Someone wrote me yet again (probably the 7th or 8th time) with the very same question: how do I stop my “diet thinking” but still notice I really can’t eat certain foods without getting sick? It appears I have to eliminate some things for balance to happen.
Great question.
It’s entirely possible.
Peace is all in the mind.
Diet thinking looks like believing concepts like: I can’t (and it’s so sad), I’m not allowed (and it’s so sad), I don’t get to eat (and everyone else does), my food is so boring (and if I changed it the excitement would be totally worth it), I’m in prison with this diet (and I want to break free).
Basically diet thinking feels like you’re a victim.
It claims you can’t be trusted, you need to be thinner (always), you shouldn’t eat and be fully satisfied and nourished, you’re guilty just for thinking about food, and you have to watch yourself like a hawk.
It’s not fun.
But I notice, however, that without diet thinking, with absolutely freedom and joy around the energy of eating…I do NOT eat all day long, I do NOT overeat and stuff myself, and I find my own personal inner balance and great pleasure with food without making rules.
I stop when I’m satisfied, and I eat when I’m hungry, and things work out beautifully.
Many people feel the very same way without eating entire food groups, ever. They notice they don’t feel satisfied, joyful, truly free, or healthy, so they don’t eat those things.
If I’m not a victim, if I’m not missing out, if I feel my hunger and fullness….things are balanced.
Much love,
Grace
P.S. If you have become deeply interested in questioning your mind around eating issues, I’m starting a new eating peace program in a different way this fall/winter (not sure of start date yet). Everyone who is already a member of the Eating Peace Immersion will receive automatic invitation at no additional fee.
We’ll do more live inquiry, which is so meaningful for us all, and practice The Work.
I love the freedom and spaciousness not having a “no” list for food. It just eliminates that feeling of being caught (so to speak). Thank you for the wisdom. 🙂
Thanks for this installment, Grace. It is very timely, as it applies perfectly to an experience I just returned from:
I just spent five days with friends in a secluded forest getaway. Super peaceful and lovely. The only dark moments of the week were (a) me choosing to eat certain foods I don’t usually eat “in order to fit in” and (b) me getting upset when one person made a casually critical comment about my inconsistent food choices (I was saying one thing and doing another). In both cases the constant was my thinking: how I’m not OK because of the way my digestion and metabolism react to certain foods and/or mealtimes.
Thank you for such a gentle and articulate reminder!
Lovely awareness, noticing where thinking throws us off balance–and to notice is such a great relief in itself. Thanks for writing! Much love, Grace