Many of us have a low tolerance for discomfort in our lives and a high affliction for distraction. We are constantly being pulled away from ourselves like a flock of birds suddenly startled into flight, their once grounded harmonious formation dispersing chaotically across the sky. Our own minds and authentic selves can really feel scattered and fragmented amidst the distractions of daily life. We often feel lost and seeking direction like those startled birds, yet we yearn for a sense of alignment, connection, and wholeness. Today, I'm sharing another beautiful grounding practice, which is actually part 3 of this three-part grounding

series. It's called connecting scattered parts. As we strive to connect our scattered parts we embark on this transformative journey of inner exploration Seeking to reclaim our focus we center ourselves and find solace in the present moment. So grab your headphones and find a comfortable seated or lying posture. Somewhere where you feel at ease and somewhere that you won't be distracted for a little while. This guided practice will start as soon as the podcast intro finishes. Enjoy my friends. Begin by finding a relaxed seated position. Allowing your body to soften by unclenching the jaw. Gliding the shoulders

down, allowing them to nestle comfortably into the frame of the body, and opening up any rigidness or contracted muscles around the belly. Whenever you feel ready, close down the eyes gently, turning towards the rhythm of your breath as it flows in and out of the body like a beautiful tide. Feel free to adjust the rhythm and the pace of your breath to evoke a profound, comforting sense of connection with yourself and your physical body. As I count from 5 to 1, start to envision yourself stepping away from the noise and the chaos of the outside world

and entering into a serene sanctuary within. Firstly, picture yourself lying in a tranquil garden space or secluded forest clearing. Somewhere, anywhere, where you can find a sense of solace and connection with your inner self, and also the earth around and beneath you. Feel yourself becoming more and more immersed in this peaceful environment, letting go of external distractions and embracing the tranquility of your inner sanctuary. As I count from 5 to 1, this gentle retraction from the outer world gets deeper and deeper. 5. Continuing to connect with your chosen comfortable place in nature. Comfortable place in nature.

4. Start to sense or visualize yourself lying down, feeling like your body is being deeply immersed and connected to the earth or the surface below you. 3, on the next out breath completely let go of all the happenings of the outer world. Allow your image or your visualization to become brighter and brighter. 2. Sink further and further into your body, allowing the parts of your body connected to the surface below to become heavy and grounded. 1. Grounded. 1. Invite a warm comforting embrace to delicately envelop you like the softest, most luxurious blanket imaginable, cocooning you in

a serene sense of security. As you lay grounded and comfortable in your scene, start to visualize the sun, slowly but gracefully descending on the horizon. It casts a golden glow of warmth gently across your face and your body. Feel this warmth. Feel the comfort of this warmth. And allow yourself just to let go sinking deeper and deeper into this warming comfort. As the body lies connected and grounded to the earth. Start to imagine yourself looking up at the brazen depths of darkness of the vast night sky. Focusing in on the glimmering force of the shimmering light

of the stars above. Observe their scattered arrangement. Light bursting between the deep indigo expanse of the night. And become aware of how some flicker, brighter and lighter than others. Each of these stars in the night sky represents a different aspect of yourself scattered across the expanse of the lunar landscape of the cosmos. Just as the stars in the night sky are scattered across the heavens, So too are the various thoughts, emotions and aspects of yourself scattered within and around your being. Some parts of ourselves have been splintered away into the depths many, many years ago, and

some more recent. Yet this is the time right now to bring yourself back to a sense of wholeness, alignment and oneness. Alignment and oneness. Although the stars are physically thousands of kilometres away from your current grounded aspect, In your visualisation you are able to reach up and connect with their light, drawing them closer and closer to you whenever you like. So take a moment now to draw your attention towards 1 particular star. Notice what brings your awareness to it. Is it brighter than the others? Is it the iridescent colours? Is it the iridescent colors? Or is

it just a feeling that's drawing you towards this 1 particular star? If this star were to symbolize a fragmented aspect of yourself, what would it be? This aspect could be something that you've lost or has diminished within you. Let your intuition be the guide here as you explore the depths of your consciousness. The answer could manifest as a flicker of energy you've given away, a dormant trait waiting to resurface, or even a long forgotten dream or goal that you still desire that's simply become clouded by the distractions, worry or happenings of life. Whatever it may be,

simply trust that it holds significance for you and your journey of self-discovery and grounding within. Even if nothing surfaces in the moment, trust that this star that you have chosen represents a piece of you. Represents a piece of you. Now as you allow this realisation to surface, reach out to this star. Reach out like you're picking an apple off a tree. And start to gently guide the light of this star towards the depths of your being, towards any part of your body, it could be your heart, it could be your belly, it could be your mind,

wherever you feel guided to draw this light, this fragmented aspect of yourself back towards your being. As it draws closer and closer, let it illuminate the shadows within, shedding light on your own path towards integration and wholeness. Once this light, this star has reconnected with the whole, you might take a moment to scan back over the sky and notice another star, another piece of yourself that has splintered or scattered away, reaching out and lovingly drawing it back to your heart, back to your wholeness. Once this star has been gathered, you might like to cast your awareness

across the sky again. And this time choose as many stars as you wish. As many stars that draw your awareness and your attention to them so you can gently bring them back to you. Bringing them back and reuniting them with yourself, with your wholeness, with your own magnificence. With each welcoming back, feel a sense of completeness and unity wash over you as you integrate all aspects of your being, grounding yourself into wholeness with your true self. Take a moment to reacquaint yourself in this brilliance of the newfound wholeness, knowing that you are a luminous constellation of

infinite potential yourself. Really start to notice any subtle shifts or transformations in your energy, the rhythm of your breath or sensations in your body, or it could even be in the emotions that are present or arise within you. Allowing yourself to really linger in this state of heightened awareness, savoring the sensations and insights that arise within you. With each guiding breath, deepen your connection to the present experience, anchoring yourself in the richness of the here and now. Now that you've welcomed back your scattered parts and opened up to any little subtle shifts within you, once this

practice is over, I invite you to explore how this newfound grounded sense of wholeness influences your perceptions and interactions with the world around you, including your decisions and self-care actions. Start to embrace the infinite possibilities that unfold before you, knowing that you possess the inner strength and the resilience to navigate life's journey with grace and purpose. Just as each star contributes to the beauty of the night sky, so do every part of you. Your thoughts, your emotions, your experiences, they all contribute to the richness of who you are and life around you. Slowly starting to ground

into the sensations of the breath. Knowing that you can come back to this beautiful scene, this guided experience, any time you wish, any time you feel you're pulled in many different directions, anytime you feel scattered or overwhelmed, just simply come back to this scene, gazing across the vast expanse of the night sky, and drawing 1 by 1 the scattered aspects of yourself slowly back into your being. But for now, whenever you feel ready, we slowly come back into sensation of the body connected to the earth below you. Now as I count from 5 to 1, slowly

start to reconnect to the world around you, as well as staying grounded to the world within you. 54321... 2... 5... 4... 3... 2... 1... And Whenever you feel ready, you might like to stretch or wiggle your fingers and toes. Gently open your eyes, carrying with you this sense of alignment, wholeness and unity that you've cultivated within yourself today. And allow the benefits to wash in and through your whole entire being and your whole entire life. Revisit this practice often, even every day if you wish. I look forward to sharing with you

00:01 - 00:40
Speaker 1: Welcome to part 2 of the power of grounding. Today is a really special practice for you to bring together all of the information that I shared last week in part 1, Which was called the power of grounding and why it's crucial for mind-body connection What we'll be doing is I will share a quick recap now about what is grounding or you can go back and listen To part 1 if you missed out on that last week, there will be the show intro and then we're moving on to the beautiful grounding practice. I'll pop in the show

00:40 - 01:29
Speaker 1: notes below the time that the practice starts. So if you want to come back to this practice often, which I of course recommend you do, you can always just fast forward to the part where the grounding practice starts. Grounding is really being able to come into your body, feeling present in the body, and being able to clearly identify sensations going on inside the body. So having an interoceptive awareness and also sensations going on outside of the body. It really is this beautiful connection between mind and body and now there's so many reasons why we lose that

01:29 - 02:13
Speaker 1: connection which I went into in depth in our last episode, but they could be things like pain, generalized stress, or even trauma. Now the benefits of grounding, they really give us this beautiful foundation to navigate and balance our stress. And it allows us to be fully and completely aware of what's going on within. Our minds tend to lie to us often. I remember I was on the brink of burnout and people were saying, are you okay Larissa? And I'm like, yeah, I'm totally fine. I'm fine. Sometimes our minds like to lie to us and we lie

02:13 - 02:58
Speaker 1: to ourselves. But understanding this beautiful practice of grounding allows us to create deep, authentic connection with ourselves. Now, grounding when it comes to mindful eating is really important because we wanna start to navigate and understand the language of our body. In particular different cues and triggers to eat. Some cues and triggers to eat are because we're hungry but there's many cues and triggers to eat that don't involve hunger at all. And this is where the real magic happens when it comes to mindful eating. It's really starting to understand our behaviors and the sensations that happen internally

02:58 - 03:44
Speaker 1: and also externally that are some of our cues or triggers that drive us to eat or overeat certain foods. When we understand ourselves at an ever greater deeper level, then we have a platform to create lasting change instead of just getting wrapped up in the next fad diet thinking that that's the answer to all of our problems when we actually have a lot of internal and also external cues and triggers to eat. Now that you have a greater understanding about the art of grounding, no doubt you will see how important it is to create that connection

03:44 - 04:41
Speaker 1: between mind and body. To prepare yourself for this grounding meditation, find a comfortable seated or lying position, somewhere where you won't be distracted for about the next 10 minutes, somewhere where you feel safe. And if you choose to, you can close your eyes or keep them open. So next up is our show intro and then your beautiful grounding practice. Once you've settled into your seated or lying position, choose to either gently close your eyes or soften your gaze at a particular point, starting to invite a sense of calmness to wash over you. Lengthen the spine with

04:41 - 05:53
Speaker 1: a graceful stretch, and with a slow audible sigh, let go of any lingering tension in your body, allowing the shoulder blades to gently release into the frame of the body. If comfortable, gently close the mouth, feeling the upper and lower lip touching ever so slightly together. And then start to notice your breath moving in and out through the nose. Taking awareness to the body, and opening up to the points of contact between your body and the surface below you. On the next out breath, Sink into these points of contact, like you're relaxing into a warm bath.

05:55 - 07:03
Speaker 1: Feel the stability and the strength of the surface below you caressing your body. If you're seated, it might be your feet pressing against the floor, the underneath of the thighs pressing against the seat. If you're lying, it could be the back of the heels, the back of the pelvis or the shoulder blades pressing firmly into the surface below. Rest here for a moment, really finding that connection between the physical body and the surface below. With every exhale, sinking the mind and the body into these anchor points. Noticing any subtle sensations in or around these anchor points.

07:10 - 08:20
Speaker 1: Gently drawing breath in through the nostrils and becoming aware of which nostril feels more open and accepting of the breath. Tracking the journey of the breath as it moves through the nostrils, gliding down the back gliding down the back of the throat and moving into the lower lobes of the lungs. Being aware of that gentle rise of the belly on the in-breath, and the softening of the belly on the out-breath, Enjoying the awareness of the body with curiosity and acceptance. And gently take the mind, Guiding it through the body, starting at the top of the head

08:20 - 09:50
Speaker 1: and gently sweeping it through the body, opening up to any particular sensations that draw your awareness to them. Gently sweeping awareness down through the neck and over the shoulders. Gliding down the front and the back of the torso, creating connection, mind and body, allowing the awareness to cascade over the legs, to the heels or the soles of the feet, bringing loving attention to any parts of the body that are delivering sensation. It could be constriction or softness. The effects of gravity grounding the body into the earth below. There could be pain or peacefulness. Allow the in-breath

09:50 - 11:05
Speaker 1: to open up awareness of the body as a whole, gently drawing the breath in. You might even like to feel as though you're sending energetic roots from the points of contact of your body to the earth down into the earth, and on the breath, drawing up grounding earth energy. Exhale, sinking down, sending your energetic roots into the earth, connecting mind, body and matter. And gently inhale, drawing up grounding earth energy. Exhale, sinking down, sending your energetic roots into the earth, connecting mind, body and matter. Simply allow yourself to be present with the body right here, right

11:05 - 12:36
Speaker 1: now, in the moment. Noticing if the mind wanders off, and gently come back to the body. Releasing down into the earth, into the earth. Opening up a channel of communication between the mind and the body. Honoring any sensation that arises in the moment. And then allowing yourself to take 3 more gentle flowing breaths in through the nose, following the journey of the breath into the body, opening up to sensation, and the expansion on the in-breath, exhaling and just sinking into the body, and allowing the body to sink into the anchor points below you. Continue with this

12:36 - 14:19
Speaker 1: gentle expansion and softening. Rise and fall. You Allow the body to be a home base for the mind. Wherever the mind goes, the body stays grounded and anchored. And whenever you notice the mind wandering off, allow the body to guide it back to the here and now. Tune in and check in any time you need to during your days, and return to this practice often. And whenever you feel ready, you may like to reopen or focus your eyes. Gently looking around in your surrounds and noticing something that feels comforting or visually pleasing to your eyes. You

14:19 - 15:24
Speaker 1: might even like to take 1 hand over the middle of your chest, and 1 hand over your belly button. And feel the gentle pressure of your hands on the body. That sense of grounding, connection and love. Enjoy a stretch and return to your day. Feel free to share this practice with anyone you think may need it. It's great to come back to this grounding practice if you feel stressed, scattered, overwhelmed, anxious, on autopilot, or if you just need a moment to yourself to feel present, grounded and connected. So I hope you enjoyed this practice today, in

15:24 - 15:52
Speaker 1: next week's podcast I'll be sharing another grounding practice but a slightly different practice for you, so you can have some tools you can use in your daily life to start to befriend and open up to the language and sensations of your body. So thank you for listening, from my heart to yours, Have the most beautiful week and I look forward to sharing again with you next week. Bye for now.

