Eating Less means Losing Weight!

Sunday 8 April to Saturday 14 April

There IS no magic diet to lose weight! Any of them are good as a kickstart to a healthier lifestyle but in the end it all boils down to a healthy eating lifestyle with the main ingredient that is guaranteed to shed weight. Millions are made and millions are spent in the quest for the answer to losing weight and keeping it off and I am giving it to you for free ... it will cost you nothing to follow this secret, which is .......
EAT LESS!!!!!

Weigh-in 55.7K

2 black coffee
piece pineapple/nut cake
1/2 dark choc bunny
soda/choc cream drink
atlantic salmon w salad
bowl apple crumble w yogurt
pineapple juice

2 black coffee
2 pieces toast w apple stroop
soda/choc cream drink
1/2 dark choc bunny
bbq spare ribs with salad
sml yogurt
pineapple juice

2 black coffee
toasted cheese/ham/tomato
1 banana, handful grapes
macdonalds chicken burger w few fries
apple crumble w yogurt
pineapple juice

black coffee
2 pieces multigrain toast w apple stroop
sml piece eggplant lasagna w salad
1 apple
pasta w tomato/cheese sauce
pineapple juice

2 black coffee
2 pieces multigrain toast w apple stroop
1 fruit nut health bar
green tea soup with vegetables & chicken
piece choc Lindt bunny
pineapple juice

2 black coffee
bowl granola cereal
Energy smoothie - apple, carrot, grapes, yogurt
atlantic salmon parcel w 1 potato and salad
yogurt & blackberries
pineapple juice

Easter Eating

Sunday 1 April to Saturday 7 April

Weigh-in 56.2Kg - and this is before eating my Lindt bunny.

2 black coffee
1 croissant w jam
handful grapes
handful cashews
1 fruit nut health bar
laksa noodles w prawns, chinese veg and thin sliced beef
pineapple juice

2 black coffee
2 slices toast w apple stroop
1 pear
handful nestle melts cooking choc
1 saltine bisc w vegemite
ham, cheese & mustard sandwich
fruit muesli bar
pineapple juice

2 black coffee
1 banana
sml yogurt
1 sml carrot
chicken & veg curry w rice
pineapple juice

2 black coffee
bowl granola cereal
handful grapes
piece crumbed Dory w pecan salad (see recipe below)
sml yogurt
pineapple juice

2 black coffee
2 pieces toast w apple stroop
Fruit smoothie - 2 bananas, 1 pear, plain yogurt, fruitjuice
chicken & veg pie
handful dried fruit pieces
pineapple juice

2 black coffee
1 croissant w jam
Fruit smoothie - 2 bananas, 1 pear, plain yogurt, fruitjuice
chicken & veg curry w rice
handful dark choc melts
pineapple juice

2 black coffee
piece toast w apple stroop
apricot danish
eggplant parmegian w ricotta & pasta
apple crumble w yogurt
pineapple juice

oops .. gained a kilo

Weigh-in Sunday 56.3Kg
.... was it that dove chocolate, the choc biscuits or the Lindt balls?

2 black coffee
2 pieces raisin toast
4 squares chocolate
2 bbq pork ribs
2 apples
1 potato, piece sweet potato, salad
pineapple juice

2 black coffee
2 grilled wholemeal toast w cheese & tom
energy smoothie - apple,carrot,nectarine,fruit juice
2 Lindt balls
pkt alfredo pasta w sauce
2 dinner rolls
pineapple juice

2 black coffee
1 piece wholemeal bread w cheese
1 choc weeten biscuit
energy smoothie - apple,carrot,nectarine,fruit juice
roast chicken leg & wing
1 potato
pineapple juice

2 black coffee
1 wholemeal toast w marmalade
2 choc weeten biscs
1 Lindt ball
handful cashews
spaghetti w meat sauce
pineapple juice

