Category: Trouble With Food and Eating

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Eating Peace: Three Treasures From The Tao To Use For Healing

The Tao Te Ching offers powerful wisdom from hundreds and hundreds of years ago.

Like many ancient texts and sacred writings, it speaks of something you can use, now, when it comes to seeking peace…..

…..even with food, eating, bingeing, obsessing, worrying or feeling despair about it all.

Watch here and leave a comment, or ask any questions, any time.

I suffered for years from bulimia, anorexia, binge-eating, overeating, starving, over-exercising and freaking out about food, eating and my body on a regular basis.

These three treasures appeared, although I didn’t know it, through helpers, support, and ultimately….

….I knew they were already built inside me.

They’re in you, too.

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Eating Peace: Why Would Being Happy About Yourself Right Now Be BAD For You?

There are a lot of ideas out there about how you should love yourself and be kind to yourself and care well for yourself, in order to be happy.

But rarely do we deeply consider why we would have this idea that being unhappy with oneself is a good thing.

What if you were happy with yourself as you are, at this weight, with your kind of eating patterns (no matter how terrible they’ve felt)?

What if the way you have been with food has been the best you can do, the best you’ve known how to do, until now?

What if instead of kicking yourself for eating, you could ask yourself why being happy right now would be bad for you?

Then really answer the question from the bottom of your heart, explore, notice what you believe, give yourself some patient consideration.

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Eating Peace: Where to Begin With The Work and Stressful Eating

Wondering where to start when it comes to investigating your beliefs about food and eating?

You can start with your stressful beliefs about certain foods, what you’ve learned is right or wrong….

….but then get into the real deep stuff.

What are the most difficult things you’ve ever experienced in your life?

It seems really hard, and it’s very important to get a helper or supporter to guide you and work with you.

But these difficult experiences, once explored, can change your life.

Much love, Grace

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Eating Peace: When other people are planning your meals times…how to stay calm!

Recently I was on retreat at Breitenbush Hotsprings, teaching a five-day workshop in The Work of Byron Katie.

For some people, when they go off to programs or group holidays, anything away from home with other people….

….they might feel the way I once did.

NERVOUS about MEALS.

Here are two main false beliefs or ways of seeing things, when it comes to set meal times and eating, that once you know them….

….you can give yourself a lot more love, care, and support.

https://youtu.be/aIW1Z-_fDv0

 

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Eating Peace: If You Think Your Body Is Ugly….Do This

It is summer time in many parts of the world.

People who have concerns about the way their body appears often want to cover it up….and hot weather makes this more difficult.

If you’re ready to end the war with the way your body looks, or willing to try anything to move past that very stressful point of view….

….try this powerful exercise.

Warning: it’s not easy.

You’ll need to gather your strength of imagination (you have it) and openness to connecting with everything (the good, the bad, and the ugly), entering a vast mysterious unknown place….

….and questioning what’s true.

But would you rather think you’re right or would you rather be happy?

Lots of peace, Grace

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Eating Peace: Are You Terrified of Being Hungry?

About ten years ago, I was on an elective fast for only 48 hours that was set up to be very supportive.

It was the first fast I had done with loving intention, ever.

It was also the first fast I had been a part of in 20 years. I had put fasting or starving myself down. I had ended denying my hungers and stopped the swing between gorging desperately, and starving myself in punishment. I had vowed never to diet again, long ago.

My old beliefs when I was still living with eating wars rather than eating peace were these: being hungry is good, being full is bad.

I had stopped such black and white thinking….especially about feeding myself delicious, nourishing food.

But when I went on that fast, after so many years of making sure I didn’t enter the “fasting/denying/starving” zone….

….I discovered something surprising.

I was terrified. Sheer terror. I thought I was going to die!!

I saw what I could do with these beliefs….and found peace.

Much love, Grace

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Eating Peace: I Hate To Say It….But Peaceful Food Choices Can Help

Because I began my study of eating with diet, nutrition, obsessive calorie counting…..
….all in an underlying fit of wanting to “control” myself and get thin….
….I often hesitate to discuss actual diets, types of foods, or food plans with people.
But food does affect brain chemistry, your body, your physical comfort, and your peace.
I notice how great I feel not eating lots of sugar, and eating lots of veggies and fruits.
I used to hate that advice, because my mind went to all-or-nothing and I felt so starved for love and the delight of eating. I wanted to eat things that tasted good, and I thought I wasn’t allowed to (which made me rebellious).
Today, however, even if you have all that rebellious internal dialogue going on, you might want to give yourself peace by eating foods that can calm you down, instead of rev you up.
There’s a place in eating peace for choosing foods that make it physically easier to relax.

Much love,

Grace

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Eating Peace: It Only Takes One Day

When you feel really discouraged about your progress, or your healing with food, here’s what you can remember:

This is a process.

There is no “end” to the learning.

You can stop the violence, the binge-eating, for just one day, and you will feel better.

See if you can slow down and relax, only for 24 hours, shifting out of your usual behavior of eating or obsessing about food….

….and notice….

….this is not hopeless. You have just as much right to heal as anyone else.

Much love,

Grace

 

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Eating Peace: You May Have To Make This Decision

I’ve gotten emails lately from people who are discouraged and saying “this isn’t working, I just binged again” or “I’m not staying on track” or “can I just work on my eating troubles…later?”
I get a little serious with you today in my video.
Because if your Voice talks at you and doesn’t care if you fail, or says things like “you’re a loser” or “you’ll never get this” or “keeping a journal of my eating and feelings doesn’t work”  or “fuck it, just eat”….
….then this way of deep recovery and peace may not be for you.
If you want to keep feeding the self-hate Voice, the terrified Voice, the mean Voice….then find a special diet program or join a gym.
Nothing wrong with doing either of those.
In fact, I encourage people to do these things when its done in self-love and self-respect (I go to the gym almost every day in fact, I love my gym).
But this awareness approach….the one called Self Love….a voice of compassion, gentleness and peace….
….that’s the only way I ever found permanent care for myself, and the end of eating craziness.
The. Only. Way.
You get to choose.
Lots of peace,
Grace
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Eating Peace: Help! How Can I Stop Craving?

Many people write to me and ask….
….but how can I STOP craving?
How can I stop the surge, the wave of busy, anxious, fast-paced feelings that lead to eating?
First of all….you can.
Second of all….stop trying to stop.
I know its a weird paradox. But what you resist, persists.
Watch here to contemplate a way to work with craving.

Much peace to you,

Grace