00:00 - 00:47
Speaker 1: Have you ever felt like you're floating through life, disconnected from your body and the world around you? You're just being pulled along in this endless sea of distractions and obligations. If so, you're definitely not alone. But what if I told you there is a way to anchor yourself amidst the chaos to find solace in the present moment and reclaim the connection to your inner wisdom, your inner compass and individual sense of self. Today we're diving deep into the transformative practice of grounding and we're going to explore how it can be this life raft you've been searching

00:47 - 01:50
Speaker 1: for in the vast ocean of the scattered mess of our modern day living. We're going to look at how grounding can actually provide a stable foundation from which we can navigate and balance stress, anxiousness, disconnection, overwhelm, burnout, physical and emotional pain, and more. Join me today as we uncover the profound benefits of grounding and of course learn practical techniques to integrate this powerful practice into our daily routines and lives. It's time to reclaim our sense of presence, purpose and mind-body connection in a world that often feels adrift. Today we're diving into the transformative power of grounding

01:51 - 02:34
Speaker 1: and why it's absolutely the key to unlocking a deeper, more meaningful connection with our body and of course our mind. And then over the next few weeks I'm going to share some grounding practices for you. I know how exciting that you do not want to miss out on. So be sure to subscribe to the podcast or jump over to our website and you can subscribe and receive our weekly updates. First, we're going to get clear on what grounding is so you know in what context we're talking about grounding in. Grounding is really coming into the body,

02:35 - 03:21
Speaker 1: feeling present in the body and being able to clearly identify sensations inside the body and sensations outside the body. Everyone has a different level of understanding when it comes to the interoceptive and proprioceptive system. Your interoceptive system is this system that helps you to identify when you're hungry. So, inner sensations, or even perhaps when you need to go the loop. And it also helps you to identify different feelings. So when you're anxious because of a situation or maybe become fearful, it could be when you're feeling happy, comfortable, and content. Now your proprioceptive system is this part

03:21 - 04:02
Speaker 1: of the physical structural body that helps you better understand where your body is in time and space as it relates to other things around us. So for example just say a tiger or some sort of robber or thief entered the room. Your body would feel that and be able to signal through your nervous system that it's time to hightail it out of there. Now this experience even happens sometimes with different people or situations. We just have this sense that something isn't right. The body gathers information from the outer world and then sends it to the inner

04:02 - 04:44
Speaker 1: world and gives you different feedback or feelings and sensations for you to take action. Fight, flight, flee, appease, whatever it is. So the proprioceptive system and the interoceptive system, They really plug into 1 another. They're like peanut butter and honey. I know Americans say peanut butter and jelly, but I love peanut butter and honey, right? They're like peanut butter and honey on a sandwich. They plug into 1 another and create connection. And through grounding, we're able to leverage that and better understand what the unconscious is communicating through the somatic body. So through your body, through feeling.

04:45 - 05:32
Speaker 1: So grounding could also be described as a state of being. It's kind of akin to anchoring oneself firmly in the present moment. It's about being rooted in this profound connection to the physical body and our surrounding environment. It's a state of deep presence and inner stability and really aligns us with the here and now. It's really the embodiment of the self and mindfulness in action. Now in this state of grounding, outer distractions can start to fade into the background and we can have this heightened awareness of sensations, emotions and thoughts as they arise in the present

05:32 - 06:16
Speaker 1: moment. Now, grounding allows us to feel rooted also in our authenticity, empowered by this sense of inner strength and resilience. And this can transcend the fluctuations of external circumstances. So it doesn't matter what's happening in the outer world. I always say it matters what's happening in the moment in your inner world. Grounding techniques can include things Grounding techniques can include things like focusing on the breath, engaging in specific physical movement, sensory awareness through mindfulness, or using objects to anchor our attention to our present reality. The goal of grounding techniques are to really bring this sense of

06:16 - 07:08
Speaker 1: stability, safety, and presence within. And this really helps us to regulate our emotions and maintain a connection with our bodily sensations. So why do we actually even need this? Well, we live in this world that often prioritizes the mind over the body. And so we find ourselves disconnected from this very vessel that houses our deepest wisdom and intuition. Now We need grounding because our modern life pulls us away from our present moment experiences leading to feelings of stress, disconnection, overwhelm and even anxiousness. In this scattered state, we become vulnerable to external pressures, allowing our emotions to

07:08 - 07:54
Speaker 1: be dictated by this chaotic world around us rather than finding this beautiful intrinsic balance and resilience within ourselves. So rather than shooting into our own inner compass and our own intuition to guide the way, we're going to go into why grounding and finding this body connection is crucial in curbing our under or over eating patterns and accessing our inner wisdom? The answer lies in this profound interplay between our physical sensations, emotions and behaviour. When we disconnect from our bodies, we lose touch with this rich kaleidoscope of sensations that guide us towards balance and nourishment. We disconnect

07:54 - 08:47
Speaker 1: from feelings of hunger and satiety so we can under or overfeed the body. Instead, we can also turn to food as a substitute for genuine physical and emotional nourishment, leading to those patterns of overeating or disordered eating, and using food to numb our physical sensations. We need to learn to tune in and understand our own sensations and bodily feedback systems. In essence, our bodies serve as this ultimate barometer of our internal landscape, providing this invaluable information and insight into our own true needs and desires. Now when we learn to listen to our bodies with curiosity and

08:47 - 09:35
Speaker 1: compassion, we unlock this wealth, absolute wealth of inner wisdom that guides us towards optimal health and wellbeing. Rene Descartes famously proclaimed, I think, therefore I am. But it is through our embodied experiences that we truly come to know ourselves. I actually have full goosebumps right now. So it's really powerful. I'm just going to say it again and just sink into the words. It's that feeling body that allows our thinking self to know that we are part of this world. We are a human having an experience in this world. Now, The journey towards body connection isn't always

09:35 - 10:23
Speaker 1: an easy 1, especially for those who have experienced chronic pain or tension, trauma, overwhelmed stress or anxiousness, or any type of emotional or physical or spiritual pain. For many of us trying to reconnect with our bodies, it can evoke feelings of fear, shame, vulnerability, and bring up anxiousness in itself. It really requires this delicate balance of patience, self-compassion and gentle exploration. It's really about working in our window of tolerance. Many of you know, as well as mindful eating, I also teach and share somatic healing, so connecting to the body. I'm a kinesiologist. I teach yoga, meditation,

10:23 - 11:04
Speaker 1: and breath work. And so a lot of what I'm teaching is learning to connect to ourselves and allow our bodies to bring up the wisdom so we can therefore become whole again. So quite often when we have traumatic events or just shit that happens in our life that are really uncomfortable, we almost splinter a part of ourselves away from the whole. And this is sometimes why we can feel so disconnected and scattered. And we just feel like we're going through the motions every day, rather than operating from this place of wholeness and oneness. Now, when we

11:04 - 11:49
Speaker 1: do this work, and it can get uncomfortable. So it's always important to really explore sensations within our own comfort space, within our own window of tolerance. Now let's look at grounding when it comes to mindful eating. Mindful eating is really all about being present and engaged with the experience of eating, paying attention to taste and texture, aromas. That's just 1 tiny part actually of mindful eating. But we also look at fullness and hunger cues. Now, if we're disconnected to that, we have no idea the feedback our body's sending us. And so then we can't act accordingly.

11:49 - 12:34
Speaker 1: And what quite often happens is we're ruled by these outer world guidelines such as, okay, eat 90 grams of chicken rather than eat the amount of chicken that your body needs today, or you're only allowed to have this many pieces of wholemeal bread, or whatever it is. So we become ruled by these outer world measurements rather than connecting to our body's inner wisdom. So mindful eating is really an embodiment practice. Mindful eating involves being attuned to emotional cues that might influence our eating behaviors. Now we've gone through some of these in our past podcast episodes, but

12:34 - 13:16
Speaker 1: we know that they can be stress, boredom, anxiousness, any emotion can be a cue to eat. Grounded techniques means, you know, we can start to unravel and what would be the best word? We can really unravel and shoot into our true needs. So we just don't have a cue and start eating. We go, we kind of tune in and ask, what am I feeling or what do I really need right now? So it can bring attention back to the present moment and what we truly need as this beautiful, amazing human being. The next 1 is that

13:16 - 14:00
Speaker 1: grounding also helps us to reduce distraction and can really help minimize this external stimuli that can interfere with our beautiful eating experience. By staying grounded in the present moment, we can fully engage with the sensory aspect of eating. And of course, we know this leads to more satisfaction, more meal satisfaction, and we can enjoy food rather than have some tug-of-war or love-hate Relationship with food. Learning the art of grounding really allows us to learn the language of our body. Cultivating a body connection through grounding is not merely a means to curb overeating. It's actually this profound

14:00 - 14:45
Speaker 1: journey of self-discovery and empowerment. By embracing our embodied selves with openness and compassion, we reclaim our innate wisdom, our vitality, which all leads to this more balanced and fulfilling existence. As we reconnect with our bodies we tap into this timeless wisdom that resides within us all, guiding us towards a life of wholeness and authenticity. Oh, I've got goosebumps again. This is why grounding is such a beautiful and necessary practice for anybody who has any goal to do with basically anything. I was just gonna say to do with their mind or body, but really our body's feedback

14:45 - 15:22
Speaker 1: is our inner compass. Over the next few weeks, I'm actually going to share some grounding practices. So our next 2 podcast episodes, yep, you got it. I'm sharing some grounding practices. So make sure you stay tuned. If you found today's discussion valuable, feel free to share it with someone who you might think will benefit from it. Even just share it on a social media page. Of course, jump on over to our social pages and like and share and comment. I'd love to know how this information every week sits with you and whether you're finding it useful.

15:23 - 16:03
Speaker 1: Of course, you'll also find the links that I mentioned today in today's show notes. You can just look below or go to everydayinspiration.co forward slash podcast and you'll find all the links to all the show notes there. Also please consider subscribing to our podcast and leave a review. If you'd like to find out more about mindful eating, then grab my free training, What's Mindful Eating and How Can It Help Me? Your commitment to your wellbeing is a powerful force and I'm here to help you every step of the way. So until next time, take a nourishing

16:03 - 16:22
Speaker 1: breath, savour the journey and embrace the opportunity to live with everyday inspiration. From my heart to yours, thank you for listening and I look forward to sharing over the next 2 weeks some grounding practices with you. Alright beautiful, bye for now.

00:00 - 00:39
Speaker 1: Because this week's episode is all about mindful meal planning and prep, I thought why not start with a little story about planning. You see, there were these 3 fish that lived in a pond. Their names were, The first 1 was Plannerhead, the other 1 was Thinkfast and the third fish was called Wait-and-See. They overheard a fisherman talking that the following day he was going to cast his net in their pond. Plannerhead said, that's it, I'm swimming down the river. Thinkfast said, I'm sure I'll come up with a plan. And Wait and See lazily said, I just

00:39 - 01:15
Speaker 1: can't think about it right now. The fisherman cast his net in their pond the next day, and Plan Ahead was able to escape from the net. But Think Fast and Wait and See, well, they obviously were caught by the fisherman. Then Think Fast suddenly rolled on his belly upside down and pretended to be dead. This fish is no good, said the fisherman and cast him aside. However, wait and see, ended up at the fish market. So, I don't need to explain the moral of this story, but you can see what happened to wait and see and

01:15 - 02:14
Speaker 1: I'll think fast. And I'll think fast. So that brings us to today's episode all about mindful meal planning and prep. We've all been there, caught up in the whirlwind of excuses. I don't have time for that. It's all just so overwhelming. I'm clueless about what to eat. I absolutely loathe cooking. Does this sound familiar? Well, if it does, you're definitely not alone. In fact, let's just talk science for a quick moment. Ever heard of this study that was done about long-term weight loss? Now the statistics say 85 to 95% of people who lose weight end up

02:14 - 02:50
Speaker 1: putting the weight back on in certain timeframes. The whole purpose of the study was to find out what the people who kept the weight off had in common and also some of the similar traits and behaviors of the people who put weight back on. Of course I put the link in today's show notes, but 1 of the eye opening findings was that many folks who shed weight found themselves gaining it back because of, this is 1 of many reasons, but 1 of them was of course lack of planning. But fear not, today I'm going to help

02:50 - 03:28
Speaker 1: you turn planning into 1 of your superpowers. We're really delving into the art of mindful meal prep and planning and of course we're always going to sprinkle that little dash of mindfulness around. So why does mindful meal planning actually matter? It's more than just a chore. It's a real game changer for your health, happiness and longevity. So let's first talk about time. I get it. Life moves fast and finding time to plan meals can really just be another item on our endless to-do list. But here's the thing, a little bit of planning up front can save

03:28 - 04:06
Speaker 1: you heaps of time and stress down the road, especially in those, oh, I'm so hungry, what can I eat right now moments? Or, oh my gosh, I have a craving, what am I gonna do? And it could really mean a difference of succumbing to that craving and choosing another option. Of course, if you own my online program, Mindful Eating, Mindset and Metabolism Mastery, you've got plenty of craving tools there. You know exactly what they are, why they occur and how to combat them. But today it's all about planning. So by mapping out your meals for the

04:06 - 04:40
Speaker 1: week, you can really streamline your grocery shopping, cut down on those last minute trips to the store that you can literally never get out of Woolies or Coles without spending 50 bucks and say goodbye to the dreaded, oh, what's for dinner tonight at like 05:00 when usually you have dinner ready by 5.30. I don't know about you, but I hate this question. And the answer in our house and everybody knows it is just go and check the plan. Go to the fridge, check the plan and you'll find out what's for dinner tonight. So it's not just

04:40 - 05:24
Speaker 1: about saving time but also reclaiming our health. Remember the study I mentioned a few moments ago, the 1 about weight loss maintenance. Well, it turns out those who maintain their weight loss long-term were masters of planning. By thoughtfully preparing their meals ahead of time, they set themselves up for success, making healthier choices and avoiding impulse eating. So now that we understand the significance of mindful meal planning, let's just roll up our sleeves and dive in a little bit further. I'm going to share with you today a step-by-step guide to kickstart your journey to mindful meal planning

05:24 - 06:04
Speaker 1: and preparation. I'm going to share this step-by-step process first, and then I'm going to take you through it in real time and share with you how it comes to life in our family. Maybe you already plan and prep and that's amazing, but hopefully I'll add a few little insights to your whole process today. So we're gonna start with the first 1, which is simply set your intention. So before even diving into planning, we take a moment just to reflect on our goals and our intentions. We wanna ask ourselves, what do we hope to achieve through mindful

06:05 - 06:44
Speaker 1: meal planning? So whether it's improving our health, saving time and money, or reducing food waste, really clarifying our own intentions will guide our planning process and really keep us focused along the way. This is where we can also bring in our own family values as well when it comes to wellness and food. So what are our family values and even our personal values? The second 1 is to really know your schedule. Like we don't want to do pie-in-the-sky planning here, we want to do real-life planning that's actually going to work. We need to consider our work

06:44 - 07:23
Speaker 1: commitments, our family obligations and any social events and activities that might impact what we eat and how much time we have to plan or cook our meals. Really knowing our schedule will help us plan meals that seamlessly fit into our routine, ensuring that we have the time and the energy to both prepare and the most important part, enjoy them. The third 1 is assess your preferences and dietary needs. This is a no-brainer but we really need to take into consideration what our dietary needs are. So of course that's going to be any food allergies or intolerances,

07:23 - 08:03
Speaker 1: but most importantly what our favorite foods are, different cuisines we'd like to choose or try and cooking methods that fit with our schedule. It's all about creating a plan that's both delicious and nourishing, but it's tailored to our own unique tastes and nutritional requirements. Number 4 is taking stock of our pantry. So we really want to get to know our pantries and our fridges on an intimate level. We want to make a list of our staples that are in there and any staples that need to be replenished weekly. Now Having a well-stocked pantry and fridge make