2 black coffee
1 wholemeal toast w marmalade
1 choc weeten bisc
2 prawn & chicken rolls in rice paper
homemade pizza - cheese/pepperoni/mushrooms/pineapple/dried tomato
pineapple juice

2 black coffee
2 slices vienna bread w apple stroop
bowl granola cereal
handful grapes
handful cashews
salmon in filo w salad
small vanilla yogurt
pineapple juice

Turning Fat to Muscle

Sunday 18 March to Saturday 24 March

Weigh-in 55.5kg (112lbs)

2 black coffee
1 croissant w jam
1 sesame seed health bar
Spag bol with fettucini & grated parmesan
4 squares Dove choocolate
pineapple juice


2 black coffee
bowl Vogel Cereal
1 apple
Lean Cuisine salmon gratin (awful)
1 small yogurt
1 honey nut health bar
pineapple juice

2 black coffee
bowl Vogel Cereal
1 TimTam
1 hard-boiled egg
Veal Parmegan (veal, eggplant, mozzarella)
pineapple juice

2 black coffee
1 croissant w jam
1 banana w piece cheese
pasta carbonara
pineapple juice

2 black coffee
2 pieces crumbed Dory
Green salad w smoked salmon
2 squares Dove choc
pineapple juice

2 black coffee
1 croissant w jam
Fruit smoothie - (1 apple, 1 nectarine, 1 banana, 1 carrot, ice & juice)
2 pieces crumbed Dory
green salad
pineapple juice

2 black coffee
2 toast & vegemite
6 squares Dove chocolate
bowl fried rice w prawn omelette
pineapple juice

Bodyfat Analysing

We have a new Scaleman bodymass scale ... high tech scales. Not sure how much I want to know these things but I am going to keep a record for a short time at least to see if I can improve the ratio as it seems my fat level is pretty high in relation to muscle. Might try doing my 15 minute weight exercises a couple more times a week to see if it makes a difference. I only intend stepping on these scales once a week. Starting a new food list from today too.

Measurements 18 March 2007

Weight 56.1
Fat 24.9%
Muscle 16.7kg
Water 54.2%
Bone 2.3kg

Take a break

My food this week except for the days I forgot to write! As time goes on it becomes a drag to write down ALL your food every day forever and I think the time has come for me to take a break. Give me a month and I'll start lists again, maybe the menu will have varied more. How are yours going?

Sunday 25 Feb to Saturday 3 March 2007

2 black coffee
greek salad with beef
1 light beer
1 chewy muesli bar
Energy juice (apple,carrot,grapes,watermelon,nectarine,green tea, kiwi juice)
bowl creal
pineapple juice

2 black coffee
1 wholegrain muffin w jam
Energy juice (apple,carrot,grapes,watermelon,nectarine,green tea, kiwi juice)
1 spinach/ feta filo triangle
tub passionfruit yogurt
pineapple juice

2 black coffee
1 wholegrain muffin w jam
Energy fruit/veg/yogurt smoothie
2 pieces fish, 1 chick pea patty, salad
oats muesli bar
pineappple juice

2 black coffee
fruit/veg smoothie (carrot, tomato,grapes,apple,apricots,nectarine&tom juice)
2 BBQ pork chops
1 sliced cooked apple
1 small potato
brussells sprouts
1 drumstick ice-cream
pineapple juice

Food Influences

Occasionally I've been watching The Biggest Loser on TV and I have to say it really turns me off eating. I admire the enormous effort the participants are making to shed some of the weight they carry, but have to question how on earth they let themselves get to that point. To be over 200 kilos ( 420lbs) is incredible. And it was achieved over years, mouthful by mouthful. So think about that mouthful before you add it to your body .... do you need it?

