Intuitive Body

Can You Still Be a Foodie And Lose Weight?

2010-07-14T22:01:41Z

I know that I love and adore food. I consider the Food Network porn for people like me. But the whole food and eating piece is loaded when you have a history of feeling out of control with food. Which as you know, I do.

One of the things I couldn't stand about the old diet mentality was that it included eating things you didn't like. I can tell you right now, I was NEVER going to be somebody who ate something I didn't like. Why would I? Why would you? Bland or colorless in any area of my life is totally not negotiable. It always has to be beautiful for me (I did not say "fancy" or complicated mind you..).

So yes, you can absolutely still be a foodie and love and adore food and be a little obsessed and also lose weight. And the truth is, the foodies do really well with all that. You may as well make your peace with food and eating right now. You will never any happier with bland and boring than I would be. Shopping for food is still one of the most pleasant times of my week.

Come home to your senses- it's where you will always be happiest if you are truly part of my Tribe of intuitive/sensitive/creatives.

Go touch all the fresh produce. Have a blast with cooking shows and cook books (LOVE them). I want you to eat beautifully and well. Entertain and show everyone how gorgeous and delicious food is without all the junk.

You just cannot continue with any form of deprivation and have anything good come of it. So grow some gorgeous herbs. Find something new to love at the farmers' markets. Try a new recipe once a week. You can absolutely still love and adore food and eating. It will make you happy and it's so much easier to get healthy and balanced when you love and adore the journey.

Love and every gorgeous colorful blessing to you-

xox

Lisa

PS- if you want more guidance around living in your senses and breaking the spell of overeating, you might really love my book "Recovering Beauty: Sacred Rituals To Clear Emotional Weight" . It's my love letter to you, a Home Study Retreat that will lead you through the process with grace and ease.

Weight Loss Is Not Your Job!

2010-07-08T19:18:17Z

If you ask me, weight loss is NOT your job. Feeling good is your job- as in living in a way that gives you lots of good options and choices. Weight loss is best left to the Divine.

In my experience, when you focus on weight or losing weight, it goes bad very fast. As in binges and feeling out of control with food. Back WAY up! (Note: see yesterday's post "You Can't Go Head to Head With The Food")

The way you will be happiest and most comfortable and bring your body and relationship with food into balance is to focus on daily sacred rituals that keep emotions and energies moving smoothly. My belief has always been that people struggling with food/weight are particularly sensitive/empaths and need ways to stay grounded. In my work I help people develop individually supportive forms of meditation, writing, physical movement, and ways of eating to accomplish this. We also create prayers and specific energy healing techniques. This is where your "work" lies- not the focus on weight or trying to force your body to change. Your body will change when you are back in balance. When you are nourished in your senses in ways that feel beautiful for you, when you surround yourself with loving people who appreciate you, when you stop expecting yourself to be perfect...those are all places worthy of your energy and focus.

Your body will find it's happiest size and form. Trying to force it to some ideal that you have is a kind of aggression that won't work- there will be push-back. Better to work at things that can bring you pleasure and a sense of satisfaction in the moment. They add up, they shift your energies and emotions and you will feel better even if your body doesn't change at all (but paradoxically it will when you stop trying to wrestle it to the ground).

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You Can't Go Head-to-Head With The Food

2010-07-06T19:05:54Z

In case you don't know this, I am NOT a diet coach. I am not a substitute for Weight Watchers or anything like it, we don't speak the same language, we are from different planets. Seriously. I am not a main stream girl and neither are my clients, most of the time. There is nothing wrong with main-stream, but what I share via Intuitive Body is uh.. a little different from that.

Anyways- I have always known that if you feel like you can't stop eating, that trying to force you to stop eating or cajole you into stopping eating is really not going to work.

You can't go head-to-head with the eating. It's like trying to wrestle a tantrumming toddler to the ground. They just scream more, turn bluer in the face, and ultimately they wear you down and they win. And you feel like a failure, plus embarrassed and demoralized. Ugh.

You've tried that, it doesn't work. And doesn't work for years and year. Try something else.

I suggest going around to the spiritual doorway. Sacred Rituals are what I recommend. Things that help you clear longstanding beliefs around "not good enough" that haunt you and make you eat when you don't want to. Prayer, specific kinds of meditation and writing/journaling, anything that helps you move out and clear the heavy energy of shame, guilt, fear, resentment really help.