08:03 - 08:46
Speaker 1: it so much easier to whip up and enjoy the meals you love without those immediate gratifying choices when we have a craving or whether we're stressed or going into an emotional eating cycle. Step 5 is all about mindfully choosing our recipes. This is always the fun part, the food part. There's always awesome recipes that come up on Instagram or maybe even your old cookbook. Browsing websites and apps for inspiration and keeping things exciting is always important. We aim for a mix of simple fuss free recipes and we can experiment every now and then with elaborate dishes

08:46 - 09:25
Speaker 1: to keep it exciting. It's also good to consider things like seasonality and ingredient availability when selecting our recipes. Now look, we're up to step 6. We haven't even made the plan yet. So of course step 6 is actually make your plan. We do this on a weekly basis. So once we've chosen our recipes, what we have actual time for, then we start mapping out our meals. We take into account breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, and maybe throw in a few desserts in there as well. We always want to make room for flexibility, the F word, we got

09:25 - 10:04
Speaker 1: to stay flexible and spontaneity and allow ourselves to swap out recipes or improvise based on what's available and how you're feeling that day. The final 1, step 7 is prep ahead. We set a little bit of time aside for meal prep. This could be chopping veggies, marinating proteins, cooking grains in advance. So we really streamline that cooking process for during the week when we're busy. By prepping ahead, we save heaps of time and also energy, ensuring we have healthy ingredients always on hand. So there you have it. It's the beginner's guide to mindful meal planning and

10:04 - 10:44
Speaker 1: prep. Now these steps are your roadmap to cultivate a healthier, happier relationship with food and also cooking. Now I'm going to give you like the real-time, a real-life example of how this plays out. I'm going to use me and my family as an example because of course I know me better than anyone else. Number 1 is our intention and our family goals. So my kids health is our priority. It impacts their immune system, brain development, motor skills, energy, of course, and pretty much everything and more. So our family goals are to minimize but not completely eliminate

10:45 - 11:22
Speaker 1: ultra processed food and making nutritious yet delicious meals for them. My husband and I, Paul, we're older parents. I'm 45, he's 49, we've got a 2 and a 6 year old. So we really wanna stay fit and healthy as we age for 1, ourselves, each other and our boys. So this is part of our intentions and our family values. We really want to minimize food costs so we can use our money for fun things like holidays and different outings. We also want to save time so we can do fun things like actually play with the kids,

11:22 - 11:57
Speaker 1: enjoying their childhood. We want to exercise and just get outside and explore the world a little bit more. So that's our family values and our intentions. This is just the perfect way to really set the dynamic and the flavor of why you're doing something. Your why is always so important. So step 2 is really knowing your schedule. Pretty much every night of the week, Monday to Friday, we've got something on. My husband, Paul, well, you know, we're not married, but I just call him my husband. He's a shift worker. So that changes every week. And I

11:57 - 12:37
Speaker 1: actually mark his shifts down on our weekly meal planner. Now, Monday and Tuesday, I either have clients or teach classes, Wednesday is the kids swimming, Thursday is boot camp at the park for all of us and Friday is Paul and his brother's home workout and the weekends are usually free unless Paul's at work. So it's a big week right? So this all impacts what we eat and also when we prepare the meals. Alright step 3 is assess your preferences and dietary needs. Our kids can be fussy and what they like eating can literally change from week

12:37 - 13:08
Speaker 1: to week. Like the other day my 2 year old ate 3 bananas in 1 day and I tried to give him a banana yesterday and he says no yuck and I'm like seriously dude you ate 3 bananas the other day like what the heck you don't like bananas now apparently and then there's me so for the most part I avoid dairy and gluten and my husband well he pretty much eats anything literally even like 3 week old random objects that are in the back of the fridge. He just gives them a sniff, oh that smells alright

13:08 - 13:47
Speaker 1: and eats it. I'm like man, that is toxic waste, why are you eating that? But he has an iron stomach. So anyways, Our focus is really mostly eating whole foods, yet we do have some processed kids snacks like rice crackers they call chips, cheese sticks and other random things. They like Oreos too. So our focus is mainly whole foods, but we try and embrace the whole balance thing. All right, so step 4 is stocking your pantry in fridge. So we all have those staples, those things that are always in the pantry in the fridge. Now a

13:47 - 14:25
Speaker 1: little while back I downloaded a pantry staples list off the internet and just edited it to make my own. So you might want to do that as well. But then I added things that I know that we always want and need. So things like organic apricots, almond flour, millet flour, cacao, rapadura sugar, coconut sugar, lentils, lentil pasta, all of that kind of stuff. So I added the things that align with our eating values and what we want for our family. Now I just put that on the fridge so when we were doing up the shopping list

14:25 - 14:57
Speaker 1: it saves thinking time and energy. It's all about working smarter for me not harder. So we just go through that staples checklist and see what we need. I also love having these things stocked up because I'm the worst. Like if I see a healthy recipe and I don't have the ingredients already, then it's done. I scrap it. Rather than like a normal person, we'll just put the ingredients on the shopping list and buy them next time they're at the shops. I'm like, nah, we don't have the ingredients, can't make that. So I'm a bit of a

14:57 - 15:30
Speaker 1: shocker. Now we just bought a bread maker. Actually, I bought it for Paul's birthday and Paul says it's kind of like when Homer Simpson bought Marge a bowling ball so he could use it. And I'm like, no dude, you love making bread. That's why I bought it for you. And he's like, yeah, I love making bread, but I don't want to make it every day. I'm like well you're making it every day. Anyways the bread maker makes loaves and cakes as well. So I am all about making things as quick and easy as possible. All I

15:30 - 16:03
Speaker 1: have to do is chuck ingredients into this thing and it mixes and cooks. So literally 5 minutes it takes me 5 minutes to make banana bread or these gluten-free chocolate cake. It's the best it suits my needs. I am not a big fan of cooking but other people love cooking. They love the process of being in the kitchen and making something from scratch. So you've got to know yourself and what you really love to do. But I like that whole quick and easy, have all the ingredients there, be able to chuck it in the bread maker

16:03 - 16:39
Speaker 1: and boom it's done. Now step 5 is mindfully choose your recipes. Now we have this kind of food rotation system. You probably do especially if you have kids, You know the things they like and you know the things they don't like. So we've got a few weekly staples Tuesdays always taco night, Wednesday nights always Guzmán y Gómez because it's swimming night and we're out and that's our family fun night. Fridays we usually do some sort of Weber roast and veggies, because my brother-in-law comes over, the boys put the roast on, they do their workout, I prepare

16:39 - 17:13
Speaker 1: the veggies, and then the roast is usually done when their workout's done. So we have this like a little system going. So that's 3 days every week that are pretty much predetermined. So when my husband's on shift, these are simple days. I don't like big, long, elaborate dishes that I have to make, especially when I'm dealing with the kids on my own. So, besides the bread maker, the air fryer is my best friend. So, we might just have something simple like meatballs or salmon. The kids like, they hit and miss on the salmon. Sometimes they just

17:13 - 17:46
Speaker 1: have fish fingers and we'll have it with veggies or homemade potato chips. So, sometimes I use organic normal white potatoes. Sometimes it's sweet potatoes. So that's all pretty simple. It's super easy. Like when people say I don't have time to cook or I hate cooking. I'm like Dude, it's called an air fryer. You don't even have to do anything except open the meatball packet and throw it in there and press a button. Literally my six-year-old can do it. And when I say literally, he does do it. He prepares food. So on top of that, We rotate

17:46 - 18:20
Speaker 1: through a list of about 10 different things. We know what we like and about once a month we do homemade pizza. The boys make the dough from scratch and the whole pizza is made from scratch. It's like our little family treat. Now then there's breakfast. I have about 3 things that I rotate through depending on if I have to work, what time I got to drop kids off, all of that kind of stuff. The easy version for me is fruit and keto cereal. Pretty much Keto cereal is just like nuts and seeds combo. Sometimes I make

18:20 - 18:54
Speaker 1: a smoothie and sometimes I do an omelet. If I'm choosing to eat eggs, I try and minimize the amount of eggs I eat. It's a whole medical medium protocol kind of thing. Now the kids either have wheat beaks and honey or oats and honey or scrambled or poached eggs. Now they love the savory breakfast, my kids, and they would have a savory breakfast every morning and I'm all for that, but some mornings we just don't have time. So this is where wheat beets and honey make their debut. I generally have salad for lunch every day and

18:54 - 19:30
Speaker 1: I make it fun by mixing up the ingredients, mixing up the different natural dressings. I love making an easy hummus and I rotate through different veggies, I batch cook quinoa and I have different salad toppers. So this is how I keep it all fun and interesting. Those pre-cut salad mixes, they're my best friend. Like you got the rocket and the baby spinach mix, you've got your kale mix, you've got your coleslaw mix. In a perfect world, I would be making everything from scratch, but it's just not what happens. So I buy those pre-cut salad mixes. Now

19:30 - 20:04
Speaker 1: this allows me just to set and forget my lunches, right? So every day I know I'm having a salad, but I mix it up a little bit every day to spice it up. I love this because it just becomes mindless healthy eating. How about that? Mindless healthy eating. So mindless selection of eating healthy, like it's a no-brainer. I know, I'm having a salad for lunch. Then I mindfully eat the salad and of course think of ways to spice it up. So here's a couple of fun things to think of when choosing meals. You could include fun

20:04 - 20:43
Speaker 1: meals. You can include things that evoke fond memories of your past or a bit of joy or just kind of fun cooking things. It's all about just keeping it interesting and exciting. For me, the excitement is all about these salad dressings that my sister introduced me to. She bought me 2 and they're delicious. I've run out. I've got to order more, but you've got to do them online because they're like a gourmet salad dressing. Another thing to think of is soulful meals, like things that comfort and uplift you and satisfy you on a deeper level. So,

20:43 - 21:19
Speaker 1: they could be traditional dishes from your cultural heritage, family favorites, recipes that evoke this sense of warmth and nostalgia for you. My thing is, it sounds ridiculous, my mom on holidays always cooked a crock pot, you know, like a stew. She puts it on in the morning. It's cooked by the nighttime and we just eat it like out of a bowl or sometimes chuck it on a piece of bread with butter. So, when we have stew, it is just that soul food for me. It reminds me of my family having fun on holidays. Pretty simple, a

21:19 - 21:56
Speaker 1: stew, but that's what it is for me. Also our monthly pizza, because I love pizza. I'm gonna tell you a quick story about pizza. So I was always trying to make the pizza as healthy as possible. I tried all the cauliflower bases, all the gluten-free bases, all the different things for pizza bases. 1 day Paul just said, Larissa, you've got to stop. Stop this. Honestly, we have pizza once every 4 to 6 weeks how about you just enjoy a real pizza made how I make it and just have a few pieces just enjoy it it's not

21:56 - 22:33
Speaker 1: like we have pizza every week or every day and I'm like okay you're right So now I just eat the pizza without worrying about all the, oh my God, it's not gluten free. I need to make this crazy base or whatever. Right. That's me. And I'm happy with that now. I had to surrender. Now we can make seasonal meals. So different times of year, different times of the year, I should say we crave different things and there's different fruit and vegetables in season. So go into a farmer's market and choosing in season produce is also another

22:33 - 23:11
Speaker 1: thing to really consider when you're creating your meal plans. We all need a quick and easy meal like when we don't have time and we forgot to plan. It's great to have a list of go-to meals like something that takes like 15-20 minutes to cook. Mine is the Cleavers organic meatballs and veggies. I just throw these meatballs in the air fryer. I cook the veggies And my kids also like couscous. They eat couscous. I don't eat the couscous, but the kids like the couscous. Super easy. Good for those lazy nights or weekends. You know, it's just

23:11 - 23:45
Speaker 1: like, oh, let's do it. And then there's, you can have an adventurous meal. Like the ones where you kind of like, oh I've seen this recipe there's a lot of steps to it, but I'm gonna step out of my comfort zone and Challenge myself to try something new So these are all things we can incorporate and consider when we're creating our weekly meal plan. Now we're going to move on to step 6, which is actually make the plan. Now we just buy a bunch of those pads from Kmart that have Monday to Friday. We create the

23:45 - 24:22
Speaker 1: meal plan first every single week. I mark out, you know, taco Tuesday, the Friday roast and the Wednesday night swimming, because money Gomez, and they're already done 3 meals a week. Every week they're already predetermined. And then I marked down what days my husband's working because then look at his roster. I check our family diary to see whether we've got anything on. Like the other day I had first aid and it went to 5.30 in the Arbo. So I wasn't home till a bit later. So that changed what we ate that night. So we do all

24:22 - 24:55
Speaker 1: of these things and then we plan around the schedule. Now because we've planned, we know what to buy when we go to the shop. So it's going to save us money. And also because we've planned, we also work out when we need to prep or even make the meal. Like Thursday nights, we've been going to bootcamp at the park. So me and my husband and his brother-in-law come, we do boot camp and the kids ride around the park at the same time on their bikes. Now, we want the kids to eat before we go because they'll

24:55 - 25:26
Speaker 1: get way too hungry. So they eat at 5, boot camps at 6, we get home at 7 and then we eat, then we shower, put the kids to bed. This is our Thursday nights now. So we know that we have to have the meal either pre-cooked or cooked earlier on in the day I should say. So what we eat and when we prep or make it revolves around our schedule. Now of course the last 1 is plan ahead. Now Paul, my husband, he actually does the majority of the cooking in our house and as you can

25:26 - 26:02
Speaker 1: hear I'm not a huge fan of cooking. I don't know why, I just None of my sisters are. All of our partners and husbands have always done the majority of the cooking. My mum thinks we're pretty lucky. Whole planning ahead is prepping. So you might cut things up in time. But what Paul does is He will never literally cook 1 meal at a time. So when he's cooking the taco mints, which it's not our taco mints is more chickpeas, black beans and kidney beans than mints. He literally cooks 4 meals in 1. So not 4 individual

26:02 - 26:41
Speaker 1: servings. He's bought this massive pan and cooks 4 family meals of taco mince. So it's cooked once and you're done for the whole month. This saves a ridiculously immense amount of time. He does the same thing with spaghetti, he does the same thing with curries. He cooks 2 different curries at once and that gives us 4 different family meals. We freeze them and when we want the curry all we do is take it out and cook the rice. Ridiculously simple. Honestly, if families aren't doing that, they're just wasting precious time on cooking. This is what I

26:41 - 27:15
Speaker 1: say, right? Because I'm not a big fan of it, but some people love cooking. So if you love cooking, don't do that. Now we even do this now when we go on holidays. So we go on holidays with family for 2 weeks in the year and about 6 weeks before we go away, he even cooks extra. So on top of our normal extra batch cooking load, he cooks extra. So we go away for 2 weeks, we bring 10 pre-prepared dinners. They're frozen. And then all we have to do is just heat up the, make the rice

27:15 - 27:46
Speaker 1: or the heat up the taco shells, whatever it is. And that's it. We don't even have to worry about Cooking when we're on holidays so easy. Oh, and then we just put then we just put it in a big angle fridge thing But we set it to freezer, and that's it We plug it into the car and we've got meals that we just heat up in my mum's microwave. Super easy. Now twice a week I make, now I'm using the bread maker, gluten-free banana bread or this gluten-free all-natural chocolate cake for the kids. I like to