My food intake from Sunday 18 February to Saturday 24 Feb 2007

2 black coffee
1 toasted roll w grapefruit marmalade
bowl cereal
Fruit cocktail: grapes, apple, watermelon, apricot, pineapple juice
Laksa: noodles, prawns, chinese vegetables
pineapple juice

2 black coffee
1/2 bread roll w marmalade
Fruit cocktail: grapes, apple, watermelon, apricot, pineapple juice
2 hotdogs w onion & cheese
mineral water
2 pieces Lindt dark chocolate
pineapple juice

2 black coffee
bowl cereal
2 pieces Lindt dark chocolate
piece white fish in sauce
2 slices bread
1 nectarine
pineapple juice

2 black coffee
spinach / feta in filo
1 Aero bar
salmon steak w green salad
2 slices bread
sparkling mineral water
pineapple juice

2 black coffee
bowl cereal
1/2 banana
1 apple
3 sweet potato patties
pineapple juice

2 black coffee
2 pieces grain toast - 1 vegemite 1 peanut butter
1/2 banana
1 yogurt top muesli bar
2 enchiladas
pineapple juice

Hunger Pangs

Do you eat because you feel hunger pangs? Or because it's a mealtime and everybody must eat three meals a day to stay healthy (and fat!). If you genuinely want to cut down on your food intake, lose weight and maintain the size you want to be you'll have to learn to love hunger pangs. Hear your stomach growling and think "good, I'm burning off fat". Give it an apple and listen for the feedback. Is it growling for more or quiet for the moment?

If you listen for the food that hums to you and eat some, it will stop hunger pangs. Stop eating because society says we should eat 3 meals a day. That was true when you got up early to do heavy manual labor, not now with the sedentary lives most of us lead. A bowl of cereal for breakfast gives you what you need for a morning without hunger pangs. Fruit or salad for lunch will carry you through the afternoon. High energy cocktails will boost your energy if you start to flag.

If you are eating for the taste, eating two or three buttered croissants when one piece of wholemeal toast would have satisfied the same hunger, then you are on the road to being fat! Which is fine if that's your choice, go ahead and eat everything in sight, the creamier, fatter, sweeter the better. But take responsibility for your decision and don't complain when you get to a size that invites obesity related diseases. You, and no-one else, are totally responsible for whatever you weigh!


My food intake:
Sunday 12 Feb to Saturday 17 Feb

2 black coffee
2 small dinner rolls honey/vegemite
1 chocolate muffin
stir-fried noodles, chinese veg & chicken
serve plain yogurt w honey
pineapple juice

2 black coffee
1 piece toast w vegemite
1 yogurt top muesli bar
energy cocktail - carrot, mango, tomato, watermelon, yogurt, mint
herb & cheese omelette
fruits of the forest muesli bar
pineapple juice

2 black coffee
1 piece toast w vegemite
energy cocktail - carrot, mango, tomato, watermelon, yogurt, mint, fruit juice
bowl cereal
honey & cheese sandwich white bread
4 Allens natural jubes
yogurt top muesli bar
pineapple juice

2 black coffee
1 slice fruit cake
chicken sate w rice
4 pieces 70% cocoa choc
4 Allens jubes
pineapple juice

2 black coffee
1 banana
1/2 avocado
1 fruit of the forest muesli bar
grilled fish and salad
2 Sao w peanut butter
pineapple juice

2 black coffee
1 dinner roll w jam
1 banana
pasta w chopped black olives, parmesan
pineapple juice

3 black coffee
small quiche
BBQ lamb steak w apricot
salad & baby potatoes
2 pieces Lindt dark choc
pineapple juice