I am renaming and relaunching my soon to be revised book, which was originally titled "Freedom From Binges". The new title is "Recovering Beauty: Sacred Rituals To Clear Emotional Weight". I LOVE the new title. This is about the sensual, pleasure, doing things in a way that bypass all of your old shame-filled fears and beliefs that keep you using food as a drug.

If you're not getting relief by going head-to-head with the food, it's ok. There are better ways that don't stir up so much fear for you. Please don't make yourself feel worse if it's not working.

If you download my complimentary ebook "The Energy of Weight Loss: 7 Essential Secrets" and read to the last page, you and I can spend a good 20 minutes or so consulting about what would help you specifically. I love these calls and I want to help women like us. Get the ebook- it's right over there, on your right. It's only 16 pages, but content rich with things that will shift your perspective TODAY! Go get it, it will help.

Love and Every Blessing,

xox

Lisa

How Are You Perpetuating Deprivation?

2010-06-28T14:49:46Z

Where are you depriving yourself?

Take a look at places where you're being cheap, stingy, or witholding the good stuff with yourself. I find that there is a powerful connection between overeating and other ways you are keeping yourself in deprivation and lack. I see so many of my clients (and my women friends) being incredibly generous and nurturing to virtually everyone... but themselves.

Are you overly focused on saving money? Do you think things like "it's stupid to spend money on flowers, they'll only die in a few days"? Are you always saving the nice dishes, pretty outfits, etc for some future moment? Do you eat frozen dinners in front of the television?

Stop it, I'm begging you. Seriously, if you keep doing this, not only is your life going to be colorless and flat, but food is going to be way too important to you.

One of my favorite friends used to be morbidly obese- she's kept over 100 lbs off of her beautiful body for over 10 years- pretty impressive given overall stats on maintaining any weight loss, right? Part of what keeps her in smaller body is the way she nourishes herself in other ways. For example- every day she puts on something beautiful. She says it's kind of a way she makes amends to herself and her body for the way she used to treat herself.

Finding pleasure in adorning yourself feels good- I don't care how much you weigh, you will absolutely feel better in something that expresses who you are than you will in ugly baggy black clothes. Eating pretty food on a nice plate with maybe even a cloth (gasp) napkin is lovely. Even if you don't want to spend money on flowers, if it's summer where you are, go pick a few little things from your garden and put them next to your bed, or on your desk, or on your dining table.

It's amazing what a difference these little acts of sensual connection provide. They connect you with your spiritual self- the part of you that wants more life, more gorgeousity, more of what's good.

...As opposed to more twinkies.

It really is essential to offset any sense of deprivation in your daily life so that you're not playing it out in the food wars. Food and eating are only one source of nourishment- if you begin to fill up and find pleasure through your senses and other channels regularly, you will not need food to be the main event.

Fill yourself up- with beauty, with pleasure, with loving acts of generosity towards yourself. When this becomes a foundational daily practice, your issues with food and weight can move towards balance in ways that feel really good.

I want that for you.

Sending you love and every blessing-

xox

Lisa

What's Your "Bare Minimum" (to protect yourself from overeating?)

2010-06-21T18:54:11Z

We love lofty.

We love big huge plans of self-sacrifice and sweeping changes. We love thinking of all of this and writing it down- we get an instant hit of relief when we plan ways that we are going to master our ways of eating or binging. Remember when you used to feel better just from watching Jane Fonda videos... from the couch? Planning is like that. We get the relief from the thinking about it and making charts and graphs and lists and feel better, without having to DO a thing.

Which as most of us have discovered does not work. It just gets our overanalytic thinking perfectionism cranked up until it paralyzes us.

As I've said before, you want to be the tortoise, not the hare. Remember that story? You cannot be the Hare. Being the Hare leads to major problems and backlash.

Taking action, as in very tiny small manageable steps is where the good stuff happens. (And where every single client fights me, wanting big gigantic glorious plans...but this is all part of the unfolding as it were).