27:46 - 28:31
Speaker 1: make that because then that's snacks for them so they're not eating like Arnott's biscuits or biscuits in general that are full of trans fats, sugar, emulsifiers, flavorings, you know all the crud that we should minimise. Now we still have these things in our house but we minimise them and the best way to do that is have other options on hand. Okay, so This works for us. It saves us time, it saves us money, it saves food, and it stops those impulsive food choices that don't align with our individual or our family health goals. Now, you might

28:31 - 29:11
Speaker 1: wanna do it differently. You may already do it differently, but this is just work, this is what works for us. To start this whole process, we just had to sit down, work out what our family and individual values, like health values and health goals are, and really work out how we wanted to prioritize our time, working around kids, kids sport, shift work, evening work for me, so clients and teaching yoga, meditation, and also our workouts as well. So as we come to the end of today's episode, I hope you're feeling a little inspired and empowered to

29:11 - 29:51
Speaker 1: embark on your own journey of mindful meal planning and prep. Remember, meal planning isn't about perfection, it's about progress. It's about showing up for yourself, your health, 1 meal at a time. So remember, we be gentle with ourselves, we embrace the process and celebrate all the small victories along the way. Whether you're a seasoned chef or a novice in the kitchen or kind of like me, it's kind of like I'm not a big fan of cooking, I encourage you to approach meal planning with curiosity, creativity and compassion. So really bringing all of those attitudes of mindfulness

29:51 - 30:37
Speaker 1: into your mindful meal planning and prep. Experiment with new ingredients, flavors and cooking techniques and embrace the joy of cooking and savor the satisfaction of nourishing yourself and your loved ones. I always say the parents are the gatekeepers of their kids' health. And most importantly, we Remember that mindful meal planning isn't just about what you put on your plate, it's about the intention and attention you bring to the entire experience of eating. Slow down, savour each bite and cultivate gratitude for the abundance of nourishment and food that surrounds you. So let's take a little moment for

30:37 - 31:23
Speaker 1: reflection. Take that long deep breath and connect to your own health goals and values. So in what ways do you want food to nourish and enhance your life and also your family's? What are your intentions for your family's health and your own health? And then what is 1 thing that really sparked your curiosity or your interest today? Maybe it could be 1 idea or a little tweak you could make to your mindful meal planning and prep journey To enhance your connection to food, save time so you can do more of what you love. Unless it's cooking

31:23 - 31:58
Speaker 1: itself. Now remember if you ever get overwhelmed or stuck with this I do 1 on 1 consults so please feel free to reach out at any time. I'll pop the link in the show notes. If you found today's discussion valuable in any way, feel free to share it on your social media platforms or with someone you love. If you want more, follow this podcast or even leave a review. I'd love you to connect with us online. I mainly use Instagram and Facebook and I also have a private Facebook group that you can be a part of

31:58 - 32:35
Speaker 1: as well. If you like to read or go back to a certain part of today's podcast, I always include this transcript of the podcast including the timestamps in the show notes. If you want to find out more about Mindful Eating, how it can help you and when you can get started, feel free to grab my free training. It's called Mindful Eating, How Can It Help Me and When Can I Get Started? I'll pop the link in the show notes as well. And remember, your commitment to your wellbeing is a powerful force and I'm here to help

32:35 - 32:53
Speaker 1: you every step of the way. So until next week, take a nourishing breath, savour the journey and embrace the opportunity to live with everyday inspiration. From my heart to yours, thanks for listening. Have a great week. I'll see you next week. Bye for now.

Today, we're diving deep into the delicious dilemma of why we often find ourselves succumbing to the siren call of indulgence, despite our best intentions to resist that extra cupcake, chocolate bar, or, in my case this week, the irresistible allure of grandma's ginger cake.

We'll unravel the mysteries behind our seemingly insatiable cravings and explore the perplexing question: why is it so darn difficult to just say no and stick to it?

We'll delve into the psychology of overindulgence, examining the H.A.L.T acronym to uncover the hidden motivations driving our behaviors when we know deep down that we'd rather exercise restraint.

But here's the kicker: we'll also uncover why relying solely on willpower is like trying to paddle upstream without a paddle. Spoiler alert: it doesn't work in the long run.

So buckle up, my fellow food enthusiasts, as we unravel the five reasons why we often find ourselves reaching for that extra bite when we know we shouldn't. Sure, it's easy to exercise control when we want to, but what about those moments when our appetites seem to have a mind of their own? That's where things get interesting.

So grab your fork and let's dig in as we explore the intricate dance between mind, body, and food in the quest for mindful eating and inner healing. Welcome to the delicious dilemma. Let's feast on the wisdom together.

Links Mentioned:

Free Training: What's Mindful Eating and How can it Help Me

Mindful Eating, Mindset and Metabolism Mastery Course

Facebook

Instagram

Larissa xx

P.S If you love to read the transcript has been included HERE on the SHOW NOTES PAGES

Bring yourself into a state of love and acceptance for all parts of your magnificent self with this introspective meditation. Best enjoyed with earphones on.

We all just want to beloved and accepted for who we are right now, not for who we were or who we may possibly become in the future.

Just as we yearn for acceptance in our relationships with others, our own bodies crave this same tenderness.

Today we take the journey of opening our hearts to the present image of our bodies in the world, letting the wide flowing current of compassion wash away the judgments of the past and the uncertainties of the future.

Embracing the sacred masterpiece of our bodies in this very moment, we navigate the gentle waves of self-discovery, allowing the river of self-love to carry us toward an

embrace of our authentic selves, mending the frayed relationship between mind and body.

Visit the show notes HERE

00:00 - 00:46
Speaker 1: It absolutely broke my heart today. Today I spoke to this really lovely man who told me he's 64 years old and who's been dieting since he was 10 years old. He said now that I'm getting older it's really taking its toll on my health and my needs and he said I want to grow old and he kind of stopped and choked a little bit and he said I want to grow old and still be able to move and enjoy my life. He said, I've been on every diet. He said, Larissa, I even tried the carnivore diet recently because all these people on the internet seem to be losing weight. 

00:46 - 01:06
Speaker 1: And he said, you know what happened? And I said, what? And he said, I put on weight. So this brings me to this week's topic on the podcast, which is all about food freedom. Is food freedom this tempting paradox or a genuine path to well-being? 

01:07 - 01:40
Speaker 1: We're going to pick this concept of food freedom apart and discover if every bite can be a celebration and not a calculation. First up, we're going to address the elephant in the room. Now, I love anti-diet advocates. We need more of them. But I've heard some of them say, food freedom, eat whatever you like and still lose weight. 

01:40 - 02:48
Speaker 1: When I hear this my inner skeptic, well she just raises this little eyebrow and scoffs at the utopian promises and potential pitfalls lurking beneath the surface of this too-good-to-be-true mantra. I mean, let's be real here people, didn't Most people living with metabolic conditions such as high blood pressure or type 2 diabetes, heart disease, just eat whatever they liked and called it a day. Now myself being indoctrinated with diet mentality from such a young age, I just knew these 2 ways of living and eating and being. 1, following strict diet rules, so restriction. And the second 1 is indulging or being off a diet, which meant it was just binge fest time So hearing these words eat whatever you like and still lose weight is kind of like there's a big green flashing light Which meant literally eat whatever you like. 

02:49 - 03:51
Speaker 1: Anyone for pancakes for breakfast, cheese and crackers for morning tea, grazing platter with friends for lunch, pizza for dinner, and who knows, even ice cream for dessert. Here's the kicker, I always had this knot in my stomach when I heard these words, food freedom, eat whatever you like and still lose weight. It really had me standing on the edge of a tightrope, unsure whether to take this liberating leap for freedom or cling to the familiar safety net of conventional diets. The allure of indulging in whatever I craved without repercussions seemed like this distant as I said utopian dream, and the fear of it leading to chaos and health concerns really echoed in the back of my mind. So let's unravel this concept of food freedom bit by bit and whether it's really a tempting paradox or a genuine path to greater health and well-being. 

03:52 - 04:24
Speaker 1: We're going to put the jury out as we explore and define food freedom and how it could apply to our own lives and move us towards living a more nourishing and balanced life. Before we really deep dive in, I'm going to take a small detour. You're going to hang with me here. I'm going to take a look at a definition of financial freedom that I seen off the internet. Then we're gonna take a look at a definition of food freedom that I seen on the internet. 

04:24 - 05:06
Speaker 1: And then we're gonna look at a path to financial freedom, all these Fs, and then a path to food freedom. And then we're gonna dissect it all. So financial freedom, it refers to the state of being where an individual has the capacity to make life choices without Being overly stressed out with the financial impact. It involves having enough financial resources, assets and passive income to cover living expenses and pursue personal goals. This ultimately provides a sense of security, flexibility and independence in managing one's financial affairs. 

05:07 - 05:44
Speaker 1: Financial freedom doesn't necessarily mean immense wealth, but rather achieving a balance where money is a tool for enhancing the quality of life and pursuing meaningful endeavours. Now that sounds really awesome, I'm definitely nowhere near that myself. So that's financial freedom. Now I found this definition on the internet of food freedom. Food freedom is the empowering state of liberating oneself from restrictive diet rules and cultivating a positive relationship with food. 

05:45 - 06:24
Speaker 1: It involves giving unconditional permission to eat a diverse range of foods, making choices based on individual preferences and personal needs. Food freedom is characterized by mindful eating, listening to internal hunger cues, and enjoying a balanced varied diet without guilt or stress. It emphasises the autonomy to make food choices that contribute to both mental and physical wellbeing promoting a sustainable and fulfilling approach to nourishment. Now that sounds pretty awesome too. Now let's look at a basic pathway to financial freedom. 

06:24 - 07:07
Speaker 1: It involves strategic planning, disciplined action, budgeting, saving, investing, debt management, multiple streams of income, financial education, emergency preparedness and long-term planning while living below your means. Achieving financial Freedom is a gradual process that requires patience, discipline, and an adaptability to changing circumstances. It's important to know that these concepts need to be tailored to your own unique situation and financial goals. I think that's worth a bit of a repeat. I like this. 

07:08 - 07:56
Speaker 1: It's a gradual process that requires patience, discipline and adaptability to your own unique changing circumstances. Sounds pretty easy, right? But what gets in the way of financial freedom? Well, experts in the psychology of money say past experiences with money, lack of mentality, growing up in poverty, stress, emotions, people looking for immediate gratification, looks and status are obstacles in the way of attaining financial freedom. And strangely enough, these obstacles also mirror the ones that we face when we're looking to enjoy food freedom. 

07:56 - 08:35
Speaker 1: Now let's look at a basic pathway that I seen mapped out, same thing on the internet, towards creating food freedom. It's a basic concept here. So first and foremost, it was practicing mindful eating. So really learning to pay attention to hunger and fullness cues, eating without distractions, savoring every bite and appreciating the sensory experience of food. It's about learning to let go of diet rules and reconnect with your body's signs and signals, remembering that mindfulness is the first step to lasting behaviour change. 

08:36 - 09:13
Speaker 1: The second part of this was ditching restrictive diet rules, really giving yourself unconditional permission to eat and avoid labelling foods as good and bad. The third thing is listening to your body, learning to differentiate between emotional and physical hunger, making food choices based on genuine needs. The fourth 1 is variety and balance. Embrace a balanced and varied diet and avoid extreme restrictions focusing on incorporating nutrients from different food groups. 2. 

09:13 - 10:04
Speaker 1: Enjoyment and satisfaction – eating foods that bring you joy and satisfaction, considering both taste and also nutritional value. And allowing yourself to indulge in treats without guilt, emphasising moderation. The next 1 is cultivating body positivity, focusing from external appearance to your overall wellbeing, rejecting food guilt, education and awareness about nutrition and making informed health choices that align with your health goals. This also includes staying aware of how marketing, societal norms and external influences impact our relationship with food. Creating food freedom is a personal journey. 

10:04 - 10:28
Speaker 1: It's about finding a sustainable and enjoyable way to nourish your body while fostering a healthy mindset around eating. So Let's define food freedom. I like this 1. Sustainable and enjoyable way to nourish your body while fostering a positive mindset around eating. Oh, there we go. 

10:28 - 10:57
Speaker 1: That's a bit of a breath of fresh air. It's very different from some of the food freedom gurus, just eat whatever you want and still lose weight. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. I'm going to repeat the definition that feels a little bit better and doesn't create a knot in my stomach. Food freedom is finding a sustainable and enjoyable way to nourish our bodies while fostering a positive mindset around eating. 

10:57 - 11:31
Speaker 1: Now what gets in the way of food freedom? Of course, it's the same things that get in the way of financial freedom. Our past experiences with our bodies and diet restricted restrictions, so lack of mentality, stress, immediate gratifying behavior, looks and status. So, all of the same things that get in the way of financial freedom. So we're looking at human behaviour here, not just in relation to food, but in every area of life. 

11:32 - 12:13
Speaker 1: So going back to my only 2 ways that I knew of eating, which was 1, restrictive diets or 2, binging and overeating. Now food freedom for me really lies in the junction between these 2 modes, in the middle. And this brings me to how ancient traditions explain this junction and what it is, and how it can bring us a sense of fulfillment in life. In Buddhism, this concept of avoiding extremes and finding the middle path is encapsulated in the Middle Way or literally called the Middle Path. This principle was actually taught by Buddha himself. 

12:14 - 12:55
Speaker 1: The Middle Way encourages people to avoid extremes, especially of self-indulgence and self-mortification, instead advocating for a balanced approach to life, finding the middle ground. The goal to achieve liberation from suffering is really by following this path of moderation, mindfulness and ethical conduct. And it said that ignorance creates suffering. To attain liberation we need to avoid the pitfalls of extremities. So this is really to me, this is explaining, this encapsulates food freedom itself. 

12:56 - 13:23
Speaker 1: Now this is, I'm gonna give you 2 more examples. 1 is from the yogic philosophy and 1 from the ancient Chinese philosophy and then take which 1 resonates with you. In the yogic tradition, this concept of balance is associated with the principles of Sattva. Sattva is 1 of the 3 Gunas. Gunas are just qualities or attributes described in yogic philosophy. 

13:24 - 13:47
Speaker 1: The other 2 are Rajas and Tamas. Sattva is kind of that neutral ground. It represents the sense of purity or harmony and balance. And it's often associated with clarity, goodness and tranquility. Practicing sattva involves really cultivating this balanced state, avoiding extremes. 

13:47 - 14:22
Speaker 1: So exactly the same as Buddhism. So let's look at a Rāsās. Rāsās is this over energy. Rāsās is characterized by activity, passion, restlessness, and while some degree of activity is necessary, excessive registic qualities can lead to imbalance, stress, over-exertion and burnout. In this tradition, we suggest moderating registic tendencies to maintain a sense of inner balance and calmness. 

