Dear Joshua,

I am not terrifically overweight. I feel better when I am about 15 lbs lighter. By that I mean I feel more comfortable bending and doing some of my yoga poses…and my clothes feel better on my body. I have a sugar addiction so that if I have wine/alcohol in the evening or eat sugary things I crave the sugar or other refined carbs the next day and it sets me on a tailspin. So why do I do it? Well, it tastes good.

So recently after speaking to Gary about this at my Bootcamp graduation call last weekend I got myself in a new mindset. I was going to ask myself when I was ready to eat or drink something within question whether this was the most loving thing I could choose for myself. It was working pretty well and I was inspired to do it and begin a sort of cleansing program to refortify my gut bacteria and manage my blood sugar to not get myself into a cycle of self sabotage. I have been practicing accepting myself exactly as I am and also holding a preference of feeling good in my body, not only about it’s size and shape but how my brain and digestive system feels good when I limit or eliminate certain things from my diet.

Well, now that I listened to your response to Marian about this subject I’m confused again. You said we have certain beliefs about food, etc. which can be negative or positive. And from what I understand if you believe it may affect you negatively…it will. So, since we live in a physical reality and our bodies are made up of physical materials wouldn’t certain foods be less desirable for us to eat as a scientific fact due to their containing less nutritious substances?

I’m sort of feeling from your answer yesterday that if I felt that everything I ate or drank made me feel good and was good for me I could eat or drink anything (which I guess I know is true). Well, I don’t feel there at all, so what would be the beginner’s approach that you would advise someone as far as desiring to feel good in their body and mind with regard to food. I feel the need to have this sorted out.

Thank you,
Love, Kim

Dear Kim,

You are unique. What is beneficial to your body is unique to you. You have a set of beliefs. They can be softened or intensified, but you cannot rid yourself entirely of any belief. What you believe about the foods you eat is not true of false, it’s either empowering or limiting. If you believed sugary foods was beneficial to the health and well-being of your body, the food itself would have little to no effect. However, since you maintain this belief, you must learn to abide by your beliefs. When you bring fear into the conversation, you cause a limiting effect.

We will start by saying that you can do no wrong, that your body is not wrong and that there is nothing you must do. You need not be defined by your body. It is not wrong to eat sugary foods and/or alcohol. However, what you believe about the food has an effect on your body. Your limiting beliefs about your body and certain foods are simply resistance. The best thing you can do for your body is to give up all forms of resistance and control.

The fact is that your body is perfect as it is right now. It allows you to conduct your exploration of physical reality. If you would like to conduct a new exploration, your body will adapt to your new requirements. The body will conform to your exploration. So then, what would you like to explore next?

Let’s say that you would like to explore a leaner body; not because it means anything about you, but because it’s simply a new exploration. You release your attachment to an outcome. You release your attachment to a time schedule. You are simply exploring who you are as you try new ideas that may or may not result in a lean body. You do not become discouraged. You simply move along with the exploration. In alignment, you will receive new ideas. The ideas are not solutions, because there is no problem. It is simply a new way to experience life.

You might receive the idea to reduce your intake of certain foods, change your diet entirely, adopt new habits, create a new momentum and maybe incorporate some physical activity. Again, you are not trying to control anything, you are simply conducting an experiment. There is no goal or objective and there is no time constraint. The inspiration to explore a lean body may lead to something else entirely. Who knows?

If you can accept that your body is actively seeking and receiving well-being, and you are not concerned about any aspect of this new exploration, then you can adopt a sense of curiosity. Consider yourself a researcher. You have a hypothesis. You posit the idea that you can evolve into a leaner version of yourself, by creating a new exploration. In this exploration, you intend to receive every idea that aligns with this exploration. You release your attachment to an outcome and you do not define yourself by the size and shape of your body. It’s just one experiment after another.

By reducing the fear and resistance around this subject, you can more easily maintain your alignment. You will receive ideas. You might try a host of different things. The ideas are not solutions, simply new paths of exploration. You try new things and you see how it feels. If it is a struggle, you try something else. If it feels good to you, then keep going. With an open mind and a malleable belief system, your new exploration can become fun, exhilarating and even inspiring to others.

With our love,
We are Joshua