To paraphrase Einstein, one can’t solve a problem at the same level of consciousness at which it’s created. So then why do we continue to diet to lose weight when we know full well we will gain that same weight back? Why do we swear we will be “good” tomorrow and then fail to achieve that “goodness”?

For some of us, so much of our time and energy is spent worrying about food and our bodies. If we were to free that energy up, imagine how much could be channeled into becoming the passionate, talented, creative person we are. To achieve peace with food and our bodies, we need an approach that considers our mind and its beliefs, our body and its needs, and our spirit and its fulfillment. So how do we get there?

Our journey needs to be a patient and loving one, in which we learn to eat consciously as we attend to our body, mind and spirit. We approach our beliefs and notice how they both drive and sabotage us. “If I eat this chocolate cake, I might as well eat desserts all day long.” How did that thinking come to be? We get to know our bodies’ signals for hunger and satiety. How did some of us get so dissociated from our bodies that we rarely eat when we are truly hungry? We say we love to eat but we don’t even taste the food. And we learn more for what our spirit is crying -- nature, speaking our truth, friendship, solitude and more.

To truly find peace with our bodies and food, we need to start from a place of self love by being kind to ourselves, by just noticing when we eat and whether we are truly hungry. By noticing what we really need when we are not hungry be it a walk in nature, a hot bath, sharing my concerns with a friend. By talking with our inner child asking her what she needs.

The very paradox of conscious eating is that we can achieve peace by giving our body exactly what it wants rather than depriving it; by giving our spirit what it wants through listening to it and through exploring our very beliefs that have held us back from being who we were meant to be.

Liz holds Teleconference Courses, weekend retreats, workshops and offers coaching. For more info, contact her at: Liz@choosingyou.org; www.choosingyou.org, 301-424-4633

Author's Bio: 

Liz Berney, Ph.D. is a trainer, organizational psychologist, business consultant, speaker and coach. She has a B.A. from Yale University and an M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Maryland, all in psychology. As a former dancer, she struggled for many years with bulimia. She now incorporates her backgrounds in psychology and dance to help others learn to make peace with both food and their bodies and live their life fully.