14:23 - 15:03
Speaker 1: Now let's look at its polar opposite, which is Tamas, which is this under energy. Tamas is associated with inertia, lethargy and darkness. Over-emphasis on tamas can lead to stagnation, dullness and a lack of motivation. Of course, the yogic path encourages practitioners to overcome tamas by cultivating positive energy and avoiding excessive inertia. This yogic approach really emphasises the importance of maintaining this state of sattva or moving in and out or towards Sattva, which is that middle road again. 

15:03 - 15:31
Speaker 1: In yoga, this is achieved through yogic posture, so asana, breath control, pranayama, meditation, and ethical living. Now last but not least, we're looking at the Chinese medicine principle. We've all heard this, it's yin and yang. So Yin and Yang are these opposite forces that really complement each other. They represent this dualistic nature of life itself and being and existence. 

15:32 - 16:00
Speaker 1: They say understanding these principles are crucial for maintaining health and harmony. So let's look at Yin first. Yin is associated with qualities such as receptivity, passivity, darkness and stillness. An excess of Yin can lead to stagnation, coldness or an overly passive state, disrupting the balance. Yin is also associated to feminine aspects or qualities. 

16:01 - 16:39
Speaker 1: Yang is this over-energy, associated with qualities like warmth and brightness. But excessive yang may result in hyperactivity, too much heat, or even aggressive states leading to imbalance. In the middle, we have wholeness, neutrality, which is referred to as harmony. The ideal state in Chinese medicine is really achieving this balance between yin and yang. This balance is actually dynamic, so it's moving and varies based on the individual, the season and many other factors. 

16:40 - 17:35
Speaker 1: Maintaining harmony involves adopting to changing circumstances and adjusting lifestyle, diet and practices accordingly. Now this reminds me of the definition that was given in the Financial Freedom, it's about adapting to a changing environment. So in Chinese medicine and look we even use it in kinesiology, I'm a kinesiologist, the goal is to support and maintain health through understanding of this under and over balance, this yin and yang, and finding and maintaining that neutral ground. Now I know probably 3 examples might be overkill, but sometimes we need to hear things in a different way and repetition is the mother of All learning and all skill. We've had the answer to food freedom all along. 

17:35 - 18:02
Speaker 1: It's really about encompassing these ancient ways of living. Learning to listen to nature, so listen to your body and practice mindful eating. Strive for a balance between eating for nourishment and eating for pleasure. Making mindful choices based on genuine hunger and satisfaction. By incorporating these principles of yin and yang into our food freedom journey. 

18:02 - 18:32
Speaker 1: It really emphasizes the importance of finding a dynamic and adaptable balance that suits our individual needs. This will promote both physical, mental and emotional well-being. Now just remember I said it before it's a dynamic and adaptable balance. And this looks very different for every single individual. So there's no 1 prescription for food freedom. 

18:32 - 19:36
Speaker 1: Let me give you a few examples and see which 1 you can relate to the most. For someone living with obesity, finding food freedom could be incorporating more natural foods into their diet and slowly decreasing processed food while striking the balance between the perception of restriction and overconsumption. Food freedom for someone experiencing anorexia could be increasing food consumption and totally being okay with eating some processed food. Food freedom for someone stuck in a chronic dieting cycle could be learning to tune into the body's hunger cues and really discovering which foods bring a sense of vitality and introducing previous off-limit foods in very small quantities, maybe regularly. For some people, it could even be small quantities on a daily basis to stop that overcompensation that happens when we binge out or go off the diet. 

19:37 - 20:10
Speaker 1: Food freedom for an individual living with celiacs could be physically, mentally and emotionally totally come under terms with being ok with not eating gluten or wheat and celebrating what can be consumed without physical distress. So somewhere between addiction and extreme restriction is this beautiful balance point called food freedom. That is definitely worth a repeat. Somewhere between addiction and extreme restriction is this beautiful balance point called food freedom. That is definitely worth a repeat. 

20:10 - 21:13
Speaker 1: Somewhere between addiction and extreme restriction is this beautiful balance point called food freedom. And the thing is food freedom so much isn't about food itself, but about our own approaches to ourselves, our behaviors and our mindset around food, really unpacking and exploring our relationship with food, whether it's our past or our present relationship, and maybe moving from yin towards yang, or moving from yang towards yin. It's different for everyone, it's dynamic and changing. It's really about understanding our own unique circumstances surrounding food and unravelling that complex nature of our own individual eating patterns. It's also this ongoing education, building a knowledge base around yourself, your eating triggers, your behaviours and possibly even keeping up to date with the latest research in what's going on with health and vitality. 

21:14 - 22:30
Speaker 1: Now something that I've been teaching for years is that not all foods are created equal and not all calories are created equal. Which if you've listened to the very first podcast on this show, it was all about calories and how they're not created equal. And I think it's really important to mention that our food landscape has changed dramatically over the last 40 years with this introduction of highly palatable and processed foods. Now, many of the ingredients in these edible items have been proven to be addictive and can really interfere with our hunger and satiety hormones and can alter our brain chemistry which of course alters everything else this whole cascade happens so it can alter our hormones and the our body gets out of balance We move away from the harmony in our body and in our system, that sense of homeostasis that our bodies need to thrive. Now many of these foods drive hunger And I feel it's really important to continually add this in here because it's said a lot in intuitive eating and mindful eating, you know, just eat when you're hungry and stop when you're full. 

22:30 - 23:16
Speaker 1: Now I agree that we need to tune in to our bodies, but we also need to understand that this changing food landscape has changed the way our bodies react to certain foods. Because some people actually feel hungry nearly almost all of the time, or even quite quickly after eating a meal because of these highly processed foods. Now some People also experience the opposite. They're always so busy or in this low-level state of stress that they never feel hungry and they forget to eat. So it's important to continually look at these 2 extremes that can happen in our lives. 

23:16 - 23:53
Speaker 1: Now I had a client last year who received a cancer diagnosis and she worked with me because she really wanted to support herself during her treatment and in recovery. We talked about all different things like stress being a huge factor, really balancing the nervous system, getting out of fight or flight, getting out of like this tonic state and finding this balance. Anyways, food come up a lot because there's many different ways we need to support our bodies in times of illness. And she said, you know what Larissa? She said, I really used to think that I ate healthy. 

23:53 - 24:36
Speaker 1: And now that we've spoken in depth about it, she goes, I realize I haven't really been eating that healthy after all. Now I assure her she's not alone and a lot of it has to do with marketing. You know, we think that this certain cereal is healthy by the way it's been marketed, or this eat this bread because this is so much better for you because it's got fortified iron in it and added fiber. So the thing is statistics say most people eat up to 60 to 80% of processed or ultra processed foods daily. All right, so let's get back to food freedom. 

24:36 - 25:22
Speaker 1: It's super important to understand when we're trying to tune into our own hunger cues, like why do I feel hungry all the time? Or why don't I ever feel hungry? So these products can interfere with our natural hunger and satiety hormones and cues. Another way I like to see food freedom for myself is really learning to create healthy boundaries with myself and boundaries that I can feel safe in. Now, when we look at relationships, relationships thrive and the people in relationships thrive physically, mentally, and emotionally when we have healthy boundaries and we feel safe in those boundaries. 

25:23 - 25:53
Speaker 1: A similar thing happens with children. Children thrive when they have healthy boundaries. They don't thrive when they have no boundaries or the boundaries are too tight. We can look at food freedom as this dynamic and adaptable way of life, but it's about creating healthy boundaries that we feel safe in. So it doesn't mean not having any personal or ethical guidelines about food. 

25:54 - 26:29
Speaker 1: Now this is where some definitions of food freedom could really be misinterpreted or misrepresented. It's about letting go of diet rules. I agree with that, but it doesn't mean not having ethical boundaries around food. We also need to remember that finding our own sense of food freedom can really show up very differently from 1 person to the other, depending on their past relationship with food and their health. It's a very individual, there's no antidote to food freedom. 

26:29 - 27:35
Speaker 1: It's about really just finding that space and place and unravelling your food behaviours. So, let's take a little time for reflection, maybe take a gentle breath. And we remember that mindfulness is simply being in awareness without judgment. You might take a moment and just cast your awareness over your own patterns with food or your own behaviour patterns. You might spend a little bit of time now or after this episode's finished just reflecting on and uncovering some of your own rules or beliefs around food, whether it's restriction or overconsumption, really looking at these imbalances, these imbalances that no longer serve us. 

27:38 - 28:35
Speaker 1: And we really wanna remember when we look at this that food freedom isn't this green light to binge eat and feast on food with no nutritional value. It isn't about being haphazard or sitting in the seat of ignorance. Remember, in these philosophies, ignorance creates suffering. It's really about navigating these polarities of control vs freedom, restriction vs variety, guilt vs pleasure, and the clash between external rules, the rules of others, and your body's own internal wisdom. Food freedom isn't just about what's on your plate, it's about liberating how you think and feel about food, and also your relationship with food. 

28:36 - 29:30
Speaker 1: And at its core, food freedom fosters a positive relationship with food enabling you to eat without stress, anxiety, guilt while making choices based on taste, satisfaction, but also your overall health. So take a moment to really soak up this wisdom and these words of how we can move towards food freedom and what food freedom could offer you in your life. So you might even like to close your eyes if you're not driving and reconnect to your breath and your body. Noticing right now if you feel hungry, neutral, satisfied, awful. Awful. 

29:35 - 30:22
Speaker 1: Acknowledging your beautiful body, the gift of life living through you. And what would it feel like in your own body to open up to the possibilities of food freedom? And the wholeness of complete love and acceptance of yourself and your body. And ponder what would you need to let go of? Physically, mentally, or emotionally to experience this sense of food freedom or food harmony, whatever you would like to call it? 

30:28 - 31:15
Speaker 1: What would you really need to invite into your life and at what level? Physically, mentally, emotionally. What do you need to create space for? And really take as long as you need to allow the guidance or the answers to surface. And even when we finish listening to the podcast, which is very soon, we can always take out our journal and connect with ourselves and our intuition, asking for greater understanding of the answers to these questions. 

31:16 - 32:05
Speaker 1: And then noting what small intentional steps, small, 1 little intentional step could you take to enhance your relationship with food, yourself and your own health and well-being. Stay there if you like or when you feel ready, gently opening the eyes. Today, we've really pondered this concept of food freedom, possibly what it is and also what it's not. I think that's probably for me that was the greatest takeaway of what food freedom is not. If you found this discussion valuable, feel free to share it with someone you feel or think may benefit from it. 

32:05 - 32:43
Speaker 1: Feel free to connect with our community online, whether it's through Facebook or Instagram, and share your thoughts and support each other. Remember that you can also find the link to today's show notes in description. And if you're someone who likes to read through things, I will always include the transcript so you can go back and read it. It also includes the timestamp. So, if you want to go back to those pondering questions and write them in your journal, then just look up the time and fast forward and rewind the podcast to where it needs to be. 

32:43 - 33:32
Speaker 1: And finally, please consider subscribing to the podcast, leave a review and stay tuned for more episodes. If you feel this gentle pull to really discover your own behaviours and how you can move towards that sense of balance or harmony in your life, feel free to check out our online program Mindful Eating, Mindset and Metabolism Mastery. I'll also pop the link in the description below as well. Remember that your commitment to your well-being is a powerful force and I'm here to help you every step of the way. So until next time, take a nourishing breath, savour the journey and embrace the opportunity to live with everyday inspiration. 

33:33 - 33:40
Speaker 1: From my heart to yours, thanks for listening and I look forward to sharing again with you next week. Bye for now. 

00:04 - 00:38
Speaker 1: Life can be really hard at times, and the body a really painful place. It can be a place of fear, distress, scarcity, sorrow, pain and even loss. All of these bear a heavy burden on the human spirit. In the pursuit of solace, many of us turn to a seemingly comfortable companion, food. In today's episode, we're going to delve into the intricate relationship between stress and our eating habits. 

00:38 - 01:41
Speaker 1: We'll explore the depths of emotional connections to food and unravel the physiological mechanisms at play here and discover evidence-based strategies to navigate the turbulent waters of stress-induced eating. It's time to understand why we eat when we're stressed and more importantly know how we can break free from this cycle. So welcome to your continued journey of self-discovery and empowerment. I'll never forget this. Following a tumultuous year, filled with this string of a relationship breakup, the heartache of my first pregnancy loss, and this disorientating fog of losing my sense of direction in life yet again, I made this really bold decision. 

01:42 - 02:26
Speaker 1: I was gonna leave my job and move from my role running 1 of Australia's prestige women's health clubs and embark on a solo journey around Australia. Yep, me and my trusty Corolla, that was it. In the aftermath of these profound losses, I really sought solace and I needed to rediscover myself and sense of purpose. I needed a little place to heal and reconnect and find my way again. I wanted to focus on me and my health instead of the health and wellness of the 2,000 health club members that I actually felt responsible for. 

02:26 - 03:17
Speaker 1: Now traveling alone, it sounds really glamorous to some, yet the aloneness can it can have this really deafening void that amplifies the relentless inner chatter. While striving on my own, kilometre after kilometre, and in the midst of awe-inspiring landscapes, This internal dialogue turns into this discord of self-doubt, haunting reflections, and this distressing sense of isolation. I used food to self-soothe. I used food to dampen the intensity of my discomfort. I use food as this momentary escape to suppress the grip of overwhelming waves of painful emotion and the untethered sensation in my body that accompanies that emotion. 

03:17 - 03:32
Speaker 1: So this particular day I was driving through the colorful countryside of Tasmania, Australia when I hit a proverbial wall. I was emotionally exhausted and I was done. I was done. I was done with crying. I was done with feeling. 

03:32 - 04:00
Speaker 1: I was done just screaming to music that was turned up to this offensive level. I was done. I stopped at the next food outlet that I came along and it kind of looked like If the health authorities checked it out, it would be closed down. It was like this little fish and chip shop at the side of the road. I went in and I ordered a battered fish burger, chips and a few potato scallops, sat in my car and absolutely inhaled them. 

04:02 - 04:21
Speaker 1: Sweet relief. Fat, salt, and carbohydrate. Connections of comfort. I enjoyed it, and it shifted my state for a moment. Then I just got on with feeling the discomfort that I'm actually used to. 

04:21 - 04:42
Speaker 1: The discomfort that I can control. The guilt, the shame and this disgust in myself for eating fried food. For eating food that I knew better not to. The thing was, these feelings, although uncomfortable, they were also familiar. And I was like totally okay with that. 

04:42 - 05:25
Speaker 1: It feels safer to have Familiar uncomfortableness than unfamiliar uncomfortableness. Because you see, we all make decisions based on what we consciously or even unconsciously will assume give us more advantage over disadvantage at any given moment. We see food as this welcome relief because many of us don't have any other momentary, viable alternatives to balance the holds of stress or dampen the grips of emotional discomfort. We just want to check out for a while in the land of saturated satiation. Give me that over stress. 