So... what I really recommend is that you get clear on a couple of Daily Essentials (like vitamins but better) of ways to take care of yourself. It could be a commitment to eat 3 meals. It could be to include vegetables at lunch and dinner. It could be to be in bed by 10 pm. It could be to be a good mother to your children. It might have to do with physical activity. Or prayer. Or gratitude lists and journaling.

The main point is that you choose things that are the bare minimum of things you will do to care for yourself, every single day, no matter what.

The "no matter what" will irritate you, if you're like me. You may already be talking back to me about this and making "what if" lists of things that could happen that would keep you from your bare minimum commitment. Stop. Take a breath.

And think very very carefully of what matters to you. This is NOT about rules or authority. It' a decision to take care of yourself on a very basic level in ways that are meaningful to you.

Chew on these ideas for a few days. It's not a good idea to impulsively decide right now. Really think through what you want for yourself, what you value, what you need, and what you can actually commit to. Do not judge yourself if it's "not much" right now. But pick something and make it a practice.

Learning to keep promises to yourself is essential. Living the life that has value for you is a big deal. Letting yourself have the pleasure of these experiences and the grounded sanity that comes with them is a blessing.

I want that for you.

Love and xox,

Lisa

Which Approach Works For You?

2010-05-12T19:24:27Z

I have to admit, I think a fair amount about what my clients might want. Sometimes I'm surprised. For example, I was at physical therapy last night rehabbing a knee injury and doing whatever I needed to to avoid more surgery. Out of three physical therapists working in the room, one was really busy with multiple clients all over the room, including me. Sean is consistently busier than all of the other therapists. Because he's really tough. He makes us work very hard in there and although he's no Jillian Michaels from The Biggest Loser he's from that school of training. And the rehabbers (different kind of rehab) are flocking to him. I rearranged 3 weeks of appointments to work with him only- once I'd had a session with him I didn't want any part of the other "nice" therapists. I wanted to get things done, I wanted my workouts back and I wanted to avoid surgery. Schedule me in with the bald tough guy please.

Sometimes I think people want emotional safety, lots of hand holding, a gentle approach. But maybe more than that people want results, and to see what they're made of. Most people like to be pushed, to be challenged, to go beyond their perceived limitations and they like to be around the people that inspire that. And it's kind of an art. To push people to that point of "optimal frustration"- an old psych term I learned decades ago that described the point at which we stretched ourselves enough to grow, but not so much that we became overwhelmed and shut down.

I know in my work with clients who come to me in spite of their shame around not being to "control" their eating need an essential mix of inspiration, straight talk, great information, mixed with lots of compassion, optimism and hope. Regular doses of humor help too, among other things.

I love seeing that people are not really afraid of working hard, when there is somebody there holding the vision for them. Somebody who know they are capable of way more than they may believe at that moment. I love holding the vision and finding ways to get somebody to move past their limiting beliefs and image of themselves.

When you're ready for a change, you'll choose people who know you can do it and ask you to stretch yourself.

Love and blessings to you-

xox

Lisa

PS- Whether you're ready for changes or still thinking about it, you can get lots of helpful information with my ebook, "The Energy of Weight Loss: 7 Essential Secrets" on the home page of IntuitiveBody.com

Gotta Have These To Break Free and Break Through

2010-05-12T12:53:06Z

I've been creating some things that will really support you in trying to break the spell of overeating.

First, make sure you visit my website, I have a new give-away for you. It's called "The Energy of Weight Loss: 7 Essential Secrets" and it's a 16 page content-rich get-going-quickly mindset manual that I wish I could give to absolutely everyone struggling with eating.

You can download it off my Home Page right now.

Make sure you read it all the way through because at the end you'll find information on having a complimentary phone consultation with me. I save time every week for these mini-sessions and they can really help, if you're struggling or just want some time with me.

The other big change I've made is to get rid of all pre-designed packages and programs.This was a huge decision for me and a little scary.

But- what I realized was that my best work is customized to meet your needs, designed to support you exactly where YOU are in the moment. You're probably not interested in only choosing from A, B, or C - and I wouldn't really be either. I'm kind of picky and I like things to be what I need them to be, if I am going to invest in something.

The work we do together is deep and very personal, I wanted to make sure that wha tever I offered is a perfect fit for you.

