Why restrict when you don't have to?

Can I just say...? It really hurts me to watch women limiting themselves in what they can eat, just because they are afraid to gain a few pounds. WHY DO THEY DO THIS? Sure, I want to be thin, too, and I don't want to gain any weight, either. But, I'm not going to say 'no' to a couple of treats just because they *might* add a pound to my frame.

Okay, if you're going to eat the whole package of cookies, then maybe I'd understand why you want to avoid them -- people with serious addictions, or with addictive personalities, maybe need to exercise a little more caution.

But, for the most part, the rest of us don't need to be saying 'no' to a couple of treats now and then.

*** EVERYTHING IN MODERATION!***

If Intuitive Eating has taught me anything, it's that you can eat anything you want (provided you don't have a medical reason for avoiding something), as long as you exercise your brain and have those things in moderation. Life is more fun that way! You don't have to mope around and say, "Oh, poor me... I can't have that 'cause I'm watching my weight". Ugh.

((Sorry... but this just kills me!))

The New Look!

Got a new template from http://finalsense.com! What do you think?

Willpower and Determination vs. FOCUS

The other day, I was reading a book about home organization called "Organizing for Life" by Sandra Felton. Now, much as this book is about getting to the root of your lack of organizational skill, I found some great insights that can be used with IE!

For example, these quotes:

p.126 - "You do not need discipline or willpower to make your life organized and successful. You only need to know how to FOCUS your attention and effort where it will make a difference...

..."To focus our attention in productive ways, we must decide which unnecessary things we are doing that focus our attention away from [what we want]. When we eliminate these, our lives will be disciplined without having to use willpower and without having to keep our noses to the grindstone."

There were some other great quotes, too, that I thought could really be applicable to one's IE journey:

p.119 - "I was still thinking in the old way while trying to act in the new way. My old way of thinking put obstacles in the way of my freedom."

p.119 - "Be patient with yourself. You are not doing this for...anybody but yourself. You don't have to prove anything... Be prepared to slip. When change begins, the ___ part of you will see itself shrinking and will try to get you to turn back. It will try to sabotage your success and go back to the more comfortable and familiar [lazy/overeating] lifestyle. But don't give in."

p.119 - "Many times I was tempted to go back to the old way. The only thing that kept me going was my unwillingness to return to the pain of living that way."

p.121 - "The most important change we need to make is in our thinking. Until we do, we will contend with the stress of living in two worlds."

Funny where you can find helpful insights, eh? ;)