05:25 - 06:09
Speaker 1: Now, even though we consciously know that overeating or gorging on processed food is toxic, in those moments it becomes our tonic. The toxic becomes a tonic and the brain links that emotional and chemical connection of comfort and pleasure to the food that we're consuming. Now, each time we do this, each time we repeat this behavior, the stress strategy that you've come up with, it becomes reinforced. Our reward centers in our brain light up like the night sky on the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve. Now, I was and I actually still am 1 of those annoying kids. 

06:09 - 06:25
Speaker 1: And now people that, you know, I want to know why. Like, why do we do this? Why does this happen? Why against all of our learning and knowledge and knowing what to eat and what's healthy and what's not? Why do we keep coming back to these foods? 

06:25 - 07:02
Speaker 1: And why do we keep repeating these behaviours that we know are holding us back? So let's just take a look at the mechanisms at play here, some of the physiology or the biology of what's going on. So biological factors, they really play this key role in stress-induced eating and it involves hormonal changes and brain responses to the craving and the reward of what's going on. So let's just look at the hormonal changes going on first. So stress, we all know, releases cortisol. 

07:02 - 07:32
Speaker 1: Cortisol is a hormone associated with the body's fight or flight response. Now there's many hormones at play here and they all work as a symphony, but I'm gonna keep this as simple as possible. So elevated cortisol levels, they really can increase appetite, especially for high calorie and comfort foods. So stress also stimulates the production of ghrelin. Now ghrelin is sometimes referred to as the hunger hormone. 

07:32 - 08:13
Speaker 1: Now elevated hunger hormones, ghrelin, may contribute to an increased desire for food during these stressful situations. Now what also happens here is stress also decreases leptin. And this is another hormone associated with eating, but this time leptin is the hormone that actually signals that you're full. So let's repeat that. Stress can increase ghrelin, the hunger hormone, because the body needs some extra fuel to aid the process of the stress response, and it decreases leptin, the hormone that signals satiety. 

08:14 - 08:54
Speaker 1: There we have the perfect mix of overeating. Stress also influences insulin levels through the same fight flight activation pathways that fight or flight governed by the release of stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline. Now we're going to take a little bit of a look at how they all work together. When stress occurs, cortisol is released from the adrenal glands, prompting the liver to produce glucose. Now this surge in glucose is part of the body's preparation for this quick energy mobilisation in response to whatever the perceived threat is. 

08:54 - 09:51
Speaker 1: To manage this increased glucose, insulin is released from the pancreas to facilitate the uptake of glucose in our cells. Now, that is all well and good if the perceived threat is some sort of growling pit bull terrier that you need. The energy from the glucose release and the insulin delivering it to the cells to hightail it out of there as fast as you can, which is the flight response. Or some angry Karen comes wielding fists at you claiming that she had her hands on that Boxing Day bargain you've just squirreled into your trolley and you have to defend yourself from her kung fu cross grappling strikes. But if you're sitting in traffic or at your desk or changing your kid's nappy or scrolling on the socials when stress levels spike, then you're probably not going to be able to utilize that rise in blood sugar. 

09:51 - 10:38
Speaker 1: How low elevated blood sugar levels. This is why prolonged elevation of cortisol, as seen in chronic stress situations, they can actually lead to insulin resistance. In insulin resistance, the cells become less responsive to insulin signaling and glucose uptake becomes less efficient. This can result in elevated blood sugar levels and over time can contribute to the development of type 2 diabetes. Now I go way further into the explanation of this and how it works and how to overcome it in my online program, Mindful Eating Mindset and Metabolism Mastery. 

10:39 - 11:23
Speaker 1: Okay, so now let's look at some of or 1 of the brain responses to stress. Firstly, the amygdala activation. Now the amygdala is a region in the brain that is associated amongst other things with emotion. Now, when we're stressed, we're basically kicked out of our higher mind logical thinking, which is our cognitive function, sometimes called the executive center or systems to thinking and into this reactive emotional state, which is a lower brain state. So rather than a measured response, we basically just go on autopilot and start reacting to the world around us. 

11:24 - 11:57
Speaker 1: Now, the amygdala drives you to seek support of that which supports survival or comfort while actively steering you away from that which challenges your survival or discomfort. Now this part of the brain is activated by your mere perception of challenge or support, or threat or pleasure. Okay? Your mere perception of challenge or support. It could be your boss walking past your office and looking at you in a weird way. 

11:57 - 12:36
Speaker 1: And you think, oh my gosh, I heard there's gonna be pay cuts. Why is my boss looking at me in a weird way? I reckon I'm on the list Right. So this is just a mere perception and story that you've told yourself but your body will believe that story, your body, your somatic sense, and you feel that, and this is the stress response in action, right? We can also take a look at these mechanisms in context to yoga and Buddhism as what we call avoidance or attachment. 

12:36 - 13:14
Speaker 1: Now we want to avoid pain and attach ourselves to pleasure. It's a mere human response to life. The problem is the food landscape has dramatically changed over the past 40 years with the introduction of highly palatable also known as ultra processed foods. In the book by Chris Tullican, Ultra-Processed People, ultra-processed food is described as an industrially produced edible substance. So not actually food itself, right? 

13:14 - 14:28
Speaker 1: It's an industrially produced edible substance. Processes and ingredients used to manufacture ultra-processed foods are designed to create highly profitable, low-cost ingredients and long shelf life, convenient, ready-to-consume, hyper-palatable products. When we look at our craving and reward system, these highly palatable and profitable to food manufacturers foods, when consumed send out dopamine levels soaring, creating a neurochemical response that reinforces the desire for these highly palatable and often commercially successful foods. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter and hormone associated with the anticipation of pleasure and reward and pleasure and reward itself. Now consuming certain foods, especially those high in sugar, salt and fat, can further activate the brain's reward system, reinforcing the link between stress relief and specific food choices. 

14:29 - 15:25
Speaker 1: So we're literally hooked. And as I said earlier the toxic becomes a tonic When we stress we rarely feel like a pun of the strawberries or a carrot, right? We always tend to go for these highly processed and hyper palatable foods I don't know about you but for me, it's like the chocolate or the ice cream or the pizza and for a lot of people, the chips or the dips, whatever it is. So eating these comfort foods increases dopamine, reinforcing the reward system and also releases amongst other things endorphins, providing this sense of pleasure and comfort in the moment. Now This release of endorphins continues to provide positive reinforcement and contributes to the ongoing tendency to use food as a coping mechanism. 

15:26 - 16:38
Speaker 1: Understanding these biological mechanisms really helps to shed light on why stress often leads to specific food preferences and increased consumption. Now we're going to look at what to do now that we've learned to understand ourselves a little bit better and why it isn't just all about willpower or sometimes, you know, I like to refer to it as won't power, but we needed to really look at these mechanisms in the context of what is it doing at a biological level. So delving into strategies to manage stress and promote overall wellbeing is really crucial in breaking the cycle of stress-induced eating. Developing a toolbox of alternate coping strategies is also key to steering you away from food-based coping and towards healthier, viable alternatives. Now, another important step is to really identify your eating triggers. 

16:38 - 17:29
Speaker 1: So we know stress in general, but what is triggering the stress itself? You can do this by reflection or working with somebody who understands this. Now let's look at some other viable alternatives. Mindful eating can really assist people in this whole process as 1 of the first steps to the mindful eating cascade, which is a 7 step system that I've created to help people understand themselves better, their eating triggers and enjoy food even more, is to just stop and check in with yourself and really ask yourself, am I actually hungry? If not, then we can start to delve a little bit deeper and question ourselves about why are we reaching for food right now? 

17:29 - 18:03
Speaker 1: And then we can move towards and through the eating triggers checklist. We all know that mindfulness and mindfulness practices can also help us with managing stress in general and has also proven to help with nervous system injuries such as post-traumatic stress. Okay, so then there's another 1 which we've all heard before. Exercise and movement can be a really great way to release endorphins and manage stress. Now, I always say as long as you're participating in something you enjoy doing, you're actually more likely to do it. 

18:03 - 18:46
Speaker 1: Finding a way you like to move or a place you like to go or a particular exercise, whatever it is for you, that you enjoy doing to help balance your stress can really help. Calming and coping breath techniques have also been proven to help individuals calm down that stress response. Now I love these because they can be done in the moment. You don't need anything special or breathing, right? You just need to know what to do to change your breath to, I don't even like to use that word, hack your nervous system, but I'm going to explain that the breath is sometimes referred to as a bridge to the nervous system. 

18:46 - 19:12
Speaker 1: So manipulating the breath can really help to balance the nervous system. This is why the military are using many of these techniques because they have now been proven to work thanks to research. Thanks guys and women who are doing all of this research show calming and coping breath techniques. Also somatic movement and somatic sensing can help. I don't like to leave you guys hanging, so I have a free trial available. 

19:12 - 19:46
Speaker 1: I'll put the link in the show notes of my Radiant Relaxation Online Program. This Radiant Relaxation Program is really to help people let stress melt away and a sense of calm and peacefulness flow in. Now the whole program consists of 18 short yet impactful practices for a balanced more nourishing life. There's breath techniques, there's mind and also body techniques. Now I have a free trial which includes 5 different practices. 

19:47 - 20:21
Speaker 1: So if you go to my website on the homepage, everydayinspiration.co, so everydayinspiration.co, and scroll down about halfway, it'll just say free Radiant Relaxation five-day mini course. So you can grab that. I'll also put the link in the show notes. But if you're truly serious about unraveling the grips and behavior of stress eating, you might like to consider purchasing the whole Radiant Relaxation Program and the Mindful eating mindset and metabolism mastery course. Now we all know how to count calories, right? 

20:21 - 21:09
Speaker 1: It's a no brainer, but most of us have never learned to cope with life and manage our stress in a healthy way. Now, instead we compound the negative effects of stress with food that takes away our energy and our vitality even further. Now, if you're a stress eater, know that it's actually not your fault. This behavior was probably modeled to you by adults in your life or encouraged by media and advertising. We don't live in a culture, well maybe we do now, but many of us haven't grown up in a culture where these stress balancing practices were even taught or readily available. 

21:09 - 21:32
Speaker 1: And I know me, I'm at the time of recording this, I'm 45. So I didn't have the internet until I was in my mid-20s, right? Not like we do today. Now, just as a side note, it's also important, I think, to add that some people, when stressed, actually lose their appetite. So, they stop eating. 

21:32 - 22:15
Speaker 1: They don't want to eat. Or I've known people in the past that they don't feel like eating, so they just drink Diet Coke or Coke or drink coffee because they still kind of feel like they need that energy boost. So, this reaction can also over time impede our health, whether it's our mind or body health. It's all about striking this elusive balance of understanding, you know, wisdom and being able to take knowledgeable action moving forward. So let's take a few moments, I encourage you to take a gentle breath and reflect. 

22:18 - 23:02
Speaker 1: You might like to consider any insights you've gained about yourself or your own behavior after listening to today's podcast. What small intentional steps could you take to redefine your relationship with stress, eating, health and your own wellbeing? Health and your own wellbeing. Remember that we're all just doing the best we can until we know how to do better. Then we can do that. 

23:04 - 23:39
Speaker 1: So if you found today's discussion valuable, feel free to share it with someone who you might feel or think may benefit from it. Feel free to connect with our community online and share your thoughts to support each other. You can also find the link to today's show notes. I always include the transcript. So if you're someone who likes to read through the information to receive or absorb it a little bit better, then I do always include this the transcript. 

23:39 - 24:04
Speaker 1: So please go to the show notes. I also link out a discussion post at everydayinspiration.co. So that's everydayinspiration.co forward slash podcast. You'll find the links to all the show note pages there. And finally, please consider subscribing to the podcast, leave a review and stay tuned for more episodes. 

24:05 - 24:33
Speaker 1: Your commitment to your wellbeing is a powerful force and I'm here to help you every step of the way. So until next time, Take a nourishing breath, savor the journey and embrace the opportunity to live with everyday inspiration. From my heart to yours, thank you for listening and I look forward to sharing with you next week. Bye for now! 

Rediscover self-trust, rekindle hope, and realise your dreams despite past failures and lost self-belief.

Today we'll explore the process of healing from unmet weight goals, broken health promises and cultivating the rebuilding of self-belief and self-trust.

You may wish to have a journal handy so you can explore insights gained from this introspective meditation or to engage in automatic or intuitive writing allowing your higher self to guide an ever deeper healing or expression of yourself.

Don't Miss an Episode, Sign up HERE

00:00 - 00:57
Speaker 1: Whether you're overweight, suffer from an eating disorder, you're navigating specific health challenges or you just want to get the most out of your health and of course your life, mindful eating can help re-establish a natural and healthy connection with the way we approach and relate to food and our bodies. Savouring food is meant to be a delightful experience and a source of joy. However, our complex and often conflicting relationship with food can rob us of the simple pleasure and nourishment it's meant to bring. Integrating mindful eating into our daily lives can help us reclaim that basic satisfaction and make eating a truly gratifying part of our lives. It also has the potential to liberate us from the burdens of food choice guilt or the scrutiny of constant calorie counting. 

00:57 - 01:46
Speaker 1: And it can even address more profound challenges such as overeating, emotional or comfort eating and even recovery from eating disorders. In today's episode, we're going to take a bit of a look at the definitions of mindful eating, the origins and of course the benefits to your overall mind-body health. Let's do it! Oh my gosh, I remember sitting down after this stressful and energy-draining demanding day at work. I'd planned to do some exercise, go and take my dog for a walk, but my energy levels were way below baseline and my mind felt laser locked like 1 of those Air Force jets on its target, like in Top Gun Maverick. 

01:47 - 02:17
Speaker 1: And it was so, it was laser locked Towards seeking out the exact food I needed to consume to lift my mood, balance my rising stress levels and simply all round make me feel better. As I scanned my options, my mind sought solace in the comforting arms of the leftover ice cream I remembered was wedged up in the back of the freezer. Yes! Yes! I had totally forgotten about that ice cream. 

02:17 - 02:46
Speaker 1: I was so happy I didn't have to jump in my car and go up to the 7-Eleven on the corner because that just felt like so much effort in the moment. But I would have resorted to that. My actions and mind were so erratic in that moment. They were erratic as a flickering flame and a gusty storm swaying unpredictably between moments of, I can't get this ice cream into me quick enough. And you should really be out walking right now like your original plan Larissa. 

02:48 - 03:15
Speaker 1: Oh god, I've completely stuffed my diet. I'm also going to be so bloated tomorrow thanks to being lactose intolerant. Seriously, why don't you have any willpower when everyone else you seem to know seems to have it all together. I'm never going to reach my goal weight ever. Why did I even bother spending hundreds of dollars last week at the naturopath to give me a program? 

03:17 - 03:47
Speaker 1: Oh, I then looked down to an empty ice cream container. The ice cream was gone. I hadn't even actually tasted or fully immersed myself into the joy or the pleasure that I was actually seeking from it. Maybe the first bite before my mind took a hold of me putting me into a whirlwind of self-doubt, guilt and regret. Okay, my mind said I'm pretty sure there's some biscuits in the cupboard. 

