My favorite thing about the work I do is helping women understand their bodies so they can stop waging a war against it and instead learn how they can become their own best ally.

How?

By understanding what to expect from their body both from a physiological level and an emotional one. If you’ve read or watched anything I’m in you know that I believe diets are horrible and don’t work and simply thinking positive thoughts won’t change your body either. You have to learn what your body needs and how to work with the food choices you make as well as the thoughts that drive your food habits.

I often get asked if I eat chocolate, drink wine, eat out or just live on blue green algae…ok, I’m exaggerating. But here’s the deal – in my world everything is allowed (all foods), it’s just that all of it isn’t allowed all of the time. So, in answer to that question I enjoy a variety of foods (including treats) regularly. I’ve got two kids – I love baking with them, making special waffle based breakfasts and having hot chocolate, I just don’t do all three of those things on the same day.

Right now I’m in New York – I went to see a show last night and only had a tiny amount of time before the show started to grab dinner. Where did I go?

Yep – The Shake Shack.

It’s a famous burger and fries joint in Times Square. What did I order? A burger and fries….

Do I do this everyday? No. Every week? No. Every now and then? Yes. (Sometimes it’s pizza, sometimes it’s Vietnamese take-out)

Did I order the double bacon, cheese + mushroom burger? No, just a regular one.

Did I get the extra large order of Fridays for $0.50 more? No. Just a small one.

Did I love every bite? Yep, sure did!

Here’s the deal – living your life in a body you love with food habits and a lifestyle that’s realistic is what it should be about. It shouldn’t be about deprivation, denial, food group omission or restriction or crazy exercise routines – that’s just too hard.

Here are my top 5 tips for eating less and enjoying more:

1) Eat what you like – simply eat/drink less. The amount of food we eat matters. Start by decreasing the size of things you order – normally get a Venti latte? Get a tall. Typically have 3 glasses of wine at night – decide to have 1 and savor it. Stop having second helpings of anything. Our bodies simply don’t need that much. Fact.

2) Eat slower. We live in a world of go-go-go – sometimes it feels that way at meal time. We shove food into our faces so we can get to the next thing, often without even tasting it. Slooooowwwww down. Give yourself enough time to eat. My great aunt used to tell me that I should chew each bite 30 times, when I was younger I thought she was crazy, now I see the wisdom in that advice. Not only does it force you to slow down and savor each bite it also gives your body enough time to process when it’s had enough. Simply put – you can recognize when you feel full so you stop eating.

3) Eat more veggies. Having washed and sliced up veggies in your fridge is one of the best habits to get into. Decide to do that today. Why? Because when you’re hungry and that stuff is already prepped and ready to go you’re more likely to make a healthy choice and not reach for the crackers or chips.

4) Don’t multitask while eating. That’s right – no more eating while watching TV, or working on your computer, or talking on your phone, or texting or….you get the idea. If you’re eating simply focus on eating and enjoying your food. Mindless or multitasking eating is a really easy way to consume a ton of extra calories without even realizing it.

5) Create a positive body mantra for yourself – something like “My body is in my control, it will do whatever I ask of it”. Fat cells are not complicated. They can get bigger, smaller or stay the same. Most of us want to make our fat cells smaller. To do that they need to be able to work as fuel for us – but if we eat too much they can’t do their job. Remembering that you are in control of your body is a key factor for healthy weight loss.

Have any more ideas to add? Drop down into the comment box and let me know what you do.

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