Super Foods

SOME SUPERFOODS
1. Beans: A great low-fat, low-calorie source of protein and an easy way to help control your weight and your blood sugar.
1. Blueberries: The best food on the planet to preserve a brain as we mature.
2. Broccoli: The best food on the planet to prevent cancer.
3. Oats: A sure-fire way to lower your cholesterol.
4. Oranges: The most readily available source of vitamin C, which in turn lowers the rate of most causes of death in this country, for example, heart disease and cancer.
5. Pumpkin: Loaded with phytonutrients, which keep our skin young and help prevent damage from sunlight.
6. Wild salmon: A guaranteed way to lower your risk for cardiac-related death.
7. Soy: The only complete vegetarian source of protein.
8. Spinach: The best food on the planet to prevent cataracts and age-related macular degeneration, thus ensuring a lifetime of good vision.
9. Tea -- green or black: The easiest and cheapest no-calorie way to avoid heart disease and cancer.
10. Tomatoes: One of the easiest ways for men to avoid prostate cancer is the consumption of tomatoes and tomato-based products.
11. Skinless turkey breast: The leanest meat source of protein on the planet.
12. Walnuts: Consuming walnuts is an easy, tasty way to lower your risk of cardiovascular disease.
13. Yogurt: A tasty, easy way to boost your immune system.

How many of these superfoods are incorporated into your menu?
Not enough in mine either: list from Sunday 4 Feb to Sat 10 Feb

2 black coffee
1 wholegrain muffin w jam
energy cocktail (fruit, tomato, carrot, yogurt) juice
chicken breast with brie & cayenne in filo pastry
bok choy
pineapple juice

2 black coffee
1 banana
1 nectarine
1 apple
3 slices pizza w pepperoni
small vanilla yogurt
pineapple juice

2 black coffee
piece toasted turkish bread w honey
energy cocktail (fruit, tomato, carrot, yogurt) juice
bowl cereal
piece fish in white sauce
1 yogurt muesli bar
2 squares from choc block
pineapple juice

2 black coffee
large fruit/veg juice
honey & cheese sandwich on low GI white bread
BBQ pork w chili red kidney beans
cucumber salad
pineapple tea

2 black coffee
2 slices toast w vegemite
honey & almond health bar
grilled salmon w greek salad
pineapple juice

2 black coffee
2 chocolate muffins
piece carrot cake
fruit/vegg juice
1 beef enchilada
pineapple juice

2 black coffee
large fruit/veg/yogurt juice
handful Allens natural jubes
1 peach
3 pancakes w maple syrup
3 rashers crisp bacon / salad
pineapple juice

Alternate Snack Choices

I'm no diet expert, just someone with a concern for the people I see eating themselves into health problems and not feeling good about themselves.
My advice is offered as a concerned person who would like to help others reach their maximum level of health. Even if you only pick up one or two tips from me I hope it will help you achieve a healthier way of life. Little things you can easily maintain will go a long way to helping your future shape: gradually cut down on the amount of milk and sugar you put in coffee and on cereals. If you do that over weeks and then go back to your original serving you'll wonder how you could ever have liked that sickly sweet over-milky taste!

Here are a few tips to satisfy those sweet cravings, especially the late night ones. Before you make up your mind they're not what you want, try for yourself and feel the level of satisfaction your body signals back to you. Try going for foods that have natural sugars. They will satisfy that sweet craving just as well. These snacks are not necessarily slimming but more healthy than chocolate and sweets and generally contain less fat and calories.

Instead of a chocolate bar, have a container in the fridge filled with a mixture of grated carrot and cheese (more carrot than cheese). Eat a handful then decide if you really want the chocolate. If you do, eat half - put the other half back for next time.

Keep a couple of small yogurts in the fridge.

Have a small bowl of muesli.

Keep some naturally sweet health bars handy (like honey & almond)

Cut an apple into slices, lay a thin slice of cheese on each slice.

Have a handful of olives or semi-dried tomatoes.

Here's one that won't appeal to a lot of you but I like occasionally: take about 6 pitted prunes (or dates) and lay a small piece of soft cheese (like brie) on each one.

Eat a sweet orange or other fruit with natural sugar like pineapple.

Next time you're about to buy chocolate bars, stop and decide to try health bars or sugar-free sweets.

