Food is one of life’s greatest pleasures. It is a gift that is meant to be enjoyed!
Unfortunately, our thoughts can create a whole lot of shame, guilt and confusion around food when in reality it should only bring delight!
Whether you’re eating hippie dippie good for you food or your favourite chocolate cake indulgence pleasure is always the key to making it work for your beautiful body!
Here are 3 simple tips to help you enjoy any food in a guilt free and purely pleasurable way.
1 – Set the scene
When it comes to pleasure eating (or any kind of eating) taking the time to truly enjoy your food is critical. You are busy, I get that. Yet you and your body deserve to be given the time to sit down, focus and enjoy every bite. When you slow down to eat, chew your food and pay attention to the act of eating you will find that you are satiated faster and your body will absorb the nutrients better as it won’t be in a state of stress.
Studies show that when we eat in a state of pleasure our metabolism is actually stimulated! Yes you read that correctly … there are studies to back-up this delightful news!
What can you do this this info to apply it right now? It’s easy! Set the table, light a candle, dine with people you love and feel free to even drag out the old wedding china as food should be celebrated every day!
2 – Indulge in every sensation
Eating for pleasure does not come naturally to many in this busy world. However, it is a skill that can be learned. As you eat be consciously present. Look at your food, inhale its aroma, pay attention to the texture and mouth feel as you chew slowly and deliberately. I encourage you to even moan and close your eyes. Eating can be a very sensual experience if you allow it to be. Pay attention to how your whole body responds to your food. Does it make you feel energetic? Perhaps it creates undesired sensations in your body. Paying attention to all of your senses is the ideal way to know if a food is nourishing for you or not.
3 – When your done experiencing pleasure stop eating
I can guarantee that you often overeating when you disconnect from the experience. A fun strategy to change this is to work on becoming hyper-aware. Focus on how amazing the first bite tastes, then the second, third and so on. I like to rate my experience on a scale of 1 – 10 (1 being it’s garbage and 10 being simply orgasmic). You need to decide for yourself where your experience has to be on the scale to be “worth it”. This is a personal decision but what I encourage you to do is to be very picky. You, my dear, are worth being picky for. Although that slightly stale cookie might seem like a really good idea, when you truly become aware of your sensations you might realize that you don’t actually want it at all.
I have been known to take two bites of dessert at a restaurant and just be done. My dinner companions often find this odd but I have learned that eating more than what is truly pleasurable for me is a waste so I would rather take it home for later or throw it away. As my weight loss coach teacher, Brooke Castillo, says if it’s more than you need it’s “either a waste in the waste or on your waist!”
So ladies, feel free to indulge but do so in a way that honours your body and the food you are eating. Tune-in fully and pay attention to every single bite. As you do this you will find that the first bite often taste a lot better than subsequent ones and you might even be fully satiated after a single taste!
Personally, I LOVE that pleasure is the key to healthy indulgence. This is what I base all my work on as it is the only way that I have found will truly set women free from their weight and food struggles.
xo Chanci