Some of what I'm creating for new clients has been to offer a very intensive level of support at the beginning- so that you can experience a shift and lots of relief, relatively quickly. And then we adjust how much support you need once you are feeling less wobbly with the food and the daily essentials of self-care. I have to say that this approach is working extremely well, and everyone has loved the flexibility of the plans.

I have lots of creative ways to help anyone who's ready to invest in themself. You might want me to help you get off of sugar and structure a special "detox" for you. We can look at short term OR long term options, together we'll come up with a plan that's a good match.

I'm also working on a new product, working title is "Happy Healthy and Beautiful", a systemized daily plan of support that you can use on your own, for all the do-it-yourselfers out ther e.

Spring is absolutely my favorite time - it's a time of true creation - energy and bringing in what is fresh and new, while releasing the old, the stuck, and the stagnant. I'm having a blast.

I feel very blessed in attracting such amazing clients- brave and beautiful and never giving up, they challenge me to provide my very best, which keeps me growing and happy and in the groove.

Wanted to make sure you all knew about the updates- even my home page is brand new (and a fraction of the length of anything I've ever written before- a miracle in and of itself!).

Treat yourself to the "Energy of Weight Loss" ebook to start. I promise it will shift your perspective and mindset in just 16 little pages. When you shift your perspective, all sorts of new things can find you.

Wishing you a beautiful and magnificent spring-

xox

Lisa Claudia Briggs
MSW, LICSW

Lose The Shame, Lose The Weight

2010-05-05T19:21:30Z

If you want to lose weight, you have to lose the heavy energies that you're carrying around. Energy is made up of emotions, beliefs, past experiences, voices of our families and peers and society, it's all the stuff you've absorbed.

My theory has always been that women that struggle with eating and weight are more sensitive and intuitive than most- particularly around absorbing other peoples' energies and emotions. We just sop it up- which drains us, or turns us into over-nurturers/people-pleasers, we feel way too much- we're built that way.

If you don't relate to this, feel free to click off right now, but if you get it stick with me.

One of THE heaviest energies you can be carrying around on your physical and etheric (energy) bodies is shame. Accumulated shame from not feeling good enough/smart enough/pretty enough, fill in your own blanks.

Shame is weighty stuff- it's sticky, it doesn't "metabolize" too well. We feel it and when it bubbles up in some memory or current experience it feels bad.

What tends to happen is that we dump ALL shame, past and present, into the issue we call "the eating" or "the weight" or "feeling out of control with food". We just lump it all into that category, whre it becomes seriously heavy and often becomes physically manifested on our bodies.

Anyways- here is one thing that truly helps shame. It's not magical or easy, but it works.

You will need the safety of a private journal or a really good therapist or mentor. And then when you are ready you get to tell the truth. Tell the truth about what you ate. About how you feel towards other people. The shame. The resentment. The jealousy. All of those really difficult emotions that make us feel horrible and unlovable.

When you are able to tell the truth about what you believe are your most unlovable most unappealing and needy parts (which are usually very young selves or "parts") and somebody can listen with love and compassion something powerful happens. Slowly you start to listen with love and compassion to yourself. Not right away- you're still having trouble believing that you deserve love with all this shame and other feelings or experiences you've carried around. But give it time.

The energy of weight loss is about a lightening. Giving up the heavy energies of painful beliefs and experiences for the truth of who you really are. What is truly underneath all those layers of squirmy self-conscious stuff.

Start telling the truth- do it in a safe way. This isn't about blasting other people or calling anyone else out. It's about daring to shine a little light on what you thought was so dark.

Let me know how this lands with you- have you tried this? Has it worked? Are you curious but afraid?

Ahem.. I happen to know somebody who can help you with this! Start with my 16 pg ebook, "The Energy of Weight Loss: 7 Essential Secrets", my gift to you, including a 20-minute phone consult with me if you want one. Get it here right now.

Love and light to you-

xox

Lisa

Frumpy Does Not Support Energy of Weight Loss

2010-05-04T11:49:41Z

There are many ways to lose the "heavy energies" that can make you feel badly about yourself and keep you from being in the body you want. As I've said before, there is a real energy to balancing your weight and your eating- the energy comes from your thoughts, beliefs, emotions, and daily practices.