Have you started your food list? Here's mine from Sunday 28 Jan to Saturday 3 Feb 2007

2 black coffee
bergin seed toast w smoked salmon/cream cheese
1 nectarine
glass lemon solo
stack pancakes (4) w bacon, maple syrup and scrambled eggs
pineapple juice

2 black coffee
1 nectarine
Saltine cracker w vegemite
1 Fruits of Forest muesli bar
grilled fish
green salad w dressing
pineapple juice

2 black coffee
toast w vegemite
1 apple
fruit / veg energy juice
2 toasted cheese and tomato
few Allens natural jubes
pineapple juice

2 black coffee
piece seed toast w vegemite
banana
carrot cake
mixed fruit/veg/yogurt juice
few crackers & dip
chicken satay w rice / peanut sauce
pineapple juice

2 black coffee
toast w vegemite
1 banana
few pistachios
entree - small spring roll/ duck roll
Thai chicken & beef curries w rice
1 glass beer
pineapple juice

2 black coffee
slice wholegrain toast w vegemite
mixed fruit/veg/yogurt juice
bowl Paul's Premium Custard
3 Sao crackers w peanut butter
pineapple juice

2 black coffee
Fruit smoothie drink
2 iced fairy cakes w custard filling
BBQ butterfly pork chop w salad & potato
pineapple juice

Lose Weight By Writing

Write it down and lose weight!

I can almost guarantee you will lose weight if you start writing down every bit of food you eat. Try it for a week, try it for a month. You will soon see a difference in the type and amount of food you're eating. The whole idea is to be totally, brutally honest. After all you'd only be cheating yourself if you weren't.

Listen for the foods that hum to you. Look at your list and recognise how many of those foods hummed to you and which ones beckoned. (Read the first post in this blog if you haven't yet) If you keep writing and listening your list will gradually change. Stop finishing your dinner just because it's 'there'. If your body is telling you enough, better in the trash than in your stomach. (and no starving children across the world will suffer because you didn't finish everything on the plate!) NEVER eat just to be polite. It's easy to say a gracious 'no thanks' when that second helping of dessert or cake is offered.

As easy as it sounds, writing down every morsel of food that passes your lips is sometimes quite difficult to do. You can't very well be scribbling notes over dinner with friends. But you can take mental notes and keep your list handy so that you can update it when convenient. If you leave it until the end of the day you'll find yourself forgetting things for sure.

Here's my list for week 3.

My food intake from Sunday 21 Jan to Saturday 28 Jan

2 black coffee
sml vanilla yogurt
2 nectarines
bowl muesli
Baileys/vodka over shaved ice
Bowl Spag Bol
pineapple juice

2 black coffee
2 pieces Bergen seed toast w vegemite
1 nectarine
1 fruits of forest muesli bar
1 miniz ice block
piece grilled fish on lettuce
1 potato with butter and coleslaw
pineapple juice

2 black coffee
bowl muesli
glass energy cocktail (banana/OJ/carrot)
4 cad roses chocolates
10 Allens naturals jubes
grilled fish w coleslaw
1 small potato
pineapple juice

2 black coffee
1 wholegrain toast w crab pate
glass energy cocktail (banana/guava juice/carrot/yogurt/nectarine)
6 cracker biscuits w seafood dip
laksa w noodles, prawns, chicken and chinese veg
4 fantales & 10 jaffas
pineapple juice

2 black coffee
1 english muffin w jam
glass juice (banana/guava juice/carrot/yogurt/nectarine)
1/2 TimeOut choc bar
2 italian fairy cakes
3 slices pizza
pineapple juice

2 black coffee
glass energy cocktail (banana/guava juice/carrot/yogurt/peach)
handful smarties
1 cadbury roses choc
grilled fish
Greek salad
1 nectarine
pineapple juice

Maintaining a Lifestyle

"Sharing a meal with friends causes people to eat 33 percent more than they would on their own". That doesn't mean you should eat your meals in solitude, simply to be aware of the extra food you're eating without thinking as you talk.