03:48 - 04:04
Speaker 1: Yes! And then the cycle repeated itself. I really wish I knew back then what I know now. 1, that your mind can either be your best friend or your worst enemy. 2, my problem wasn't actually with food. 

04:04 - 04:42
Speaker 1: It was with my inability to manage my emotional state and lack of stress relieving practices. 3. Mindful eating could have brought me to the centre of the joy or pleasure I was seeking through food to balance out my stress and emotions. If only I knew how to shut up my mind and enjoy the moment. Thanks to mindfulness, my relationship with myself, my emotions and food has taken a full 360 degree tone. 

04:42 - 05:40
Speaker 1: Through the practice of mindfulness, full Disclosure here, which I once judged as lacking depth and boring, but not anymore, I discovered a profound shift in how I relate to myself, navigate my emotions and also engage with food. The once tumultuous waves of self-doubt and emotional turmoil began to settle, replaced by a calm and compassionate, more empowering dialogue with myself. Most of the time. Mindfulness became my anchor, grounding me in the present moment and allowing me to respond to my emotions with clarity, rather than this reactive impulsivity like a crazy woman. It extended its transformative touch to my relationship with food, turning meals into a mindful union rather than a battlefield of guilt and restriction. 

05:41 - 06:12
Speaker 1: This 360 degree transformation wasn't just about how I ate or how I looked. It was really this holistic metamorphosis encompassing my mindset, my emotions, and of course, my overall wellbeing. Mindfulness, like a guiding light, led me to a place of self-acceptance and empowered choice. It fostered a healthier and more harmonious connection with myself and of course the world around me. And this is exactly why I'm here to share it with you today. 

06:12 - 06:37
Speaker 1: And this podcast itself is called mindful eating and inner healing. Although I once thought it was lackluster, lack depth and was boring, it couldn't be anything from that. Actually it's kind of like the complete opposite to all of that. Where did it all begin? Well, mindful eating has its roots in ancient mindfulness practices, particularly derived from the Buddhist teachings. 

06:38 - 07:35
Speaker 1: The concept draws inspiration from mindfulness meditation, which emphasizes being fully present and attentive to the current moment. In the context of eating, this means bringing full awareness to the experience of consuming food. The Buddhist practice of mindfulness, known as sati in Pali and smriti in Sanskrit, involves cultivating awareness, attention and presence in everyday activities, including eating. Mindful eating shares principles with Zen teachings where practitioners are encouraged to engage in all senses and appreciate each bite with complete attention. The modern application of mindful eating emerged in the 20th century with experts like Jon Kabat-Zinn incorporating mindfulness into the Western therapeutic practice. 

07:36 - 08:07
Speaker 1: I love sharing Jon Kabat-Zinn's definition of mindfulness. It's pretty simple. It's that mindfulness means paying attention in a particular way, on purpose, in the present moment and non-judgmentally. Where was he when I needed that? This definition encapsulates the essence of mindfulness, emphasizing intentional and non-judgmental awareness of the current moment. 

08:07 - 08:54
Speaker 1: This would have come in handy when I was spending half of my precious time judging my actions all day long. Jon Kabat-Zinn founded the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Program and Clinic. This has been instrumental in introducing mindfulness practices into the mainstream healthcare system and wellness fields. I delve much deeper into mindfulness itself, the tenets of mindfulness and the application of mindfulness in my online course, Mindful Eating, Mindset and Metabolism Mastery. So for today, overall, mindful eating has evolved from these contemplative traditions blending Eastern philosophy with contemporary insights into wellbeing and nutrition. 

08:55 - 09:35
Speaker 1: Now let's move into the juicy part. We're going to explore some key research findings that highlight the profound benefits of cultivating mindfulness in our approach to food or our approach to eating and healing from negative food triggers. So the first 1 is weight management. Research indicates that mindful eating can really contribute to weight management. It does this by fostering a heightened awareness of hunger and fullness cues, reducing overeating, and promoting a healthier relationship with food. 

09:35 - 10:18
Speaker 1: So basically having a connection with our body and noticing our body's feedback rather than being distracted by the phone, some other random thought or a mental game you're playing with yourself. Or like me, berating yourself because you think what you're eating shouldn't be what you were eating right in that moment. So the second 1 is our digestive health. Mindful eating has actually been associated with improved digestion. By learning to slow down and savour each bite, we can experience better digestion, reduce discomfort and enhance nutrient absorption. 

10:19 - 10:53
Speaker 1: Let's face it, what we eat, we want to get the most out of what we eat. Now the third 1 is emotional wellbeing. Research suggests that Practicing mindfulness while eating can positively impact emotional well-being. By cultivating a non-judgmental awareness of thoughts and feelings related to food, we may be able to reduce emotional eating and develop healthier coping mechanisms. Yes, thank you mindfulness. 

10:53 - 11:24
Speaker 1: This is the journey that I've been on. And let's face it, I'm still learning to conquer different aspects and different triggers that are surfacing. Now, the fourth 1 we're looking at today is blood sugar regulation. Preliminary research indicates that mindful eating can play a role in managing blood sugar levels. The practice encourages a more balanced and thoughtful approach to food choices, potentially benefiting those with diabetes, prediabetes, or metabolic syndrome. 

11:30 - 11:54
Speaker 1: 5. Stress reduction. Mindfulness practices, including mindful eating, have been linked to reduce stress levels. By approaching meals with a calm and present mind, we may be able to mitigate stress-related eating patterns and enhance overall resilience to stress. Now the thing is when we're stressed blood flow is shunted. 

11:54 - 12:25
Speaker 1: Blood flow and energy moves away from the process of digestion and is used up in the stress response. This I go into actually I have like a whole module in Mindful Eating Mindset and Metabolism Mastery just on stress. Now actually this is the last 1 and the best 1. Mindful eating can enhance our enjoyment of food. Let's face it, most of us besides general daily nourishment, we actually look for pleasure out of food. 

12:26 - 13:24
Speaker 1: So, mindful eating emphasises savoury in each bite and helps us foster a deeper appreciation for all the beautiful richness, flavours and textures of the food we eat. Research also suggests that people who engage in mindful eating may experience greater enjoyment of their meals and this overall leads to a more satisfying experience with food. These research-backed insights may emphasise the transformative power of being present and intentional in our relationship with food and show how the benefits extend far beyond eating itself. Everyone and anyone can count calories, right? But do you know how to overcome the tight grips of the urge to overeat? 

13:24 - 13:57
Speaker 1: Or how to overcome emotional eating? Or take the steps to recover from binge eating problems? Mindful eating can really help manage our mind and our behaviour relating to all of these behaviours. Now, a quick little recap before I invite you to explore this week's action step. Mindful eating can help us tune in to our body's own wisdom about what, when and how much to eat. 

13:58 - 14:52
Speaker 1: I always say Wisdom needs a little space to surface. And when we're rushing around all the time and we're moving from 1 thing to the other, we don't give this wisdom or this connection to our intuitive or our higher self any time at all to surface and speak. Mindful eating also allows us to eat less while feeling fully satisfied. It helps us identify our habits and our patterns with food. Now if you listen to our last episode, I explained how quite often food is an effect rather than a cause, but we focus on a problem, of our overweight problem or our overeating problem, but we focus on the food rather than the cause. 

14:52 - 15:28
Speaker 1: Just like at the beginning of this show today, my story, it was like, well, food, I thought was the problem, right? Food and my willpower. But what my problem was really was my lack of strategy strategies to balance my stress and I would have done anything not to feel my emotions I I didn't know the beautiful art of welcoming emotions. All I knew was how to suppress them, right? And look, that can help us when we have strong emotions that we don't know what to do with. 

15:28 - 16:05
Speaker 1: But long-term, Stuffing down emotions, it affects our physical, mental, and emotional health. So mindful eating helps to identify some of the root causes of our habits and patterns, our food behaviors I call it. And mindful eating also helps us develop a more compassionate attitude towards our own struggles with eating. Like rather than sitting there and just berating yourself like I did, like Larissa, you're such an idiot, you have no willpower, you're never going to be able to do this. You might be able to add to that list, right? 

16:05 - 17:04
Speaker 1: And so can I, that is not an exhaustive list of some of the awful things I've said to myself over the years, but I'm in recovery from smack talk to myself? And I wish that many of us stop bullying ourselves. Mindful eating isn't about perfection, but it's about cultivating awareness and fostering a healthy connection with the nourishment we provide with our bodies. Whether you are seeking weight management, emotional wellbeing or just simply a more enjoyable dining experience, the practice of mindfulness has shown its potential to make a meaningful difference. I invite you to start taking more notice through the next week of how you relate to food, what you're doing when you eat, and what you're thinking about. 

17:05 - 17:59
Speaker 1: Consider incorporating small mindful eating practices in your daily routine. So whether it's savoring the flavors a little bit more, tuning in and listening to your body's hunger cues or being present with each bite, these simple steps can pave the way for a more fulfilling and balanced relationship with food. If you feel this gentle little pull of wanting to discover more and immerse yourself into the world of allowing mindfulness to transform your relationship with eating, thinking, feeling and even how you relate to your body. Consider popping over to the information page on my Mindful Eating, Mindset and Metabolism Mastery course. Now what I'll do is I'll pop the link in the show notes or you can visit everydayinspiration.co forward slash eat mindful. 

18:00 - 18:43
Speaker 1: This is an 8 week, just go at your own pace, transformative course diving into mindful eating to enhance your health and relationship to food. It will help you in your ability to overcome cravings, stress and emotional and comfort eating and even conquering the urges to binge eat. Now, if you're not ready for any of that, you're just inquisitive and you want to learn the steps just to the eating part of mindfulness, I do a 1 hour workshop once or twice a month on the steps to mindful eating. I just call it the mindful eating masterclass and I just teach you, I call it the mindful eating cascade. It's a seven-step approach to mindful eating. 

18:43 - 19:40
Speaker 1: I'll pop the link in the show notes for that 1 as well. Now, as I wrap up this episode, I encourage you just to take a moment for reflection. Consider the information I've shared today and any insights and how it resonated with your own relationship to yourself, your thoughts, feelings or food. What small intentional steps could you take to redefine your relationship with food, your health and wellbeing? Always reminding myself and everyone that working on our health is a continuous journey, it's not this 1 stop shop, it's not a destination. 

19:41 - 20:13
Speaker 1: If you found value in today's discussion, please share it with someone you love or someone that might benefit. You have the chance to make a difference every day in your own life and of course the lives of others. Connect with our community online, share your thoughts and let's support each other in our mindful eating endeavors. I'll pop the link to our show notes and the Facebook discussion post, or you can find it at everydayinspiration.co forward slash podcast. This is at number 2. 

20:13 - 20:37
Speaker 1: And finally, please consider subscribing to the podcast. I'd love you to leave a review and stay tuned for more episodes. Our next episode, episode 3 is an introspective healing meditation. So I can't wait to share that 1 with you next. Remember your commitment to your wellbeing is a powerful force and I'm here to support you every step of the way. 

20:37 - 20:48
Speaker 1: Until next time, take a deep breath, savour the journey and embrace the opportunity to live with everyday inspiration. Your host Larissa Halls. 

00:00 - 00:34
Speaker 1: Welcome to the great calorie escape. You've probably heard it a million times. Counting calories is the key to weight loss, leading to better health outcomes. But relying on calorie counting for optimal health is kind of like telling a couple of newlyweds who are eager to start a family, all you got to do is jump in the sack once and that's it, you'll be pregnant. Now knowing that 1 in 5 or 1 in 6 Australians have fertility challenges, we all know that isn't a sure thing. 

00:35 - 01:32
Speaker 1: Now returning to the topic of calories, in 2022, the Australian Bureau of Statistics revealed that nearly 3 out of 10 Australians actually maintained a weight within the defined healthy weight range. Now, before we go on, it's worth noting that I firmly believe that one's weight or fitness level doesn't necessarily indicate good health. So today I'm going to share how calorie counting can hijack your physical, your mental and emotional health. We're going to explore the possible detrimental effects that calorie counting can have on your overall well-being and we'll uncover the myths surrounding the numbers game, unveiling a path to freedom that goes beyond restrictive diets and obsessive tracking. Now this podcast isn't just about escaping the calorie trap. 

01:32 - 02:06
Speaker 1: It's about unlocking a life where your energy, your vitality, and your happiness absolutely thrive. Get ready for an episode that goes beyond information. It's a personal conversation that sets the tone for a series dedicated to your whole well-being. Now being the first episode, I'm going to share a little bit of a story about my journey as well. So, like many of you, I once found myself caught in that web of calorie counting. 

02:07 - 02:53
Speaker 1: It started when I was 11 years old and I felt upset about that handle of dimply puppy fat that I had around my belly. My mom, well, she was a lifetime member of Weight Watchers and she suggested, hey Larissa, why don't you come along to Weight Watchers with me? So the next day I went to Weight Watchers and the day after that I started eating cheese crust for lunch. Now being 11, I didn't really put much thought into the whole calorie counting thing. Like my mum organized my food back then so it kind of seemed like a straightforward path to health but little did I know the toll it would take on my physical, mental, emotional well-being in the future. 

02:54 - 03:14
Speaker 1: Now this was the age when the focus was on calories and not points in Weight Watchers. So we started with calories and then they went to points. But there's not really much difference really. The points system represents calories. Now it wasn't long after starting Weight Watchers, I started to learn all the tricks. 

03:15 - 03:48
Speaker 1: You got to froth your skim milk with a hand mixer till it becomes really thick and frothy and then you add some diet caramel topping. And then it makes you feel full because of all the bubbles in the frothy skim milk. For breakfast, if you ate the puffed rice, it fills the whole entire bowl. So you think you're eating more than like a heavier cereal that only fills an eighth of the bowl. And if you skip your morning fruit serve, well you can save those calories for dessert. 

03:49 - 04:18
Speaker 1: Now fast forward 4 years, and I had become a little bit obsessed. My limited knowledge back then of human metabolic health led me to believe that if I ate less calories and I burnt more, well, I was sure to lose weight quicker. Totally logical thinking, right? Especially from a 15 or 16 year old. But the opposite happened And I was absolutely gutted. 

04:18 - 04:44
Speaker 1: But isn't this a simple equation? Calories in versus calories out equals weight loss. This is what I learned and this is what they're still teaching today. Now that's what we've been told. And unfortunately, what Sprightly Young fresh out of online learning personal trainers and even exercise physiologists are still spruiking to this day. 

04:45 - 05:14
Speaker 1: Weight loss is just about calories in versus calories out. It's just a numbers game. But it couldn't be further from the truth. I wish I'd known the truth when the numbers became a number nightmare when I developed a disordered eating pattern of restricting, binging and purging. Then urges to binge would arise because of the restriction, then I would binge and then I would purge. 

