Evolved Eating - Grow Light

"Fearless Eating"
Remember the pleasures of drippy ice-cream cones, finger licking fried chicken, pasta, pizza and potatoes? Then the carbo cops and the skinny bitches rode into town spewing studies and rules and we freaked out. Join Susan and Chef Julia Jaksic of Employees Only for a fabulous five-course tasting. Mindful Awareness, Writing and Meditation. Challenge your food fears. Experience eating EVERYTHING without the freak-out!  Contact swb@evolvedeating.com for the next "Fearless Eating" Event.
Tips From Evolving Eaters
  1. Start your day S-L-O-W-L-Y. Even if your mind is spinning, screaming, bossing you to HURRY UP! When I start slow, stay focused on what I want, remember, I HAVE A CHOICE, and the whole day goes better.

  2. I start my day with a calming activity like reading, writing, meditating, yoga, stretching. Even if I only have 10 minutes, it still helps the rest of my day be calmer.

  3. I get up and walk as soon as I can. Walking helps me to organize my thinking and my day, and get those endorphins pumping.

  4. I tell myself the truth. If I'm hungry, I don't try to fill up on a pile of raw veggies and coffee. I've learned if I do that, I just get bloated, but never really feel satisfied.

  5. I used to plan every single thing I ate. Now, I decide what I want to eat in the moment. When I start to feel hungry, I ask myself, "What do you really want?" I generally know exactly what I would like to eat, even though my mind still wants to interfere and label food good, bad, etc.

  6. If I feel like I've eaten too much—like I end a meal too full, I just stay busy while the food is digesting. I tell myself—oh well, no big deal. In the past, I would have gotten into a panic, reacted by bingeing or starving to punish myself for being too full. It's amazing but after a couple of hours, I am no longer full.

  7. Forgive myself as soon as possible. If I overeat, or even if I purge, I let it go. I didn't kill anyone. I don't need to be punished!

  8. I choose guilt over anger. Sometimes choosing myself over doing what I "should" means hurting others' feeling. I have grown to prefer feeling guilty about disappointing others rather than feeling angry with them or myself for doing what I don't want.

  9. I don't have to make a decision right now. Oftentimes the rising anxiety comes from options spinning around me. When proposed with a new situation that sometimes sets things spinning, I take a really deep breath and remember that I really don't have to make a decision right now. I respond with "I'm not sure yet", "let me get back to you", or "why don't you go ahead with your plans and I'll let you know if I'm joining".

  10. Usually, if it's not a certain yes, it's a no. I notice myself talking myself into a situation, "well, I should really want to do that or feel that way". If I need convincing, it's probably a no, and not the most loving thing to do for myself.

  11. Some days I make a game out of catching the number of times my mind tells me that I should or shouldn't do something.

  12. I was always amazed at how I got there - with my hand in the gallon of ice cream, the bag of m&ms, when the day was going so well. I've learned to hear the very first squeak, peep, of the voice. It's usually planning what I'll have later, when I'm hungry, or what I might buy at the store, or, I can't wait to get out of here and get some.... if I can hear this soft tricky voice first, I can tell it that it really doesn't require my attention right now, and let it go. This might require vigilant awareness at first, but it too, turns into a sort of game. I win.

  13. I listen to the tightness in my stomach, chest, shoulders, and to my breath. When I stop breathing regularly and deeply, when that knot in my stomach returns, it's time for me to literally slow down. to take 3 really deep breaths, holding each one for seconds. Then I realize that my body just sent me the message even before my mind. My body know that this is an uncomfortable situation, that I need to get out of here, that no, this is not my job anymore, no, I'm not willing to play this role any longer.

  14. I choose to take care of myself in different ways. There's no recipe to follow, yet I have found what works for me over the years. It has been a combination of willingness to try new things, and most importantly, movement with flexibility and compassion. I have found a morning routine that works for me, and yet know that this too might change. I know that I need to move my body and meditate regularly, and yet, approach these with a softness that allows for acceptance - maybe I don't need to run for 30 minutes, maybe I want to walk, or maybe I want to walk and run - maybe I don't feel like sitting and meditating today, and so I still sit, but play with the 10 minutes and try some stretches.

  15. I know that I cannot have cereal in the house, and that watching TV while eating tends to make stopping when I'm full more difficult. These are truths for me, for now - not for everyone, forever. They don't make me weak, or bad, or lacking willpower. I just accept that I'm a person who SOMETIMES has trouble with SOME situations, and I move on.

  16. Try journaling with your dominant and non-dominant hands. This is something I've tried when times have become really difficult, when I've felt hopelessly stuck. The dominant hand asks questions, the other responds. You won't have to try hard; it just happens. It's amazing what you might find come out, and break through.

  17. As morbid as it sounds, thinking about getting hit by a truck and asking myself "Would I be happy with the way that I treated myself today? Have I been truly on my own side and taking care of me?" Most of the time, I find I haven't been as good to myself as I would like to be, and thinking about my life ending on that note helps me to let go a little more- whether it's having a delicious lunch, sleeping-in a few extra minutes, or whatever.

  18. It was a turning point when Susan told me that if "Fear Mind" is using words like "can't", "shouldn't", etc., it's probably something I should go ahead and do! Not only is it exhilarating and freeing to do so, but also it proves that those fears are usually unfounded, and makes them diminish a little more each time.

  19. The idea of using small, tapas style plates to prepare my food was something I had never done before, but it allowed me to really experience each component of my meal first with my eyes and then with my mouth, it made me appreciate the portion and be mindful not only of what, but of how much, I was eating.

  20. The visual Susan presented of the canoe moving down the river has also been really helpful, and knowing that if I get stuck on something, the best thing to do is just keep paddling and eventually I will have left it behind fully. It's not the end of the world, and if I let myself be mired down by it, I will only slow my progression towards where I really want to be.

  21. Forgiveness, forgiveness, forgiveness. I forgive myself. I've had to say it aloud over and over again for 40 minutes while clutching my pillow, after feeling like I had "ruined" a positive streak. You're doing the best you can be doing right now. Isn't that enough?