Listen to your body: don't eat when you're not hungry, and don't suffer hunger pains!

The worst thing you can do when you're on a diet is to ignore your body's hunger signals. Most diets fail because they allow you to become too hungry. Maybe you think it's normal: after all, isn't hunger proof that you're burning fat? Isn't it proof that your diet is working? To a certain degree this is true, until the feeling becomes so overwhelming and unbearable that there is no alternative than going on a binge of "forbidden" foods, all the high sugar and high fat items you've been avoiding diligently: chocolates, biscuits, cakes, crisps, fried chicken, pizza, cheese, crackers and candy. 

If you want to be successful with weight loss, LISTEN TO YOUR BODY. Nothing is more important. 

1) Don't eat if you're not hungry.
Have a piece of fruit, a raw vegetable salad or a glass of water with lemon juice. This even applies to meal times: if you still feel hungry after your meal, you may need to increase the amount of complex carbohydrates or protein you're having. You could also add more vegetables and fruit to your portions. Plan healthy snacks to ensure a smooth transition from one meal to the next.

2) Don't suffer hunger pains. 
If hunger pangs are unfulfilled, they can lead to painful stomach ulcers or hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar). People tend to place their meals around the clock, and will eat at given times, whether they're hungry or not. However, it is much healthier and more effective to place your meals around your hunger, in the same way that children do, without paying attention to the clock. If you're in the habit of eating regular meals when you're not hungry, you will gain weight or sabotage your weight loss efforts. Your body tells you that you don't need energy, but you insist on putting food into it, out of habit. 
Ignoring your body's signals will lead to excess calories being stored as fat. It also puts extra strain on your liver and affects your metabolism adversely. If you grew up in poverty or during hard times, you may feel compelled to finish everything on your plate, and feel guilty if you don't. But today you don't need to do this any more. For your own wellbeing, it is much better to stop eating once you're full and no longer have the urge to satisfy your hunger or indulge your appetite. 

If you could follow the principle of eating only when you're hungry and stopping when you're full, you could easily lose weight and maintain your new healthy weight, without having to do much else! Your body is a wonderful machine with infinite wisdom. Listen to it. Treat it with reverence and respect, and you will reap the rewards: a slim, healthy body full of energy, while you're young and right into your old age.

With all my love,

Bella


Painting: "Home Grown Tomatoes" by Debra Sisson

The Magic of Sensible Dieting

This is the cover of my new book, "The Magic of Sensible Dieting", which will soon be available at Balboa Press, Amazon.com and other outlets as a paperback and Ebook.

The watermelon represents all the juicy, appetising food you can eat. After all, what is more pleasurable than eating fruit on the beach! A balanced diet is a way of life - and the slice of watermelon reminds me of an old fashioned scale.

The boat on the ocean symbolises your weight loss journey. As you go with your body and not against it, you allow natural processes to take over. Energy and fat burning will happen automatically. You will be sailing along, not struggling as you normally do when attempting to lose weight. 

You will be living an exciting adventure, as you move towards enhanced wellbeing and more zest in your life. Life, like water, flows. The ocean meets sky and the sky is the limit to what you can achieve with the right knowledge and tools.

Sensible dieting is unlike any other diet. It is not about creating a calorie deficit, or adhering to a strict meal and exercise plan. It is not so much about eating a healthy diet, even though you can keep this goal in mind. After all, who doesn't want to be healthy? Finding a balance is the key.

There is no hunger, no deprivation. You will discover how to eliminate cravings and resist temptation. You will be allowed to eat so much nutritious food that hunger won't be an issue any more. You won't be tempted to 'break' your diet, as you will feel satisfied. Your metabolism will work properly. You will be able to sleep and focus better. You will feel better within yourself and your self-esteem will increase. 

I wrote each chapter of my book in easy-to-understand language. Case studies illustrate the principles I explain, with real-life people you can relate to. At the end of each chapter there is a summary: 'key notes and strategies'. Understand, absorb and apply these simple ideas, and you will begin to shed excess weight and maintain your new shape easily.

Sensible diet is joyful experience, and I want everyone to be able to do it, with the help of my book. 

With all my love,

Bella