05:15 - 05:55
Speaker 1: Now little did I know the urges to binge, well, they were just a biological reaction to deprivation or famine. It was my body and my brain trying to keep me alive. It was a survival mechanism. So this happened for a while and then we throw a little bit of a dash of guilt, a dash of stress, a dash of shame and disgust into this mix and then you have the perfect recipe for disconnection, self-loathing and even body shame. Now the whole behavior of under eating, binging and purging, that wasn't even the worst of it. 

05:55 - 06:33
Speaker 1: The disconnection to my own personality and my own self-worth was the worst. It was like I was walking around in this thick fog and the sun was shining on everyone else. Why couldn't I work this out? This separation from my true self throughout this time affected my relationships, my energy levels and even my ability to appreciate the beauty of life and the beauty of the present moment. Life had just become this series of numbers and check boxes rather than a rich tapestry of experiences. 

06:34 - 07:32
Speaker 1: And it really took hitting my breaking point to realise that true wellbeing goes beyond the digits on the scale, or the meticulously tracked calories or points. It got so bad, so bad that I wanted to end my life. Where were these thoughts even coming from? They had come from this cavern of despair that formed within me, a place where the relentless pursuit of an idealized body image and the constant scrutiny of every morsel consumed had eroded my own self-worth and self-love. In this cavern, echoes of societal expectations reverberated, reinforcing the idea that my value was intrinsically tied to my appearance and my adherence to some dietary norm. 

07:33 - 08:08
Speaker 1: This breaking point wasn't just about the calories. It was a breaking free from the self-imposed prison of unrealistic standards and the damaging self-belief that my worthiness was reliant on a number of the scales. Have you ever been here? But within the darkness of this cavern, there was also this little glimmer of resilience, something I had never felt before. This was like this little spark that kept surfacing and refused to be extinguished. 

08:09 - 08:32
Speaker 1: It was the realisation that my own life, that I, was worth living. It was worth living beyond the confines of societal expectations and the obsession with numbers. So I stopped binging and purging. Well, I stopped purging, quite honestly. The binging lasted for decades because of the restrictive dieting. 

08:33 - 09:10
Speaker 1: So life after this went on, yet I continued to eat the same old Weight Watchers way. Now, because of Weight Watchers, I learned some great habits such as drinking water, staying hydrated, which I still have to this day. I incorporated vegetables into my daily meals and made sure I consumed at least a couple of fruits a day. However, my Weight Watchers approach had a significant flaw. I exclusively opted for those low-fat products, unknowingly subjecting myself to the hidden pitfall of high sugar content. 

09:11 - 10:05
Speaker 1: I traded things like genuine Canadian maple syrup for this chemical concoction called maple flavored syrup, believing it was a smart choice because the calorie count was lower. Diet drinks also become this staple in my quest for fewer calories, and the convenience led me to opt for frozen Weight Watchers meal with additives and preservatives instead of making a fresh salad and cooking some lean protein. So as the months, well actually As the years passed, my health began to deteriorate. I had a lot of stomach upsets, unpredictable bowel movements and severe bloating. At first, I just thought it was the general stress that I was under in everyday life. 

10:06 - 10:36
Speaker 1: I'll be right, I said to my GP. But he recommended a series of tests and a few months later a gastroenterologist diagnosed me with Irritable Bowel Syndrome, IBS. Little did I know this was just the beginning of a more significant health challenge on its way. Then my health took a plummet. I found myself in another specialist's office surrounded by this overwhelming sea of brown. 

10:37 - 11:08
Speaker 1: Brown walls, brown desks, there was just too much brown in his office. But the atmosphere actually matched the gravity of the news he was about to tell me. The doctor's gaze, I'll never forget it, shifted between me, my mum, me, and back to my concerned mother, then back to me. He uttered words that sent shockwaves through my whole entire being. You have a large mass, a tumour growing in your head. 

11:09 - 11:53
Speaker 1: At this stage, we don't know if it's cancer, but love either way, it poses a serious health risk. We need to book you in for surgery right away." Wow, okay, wasn't expecting this. This revelation marked a huge and profound turning point in my life. 1 that forced me into re-evaluating not just my eating habits but also the broader impact my lifestyle choices had on my overall health and my overall life. Little did I know that this moment would become a catalyst for a major transformation, a shift towards a more intuitive, a more mindful, balanced and nourishing approach to my wellbeing. 

11:54 - 12:19
Speaker 1: But was it good health? Just about calories in vs calories out? I pondered this, like why did this happen to me? You know, like I was following all the professional dietary advice, eating the veggies, eating the fruit, doing the low fat, eating the right kind of carbohydrates and lean proteins. I ate the light milk and I had the amount of cheese every day they recommended. 

12:20 - 13:22
Speaker 1: So it was time. It was time to break free from these rigid dogmas of mainstream nutrition and really delve deeper into this understanding of what our bodies truly need to thrive. I embarked on this crazy journey of self-discovery, seeking not just physical healing, but also a holistic transformation that would encompass my mental and emotional wellbeing. As I navigated through this introspective process, what I discovered was the power of natural eating, the power of eating the way nature intended and that our own bodies recognise. I discovered mindfulness practices, meditation, a balanced lifestyle and realising that a sense of connection and purpose can actually contribute to better health, all things that moved beyond the plate. 

13:24 - 14:13
Speaker 1: This journey to better health wasn't just about what I consumed, it was really fostering a positive relationship with myself and embracing a lifestyle that nourished not only my body, but also my mind and soul. So part of this transformation was learning that calories are not created equally. The notion that a calorie is a calorie regardless of what you eat simplifies this complex and dynamic nature of human metabolism. While it's true that calories represent a unit of energy, The sources from which these calories come can trigger vastly different physiological responses in our own body. We're not robots, right? 

14:13 - 14:46
Speaker 1: And we're not an algorithm. So why are we subjecting ourselves to this algorithm? Some calories deliver essential nutrients and compounds that contribute to satiety, energy levels and overall metabolic health, while other calories can cause blood sugar levels to spike, then crash. This can lead to increased hunger, overeating and degrading health. But isn't a calorie just a calorie? 

14:47 - 15:35
Speaker 1: So for example, let's say some foods rich in fiber and protein, they tend to induce a feeling of fullness and satisfaction. Now this reduces the likelihood of overeating. Now on the other hand, processed food or highly processed foods, calorie dense food with added sugars or fake sweeteners can disrupt hunger regulating hormones, leading to increased cravings and an overall higher caloric intake. Also, the impact of calories on the brain regions that control food intake adds another, whole other layer to the complexity of this story. Certain foods may influence neural pathways differently, affecting our perception of hunger and pleasure associated with eating. 

15:36 - 15:59
Speaker 1: But isn't it just all about calories in vs calories out? No, it's about the quality of calories that you're eating. I go much further into this in greater detail in my online course Mindful Eating Mindset and Metabolism Mastery. I believe I have to go on through what I did. Knowledge is power. 

16:00 - 16:41
Speaker 1: Now, undergoing major surgery at age 24, it really can change a person, right? And for me, it was a transformative experience that reshaped the course of my life for the better. So in the aftermath of the surgery, a profound realisation hit me. The thing was, I really needed to reassess everything I had done in my whole entire life, everything I had done leading up to that pivotal moment. It was as if the tumour had become this metaphoric mirror reflecting not just my physical health, but the culmination of my whole lifestyle choices and priorities. 

16:42 - 17:25
Speaker 1: In response to this wake-up call, I embarked on a journey of self-transformation. I overhauled my approach to nourishment, opting for a diet that prioritized health and vitality. I stopped seeing food as calories. It was a conscious decision to start to see food as nutrients and fuel for my body and my healing and my well-being. Now simultaneously, a shift happened in the perception of my body as well, and I transitioned from viewing it as just some new vessel to look down upon, to this absolute profound source of strength and resilience. 

17:26 - 18:29
Speaker 1: This massive shift in mindset was really crucial in cultivating a positive and sustainable relationship with my body, 1 that really extended far beyond the physical experience to encompass my whole self and holistic wellbeing. Career-wise I ended up making this bold move, transitioning from teaching trade students at technical college, so out of tape, to a field I found way more fulfilling, health and fitness. This change wasn't just a profound pivot point, but it was this manifestation of aligning my career with my newfound values of wellbeing and vitality. The journey towards this holistic change involved a significant amount of unlearning and re-learning. I had to learn to break free from ingrained habits, beliefs and societal norms required a huge amount of conscious effort. 

18:30 - 19:24
Speaker 1: I discovered that healing wasn't solely physical, but it also involved nurturing mental and emotional capacities and really learning to connect to your etheric or spiritual self. This type of Catastrophic positive change isn't a linear process, it's a mosaic of challenges, victories, setbacks and triumphs. It's about learning to embrace the discomfort of growth, acknowledging the need for change and ongoing commitment to this change and an ongoing commitment to continual self-expression. So this whole transformation is completely and vastly different to the quick weight loss fix that many people are looking for. Long-term health isn't just about calories in versus calories out. 

19:24 - 20:13
Speaker 1: It's about cultivating this sustainable and nourishing lifestyle that prioritizes our holistic wellbeing. It's about recognizing that our bodies are this intricate ecosystem influenced by the quality of nutrients we provide, the resilience of our mental and emotional states, and the harmony we foster in our own daily lives. Now, beyond this calorie counting mindset, it's about embracing a diverse and rich diet that fuels our bodies with these essential compounds we need for optimal function. It involves developing a positive relationship with food and understanding the unique needs of our own bodies. We need to learn to listen to the signals and unique signals that they send us each day. 

20:14 - 21:20
Speaker 1: Long-term health is also intricately tied to the way we manage or not manage stress, the way we build resilience within ourselves and foster emotional wellbeing. Recognising this profound connection between mind and body encourages practices that promote mental clarity, emotional balance, and this sense of deep purpose. Many of us need to unlearn and relearn that physical activity can become a joyful and integral part of our lives, not just a means to burn calories, but a celebration of our body's capacities and the way we nurture ourselves every day. It's all about finding movement that brings us a sense of joy, whether it's a walk or dancing around the house or enjoying invigorating yoga, whatever it is for you. So in the pursuit of long-term health, it's also crucial to understand that it's not a destination that we're going to get like a goal weight, but this continuous journey of unravelling. 

21:21 - 22:14
Speaker 1: It's a commitment to continual self-improvement, adapting to the evolving needs of your body and the season of your life that you're in. It's about making choices that align with your own values, fostering connections that enrich your life, and creating an environment, whether it's in your home space or your greater community, or even in your workspace, that really supports your overall wellbeing. So let's start to shift our focus from the limitations of calorie counting to the boundless possibilities of a health-centric lifestyle. 1 that embraces nourishment, balance, and holistic approach to thriving in every aspects of our lives. This is the essence of long-term health. 

22:15 - 22:49
Speaker 1: This is the essence of a journey of self-discovery, true self-care, and an unwavering commitment to become the best versions of ourselves. Focusing solely on calorie restriction can also lead to the all-too-familiar yo-yo dieting. The concept of yo-yo dieting involves repetitive patterns of weight loss followed by weight gain. Many of us have been there. Now this pattern is not only emotionally taxing, but can also pose a long-term risk. 

22:49 - 23:48
Speaker 1: Besides yo-yo dieting, calorie restriction can also lead to several other adverse effects on both physical and mental wellbeing. The first 1 is nutrient deficiencies, metabolic slowdown, loss of lean muscle mass, hormonal imbalances, increased risk of binge eating, reduced energy levels, negative psychological impact and weakened immune system. Also focusing on the whole calories in versus calories out fails to address the intricate dynamics of emotional eating, binge eating or seeking comfort through food. The mere numerical accounting overlooks the complex relationship that we all have with food, dismissing the underlying emotions, the triggers, and the psychological factors that contribute to our eating behaviours. Now we're going to start looking at these aspects in subsequent episodes of the podcast. 

23:48 - 24:30
Speaker 1: It's also worth noting here that I like to place my feet in 2 different camps at any 1 time. So counting calories can come in handy when you're aiming for specific measurable goals or need a clearer understanding of your dietary patterns. It provides a structured approach that can be particularly effective for short term objectives or when fine-tuning your nutritional intake. Especially when many of us have been over consuming for years and or snacking on high calorie food. It's really good to get a clear idea of the caloric intake in these foods or in our overall days so we can make positive change. 

24:31 - 24:58
Speaker 1: However, it's equally crucial to recognize the limitations of this approach. Now we're gonna look at the quality of our food choices, the impact it has on our overall wellbeing. We need to look at our relationship with food. All of these things go beyond calories in vs calories out. Nutrition is more important than calories for our overall health. 

24:58 - 25:43
Speaker 1: Repeat, not all calories are created equal and swapping certain foods for their low-calorie counterparts can actually rob the body of essential nutrients. So 1 of my aims for this podcast is to invite you to make mindful mindset shifts that pave the way for sustainable and lasting positive change. So it's time to get raw and real. If you're someone with weight loss goals, Let's just take a little reflective moment. Place 1 hand over your heart and just notice your breath sink into your body. 

25:45 - 26:45
Speaker 1: And consider, consider the amount of times you've embarked on the journey of weight loss, only to feel as though you've fallen short, leading to the disheartening cycle of losing and then regaining the weight? How many times have you been through this cycle? In your experience, what specific behaviours hindered your journey towards long-term, sustainable weight and health? What behaviours really stood in the way? What fuelled or triggered these behaviours? 

26:50 - 27:25
Speaker 1: I always teach that a weight gain isn't solely caused by eating. Rather, eating or food becomes an effect of an underlying issue. So I'll repeat that. So it makes sense sometimes eating isn't the cause of weight gain but the effect. By bringing to the surface some of our root causes that sit beyond or below the surface We can unravel the complexity of our eating behaviors that don't align with our goals and start focusing on healing. 

27:26 - 28:15
Speaker 1: So starting to focus on the root causes, so some of our behaviors and our triggers for eating, we can start to unravel the complexity of our own psyche and start to heal the root causes rather than the effect, which is the eating itself. So as I wrap up this episode, I just encourage you to take this time to reflect. You might like to consider any insights that I shared with you today and what resonated with your own journey. What small intentional steps could you take to redefine your relationship with food, your health and your own wellbeing? Remember this is a journey, not a destination as corny as that sounds, it's so true. 

28:16 - 29:14
Speaker 1: If you found value in today's discussion, feel free to share it with someone who might benefit from it. Your stories, your struggles and your own victories may inspire others on their path to a healthier, more fulfilling life. So connect with our community online and share your thoughts and support for each other. What I'll do is I'll pop our discussion thread in the show notes where you can pop on over to Facebook and just share your thoughts and your feelings and your victories when it comes to moving from a mind shift of counting calories to fueling your body with nutrients and nourishing your heart, your soul, and of course your mind. You can also find the link to the show notes and the link to our discussion post at everydayinspiration.co forward slash podcast. 

29:16 - 29:45
Speaker 1: And finally, please consider subscribing to the podcast, leave a review, and stay tuned for more episodes. Your commitment to your wellbeing is a powerful force and I'm here to support you every step of the way. So until next time, take a nourishing breath, savor the journey, embrace the opportunity to live with everyday inspiration. Thank you. You