Sometimes it's the small details that really ruin our overall efforts- with weight and other pursuits.

For example- take a look at your underwear drawer, workout wear, and clothing closet. If you are wearing torn, stained, ratty looking things that make you feel even the slightest bit frumpy or unattractive, you might be setting yourself up to overeat.

The truth is that ANYTHING that makes you feel badly about yourself can lead to overeating.

If you start your day by putting on something ugly or ripped, you are creating energy that is not going to lead you where you wanna go. I know you get this- I have to say I am guilty of this too. It's easy to put on a ripped pair of workout tights to uh.. work out in... and to rationalize it by saying no one will see me (I work out at home with my elliptical and weights when not outdoors walking). Still, it has an impact.

Because I believe that you and I are sensitive beings, and usually very visual, this stuff matters. Does this mean I think you have to dress up and look fabulous all the time? No- believe me I am still the lover of casual comfort that I have always been but here's the test. If you are putting something on your body that causes an inner-sense of "ugh", or "yuck" or hating the way you look for any reason, try to address that. It's about how you FEEL, not so much about how you look although of course the two can act as one.

Make sense?

My tiny but powerful coaching challenge to you- get rid of all ratty underthings, workout clothes to start. This is an easier task than decluttering your entire closet which is more of an emotionally charged landscape than underwear and tee-shirts. You deserve to feel good whatever you are doing- it's different from having to look perfect- I'm pretty sure you're getting what I mean but as always, if you don't, write to me ok?

I have still not mastered this- I am wearing workout capris with a tiny hole in the butt- but they passed my "ugh" test and are not making me feel badly as I wear them to workout this morning.

Let us join together and purge our drawers of anything that brings up frumpy, schlumpy (pronounced shloompee) dumpy, or ugh. You will feel lighter, brighter, and those are a big piece of the energies that support balance in weight and lots of self-love. And I want that for you.

In love and service,

Lisa

**By the way.... Brand new at IntuitiveBody.com...if you haven't downloaded the content-rich yet completely fre*e ebook "The Energy of Weight Loss: 7 Essential Secrets", then you're missing essential information and support. Get it here (you also qualify for a complimentary phone consult with me, so see the final page in the ebook!).

Too Much Food Around Here!

2010-04-05T23:10:31Z

So yesterday was Easter and we went to our friends' house- they like to cook and they like to eat. There was a LOT of food. Which for most people was a very nice thing. For me it was overwhelming.

I have been off sugar, and off anything that I'm too triggered by- so easter eggs, candy and ridiculously over-the-top desserts, and other holiday things were out in full force of course! No reason those things shouldn't be.

But for me or anyone committed to eating a certain way or careful to not eat in ways that might trigger a binge, this can be like dodging landmines.

And I know I say this a lot- but if you don't have a spiritual practice, these situations can feel really awful.Thankfully, I do have one, and it soothes me when the food is everywhere.

In my heart, I know that sugar and certain things that I dearly love but cannot eat moderately, are better off not in my system. But feeling deprived doesn't feel great either.

THere are a lot of things I do to make peace with this. And I did them, and I had a great time and stayed true to my desires for how I like to feel.

Then today.... again with more food. A family birthday. Large multiple pizzas. Cake... Me feeling a little like a loser with my salad and fish and vegetables.

But truly it only stung for a few seconds. I know what happens to me with pizza and cake. A coma and a food hangover is typically how my body reacts. And other stuff that feels badly. I get very druggy on flour and sugar. And it lasts into the next day. And then I don't feel like doing anything, and I can't write, or don't feel like working out.

I know this may sound very dour and colorless. But for me, eating the way I do and dodging the foods that don't work for me is essential self-care, self-love, and staying open to be loving and connected to people I care about, and to my work, and to the Divine.

I know it's not for everyone- and there are days that it really can be overwhelming to be in the midst of all that food. Still... right now I feel really good. I'm satisfied, I know I put really high quality nourishment in my body, I know i'll have lots of energy tomorrow. Don't cry for me (Argentina?) anyone. I feel great.

xox

Lisa

PS- if you could use a little help with food, sign up for my new ebook The Energy of Weight Loss: 7 Essential Secrets at http://www.IntuitiveBody.com. It's on the right hand side, and I think you'll like it!