Based on what I learned about food variety and breath, I added two more decisions to the two I had already made. I decided to rely on a simple meal guide to prevent the confusion and weakness brought on by variety. Lastly, I decided to rely on breath for relaxed alertness as well as physical and emotional stress reduction. This brought me to a total of four decisions that you can read at the end of this section.
With these four decisions, I felt a sense of stability I hadn’t had before. I could depend on these decisions when times were tough. They could become solid, life-affirming habits. Many eating plans can only be followed when we’re mentally sharp and in a good mood. When hard times come, the plan becomes an extra burden that adds to the stress we are already feeling from other sources.
On the basis of these four decisions, I constructed the Four Habits for Normal Eating. Food cravings, which are intensified by unrecognized thirst, are reduced and redirected. Hunger and fullness sensitivity is improved by the mild taste stimulation of the easy-to-manage foods. Daily meal selections become less confusing, and good breathing assists in stress reduction. Through these techniques, I began to feel more like a normal eater. I started to experience genuine self-control amid the temptation of food.
This plan is corrective because underlying physical causes of overeating are addressed. Too often, we ignore those causes in the rush to lose weight. Each habit redirects behavior into a positive action that alleviates the physical or practical cause. The following chart summarizes the four habits that I needed to form. I keep them in mind as I go about my daily routines.
Four Habits for Normal Eating
1. Rely on water and small amounts of juice beverages between meals—to redirect taste desires and diminish food cravings that thirst intensifies.
2. Rely on easy-to-manage foods for meals and reduce consumption of difficult-to-manage foods—to improve hunger/fullness recognition and naturally reduce food consumption.
3. Rely on a simple meal guide—to cope with the increased choice and availability of food in modern life.
4. Rely on breath—to achieve relaxed alertness and decrease stress-induced eating.