If you're around my height and bone structure (you can judge yours by the circumference of your wrist), before you think you'd starve to death on a menu like mine, consider what humans really do need to live and be healthy. I am not too thin and certainly healthier than most people I know so you could do worse than take a few tips from these lists! Diets can be effective to take weight off, but what then? It's only a change of lifestyle that will have long term effects. The whole problem of obesity is simply the fact that we eat too much, and too much bad food that is the cause of so many physical problems.

ALL my food from Sunday 14 Jan to Sat 20 Jan

2 x black coffee
1 croissant w jam
yogurt muesli bar
glass berocca b
prawn omelette with rice
slice fruit cake
pineapple juice

2 x black coffee
1 croissant w jam
1 banana
yogurt muesli bar
leftover prawn omelette
3 dark chocolates w soft centres
pineapple juice
2 Sao crackers w peanut butter

2 x black coffee
1 slice wholegrain toast w butter and vegemite
1 yogurt muesli bar
1 apple
4 pieces from block of chocolate
Thai chicken curry w rice
pineapple juice

2 x black coffee
1 slice wholegrain toast w marmalade
1 cherry ripe
1 apple
turkey slices w coleslaw
pineapple juice

2 x black coffee
1 slice wholegrain toast w vegemite
1 apple
glass berocca b
turkey slices with cranberry sauce
piece fruit cake (still eating Xmas leftovers)
pineapple juice

2 x coffee
Danish pastry w spinach & ricotta
1 forest fruits muesli bar
1 banana
cheese, lettuce & vegemite wholegrain sandwich
pineapple juice

2 x black coffee
bowl crunchy meusli
small vanilla yogurt
10 soft sweet jellies (Allens Naturals)
sml glass beer
2 BBQ marinated pork ribs
1 potato
Greek salad with pinenuts
pineapple juice

The Food We Eat In a Week!

This food list, every bit of food I ate for the last week, may seem like a small amount, but I assure you I am never hungry. And weeks vary, some weeks I eat lots of vegetables, sometimes more meat, occasionally dairy products like cheese or yogurt - never milk as I have a natural aversion to the taste probably the result of being a bronchial child not allowed milk as mucous-causing. Anyway it's never hurt me and I certainly don't seem to suffer calcium deficiency. My fingernails are as strong as hard plastic and my teeth are good! Most days I drink quite a lot of water. Sometimes I pig out on something that hums to me, could be anything from chocolate cake to pickled herrings.

With so much beautiful food around it's not surprising most people in western society overeat. It's very tempting. It's a national pastime to cook and share gourmet foods with friends. I don't see anything wrong with that except the amount we consume. Far more than we need to have a healthy body. If everyone cut down on their consumption even a bit, we wouldn't be facing the problems associated with obesity as our society gets fatter and fatter! The diet industry would go out of business if we all took responsibility for our own bodies and stopped blaming outside factors, genetics or anything else. It's simple - you really ARE what you eat!

I am 5' 4" (163cm) and have had a constant weight between 110 and 120lbs (50 - 54K) for the last 20 years. I have never dieted and do very gentle leg and arm weight exercise mostly to keep muscle toned. Face exercises too. They don't do much for weight but help keep toned. Weight-bearing exercises are recommended at any age, not only for toning muscles but supposedly improving memory and mental alertness. As a grandmother of teenage girls we share the same clothes size! (They're more likely to wear mine than I am to wear theirs!)

The list below is just one week of my food intake and in order to show a fuller variety of menus I am continuing my notes and will post each week in the hope of inspiring you to do the same. It's not meant as a diet, don't go hungry. It is a list of the food that hummed to me and satisfied my hunger. Everyone will be different. Just for a week, try writing down every morsel of food and drink you have. It hardly needs to be said you must be totally honest and not leave anything out, not even a peanut! A lot of eating we do almost automatically and keeping a list will make you stop and think. Maybe you don't really want that second piece of cake, it won't look good on the list!

Please come back to post your list and share your comments.

