Now we return to address Holiday Horror Number 2 and the Mind Chi Happiness to overcome it!
2. How much FOOD is about
Today we address the issue of how much FOOD is ever present during the holidays.
Meals with family, meals with friends, office parties, friends’ parties, coffee and bun while shopping,
fast food on the run and on and on it goes. ‘Suddenly’ your jeans feel really tight!
Then there is all the well-meaning (or couldn’t be bothered) gifts of yet another box of chocolates
or some other something usually with many calories, fats and preservatives sitting looking at you
and each time you pass, it is so easy to just grab one (or two!)
Then all the lovingly made meals ‘Oh I’ve been cooking that for you all day – you MUST have a second helping!’ or ‘Well, if you don’t eat it, I’ll just have to throw it away!’
For many, to refuse the food they made for you, is to refuse their ‘love’ and it is a personal affront.
Or YOU are doing the cooking, so there is a taste here and a double check there and you are
actually already FULL as you sit to eat and still you manage to pour food into you untill you are STUFFED!
Further because you are so busy, your exercise schedule (you DO have one?) gets messed up
and as we all know, 500 extra calories a day (one hot chocolate from a well known coffee shop)
means an extra LARGER size is needed in a month – disaster!
You can probably add some more FOOD horrors as well. So, what to do?
Mind Chi Holiday Happiness – POWER
You have POWER! Repeat (even sing!) ‘I have the POWER!’ OK, so now what are you going to do with it?
You may wish to plan ahead, how about using October & November to work DOWN a size,
so if eating during the holidays is what you like, you could put some extra weight – no problem!
PLAN your eating, if you know you have a dinner or party in the evening,
eat lightly during the day and schedule a walk to balance out. Use your POWER to plan.
If it isn’t in your home, it is not so easy to eat, so DON’T BUY it! (All the junk foods and nibbles.)
Before you eat ANYTHING use your POWERS to:
1. Do the Mind Chi Breath (step 1 – breathe in – hold – out and stay empty, each for 3 seconds)
just to make yourself eat MINDFULLY, ‘I am here, about to eat this…..hmmmm’
2. Check your Mind Chi BEAT (step 5 – Body, Emotions, Actions & Thoughts) and when you become aware of your BODY ask ‘How hungry am I?’ – starving? peckish? satisfied or stuffed? And then eat accordingly.
3. Become aware of your Emotional state. Are you eating because you feel stressed? Or lonely? Or afraid? Or anxious? Food will only ADD to the problem, not HELP it.
So do your B-BEAT before you put one morsel into your mouth and keep the POWER in your hands.
Some other helpful hints:
Always take a SMALL PLATE – you can always go back if you really want / need to.
Eating out? Order a starter, or two instead of the main meal.
Eat very little or NONE of the bread.
And cut the portions in half and push half away.
After you have completed half do your B-BEAT to see if you want/need the other half.
Think: ‘If I see it and then eat it, soon I will be wearing it!”
Just IMAGINE youself with this extra burger stuck on your shoulder! Not a pretty sight!
Everywhere you look are advertisments and promotions to eat here and have this.
Do not give your POWER to the media, hold onto it and make YOUR decisions about when and how much you will eat.
You do have the POWER – so KEEP it and USE it.
To recap, the 8 positive actions for Mind Chi Holiday Happiness to overcome the Horror of FOOD are:
1. Repeatedly sing the ‘I have the POWER!’ sone to remind yourself!
2. Use your power to plan AHEAD and slim down BEFORE the holidays
3. BALANCE your eating – having a big dinner, eat less lunch and breakfast
4. DON’T BUY it and have it in your home – then you can;t eat it.
5. Do your Mind Chi B-BEAT every time BEFORE you eat ANYTHING
6. Use a SMALLER plate or eat just a starter
7. Eat only half of your portion, then check in to your B-BEAT
8. Remember how GOOD you feel (and look) when you are at your ‘fighting weight’
(c) Mind Chi 2011
