you had to write a few sentences about the chocolate, could you?
Pay particular attention to the differences in your mood, energy, and sense of satisfaction after eating the chocolate in two completely different ways.
Here is what I hope you take from this experience…
It’s not the chocolate that determines your mood, energy, and satisfaction. It’s the experience of chocolate.
If you slow down and savor your food, a small amount will feed your energetic body, leaving your physical body feeling deeply satisfied with only a small amount. There is no guilt. No shame. Just satisfaction, even delight.
But when you hide or rush or simply don’t pay attention to the food you eat, your energetic body is left hungry long after your physical body has met its need for nutrients. The craving for more is simply your energetic body signally that she’s not done.
My parting words for you as we close this course are the recommendation that you befriend your energetic body. Listen to her. Feed her first. Allow her to be your guide as you continue to refine this new relationship with food.