ALL food from Sunday 7 January 2007 to Saturday 13 Jan
----------------------------------------------------------
2 x black coffee
1 slice wholegrain toast & vegemite
2 passionfruit
Laksa - noodles, fish, prawns
pineapple juice

2 x black coffee
1 slice wholegrain toast & vegemite
1 apricot danish
small bowl meusli
2 enchiladas
mineral water
pineapple juice

2 x black coffee
1 passionfruit
small bowl meusli
2 yogurt meusli bars
large bowl salad
1 slice wholemeal bread w proscutto
1 piece fruit cake
pineapple juice

2 x black coffee
1 slice wholemeal toast w proscutto
1 banana
1 nectarine
glass berrocca B
1 baileys & vodka on ice
Thai chicken curry w rice
pineapple juice

3 x black coffee
2 nectarines
ham, cheese, salad on turkish bread
2 x macadamia cookies
few grapes & cherries
1 vodka and tonic
hamburger w salad on bun
pineapple juice

2 x black coffee
KFC zinger burger
sips of mountain view
1 butter cookie
8 oysters natural
grilled fish, salad, few chips
slice fruit cake
pineapple juice

2 x black coffee
1 croissant w jam
1 banana
1 nectarine
Udon noodles w asian veg & chicken
frozen berry cream dessert
pineapple juice

Food that Hums versus Beckons

I have followed the principle of eating food that "hums" to me, food that seems exactly right for me at the time. It's a matter of developing an awareness of what your body is saying and taking heed. If you start to feel full as you unthinkingly polish off all the food on a plate someone has served, STOP eating! Never keep eating when your body tells you enough. Where would you rather see those extra pounds, on your hips or in the trash!

Here is an insight into our food cravings and the difference between food that hums to you and food that beckons. Take note and you will gain control of your body and maintain the weight that is right for you.

Food is categorised into two kinds: ones which you want because of an inner craving, and ones you want because the stimulation comes from the outside. Much eating is a craving for sensation. It can also be a craving for a specific food. That can be tied into security feelings associated with food. It can also be tied to reward foods or comfort foods.

Specific foods which you crave "hum to you"; it's like something that's coming from within, a tune you can't get out of your head. And you can do a lot of eating around the food that's humming to you if you don't allow yourself to get it.

"Beckoning" foods don't come from the inside. You usually see them and then you want them. You're walking down the street and you see something in the bakery window. You can eat these foods and they will taste good, but they're not really satisfying a craving or a hunger. They're just there. Beckoning foods are foods you can overeat, especially if you are ignoring what you really want and going with what's beckoning rather than what's humming. You don't feel deprived if you pass them up. It may take an effort not to eat them when they're available but afterwards you don't think about it.

It's important to keep track of the difference. The humming food is what you'll really be pleasured on, satisfied, and you'll feel deprived if you don't have it. It's food that comes from an inner need. With food that "hums" you usually know you crave it without seeing it. The trick is to make distinctions, not to make prohibitions.

The minute you classify any food as forbidden, then you have deprivation and rebellion, "No-one is going to tell me what to do, not even myself!" The focus is not a negative one of cutting out something but a positive focus on "What do I really want?" Eventually you will get to a point where you're eating what you really want and need. And NOT eating what you don't want or need. Much of people's eating is a waste of sensation. Can you really taste much at a dinner party when you're busy talking?

One way to start is to eat only when and what you really want. Don't eat just because it's mealtime. Spend a moment before you eat tuning into how your body feels and if you're really hungry. If you only eat dinner to get to dessert, forget the dinner and go for the dessert! - From 'Getting Clear - body work for women' by Anne Kent Rush

Following this guide to listening for food that hums means I usually eat quite a lot less than most people and sometimes my diet must look erratic to others. However it evens out and must be healthy because as a 50 something female I am slim and fit, the same size I was in my 20s and haven't been near a doctor for at least 10 years. In case you think I follow some sort of healthfood diet, I don't! I eat chocolate and KFC or anything else that hums to me. To give you an example and hopefully some inspiration, I intend following this post up with an example of all the food I eat in a week. Meantime, start listening for that humming!