Having trouble listening to my body

[FelineNostalgia]

I'm a big believer in consciously connecting with your bodies messages. I've ignored mines for a long time, I could feel it telling me certain things and put it to the back of my mind and went with text book advice, consequently I feel as rough as a badgers back side. The biggest one I want to work on is what I consume, I've ruined my hunger reciprocators, I'm not really sure if I'm hungry or full and honestly everything apart from chocolate seems sickening. Which brings me to another point that I'm addicted to chocolate and sweeteners/ diet drinks - I'm aware I'm poisoning myself here. These are immense cravings , they're both physical and psychological. I know no one can stop me consuming this tripe but I really do think I need support on this.

I was wondering if anyone has any heart warming success stories about re connecting with their body and or any mediations or self hypnosis techniques to help me release cravings

Thanks!

[firenexx]

I started eating a lot more raw fruits and vegetables, especially fruits. My taste buds gradually reprogrammed themselves. I still get the occasional craving, but not nearly as bad as I used to.

Remember that your body does not tell you "you have a zinc deficiency" or "you need more vitamin B12." Those are things that a lab technician tell you. Your body just tells you "I need more energy" or "I am sick" or "I need more healthy food because I feel like crap" or "I have a tummy-ache." Some people get really good at ignoring these things.
Your body has a great mechanism for asking for fruit, it is called the sweet tooth. Your taste buds think that sweetened chocolate is fruit. Have you ever tried unsweetened chocolate? It is pretty gross. Your taste buds do not think that is fruit, so they do not crave that.

Sorry, not very heart-warming. But it's what made sense to me, so I guess it's "brain-warming".

[FelineNostalgia]

ah okay good good!so raw foods a good idea, cant I just steam my vegetables a little?

How quickly did you notice your cravings fading? Mines are insane, they wake me up at night sometimes

While I believe its pretty smart not to ignore lab results and keep getting check ups and support, I think the body can do amazing things, especially during pregnancy where the body screams at the person for what it needs lol. Sometimes I do get my body requesting very specific things like I remember sitting in class one time busting to get out so I could go and get some white fish and brusel sprouts

[ChrisGinsburg]

Refined sugar addiction was one of the major contributors to my previous alcoholism. Making the switch to sweet fruits and vegetables made it immensely easier to get past that.

[Dulma]

What helps me connect to my body:

Taking a few seconds whenever you remember to just feel your body. The sensations and pressures and temperature influences on the surface of your skin as well as muscular sensations on the inside. And especially your inner body/tingly subtle feeling of energy that permeates the body.

Doing yoga with awareness (or any physical act with mindfulness, really).

Connecting to my breath and feeling it.

Allowing myself to stop and take a moment whenever I feel an overwhelmingly negative or chaotic emotion. From there, I stop being "in my head" and try to bring myself into my body to experience the emotions physically more than through the sometimes aggravating and destructive filter of the mental thought patterns.

And the most important thing is to just hold the intention to connect with your body more. I used to struggle with my body a lot and fight it constantly in little but burdensome ways. Then I realized that my body is my ally, my servant, and a gift; why not just ask it what it needs from me for my connection with it to become harmonious, clear, and strong? It's kind of like adopting a really loving, calm state and from there, saying, "Help me help you."

I hope this made sense..

[firenexx]

Sometimes I do get my body requesting very specific things like I remember sitting in class one time busting to get out so I could go and get some white fish and brusel sprouts

Your body made this request, or your mind? **

Remember that the process that allows you to feel hunger can be completely bypassed by your pleasure receptors (opioid, dopamine, whatnot). Your body can be completely full but your mind still allows you to eat candy because of the pleasure it gets when you do so. What's missing is the reasoning and conscious awareness of this process.

Oh, and steaming vegetables is perfectly fine.

Please note that I have never actually gone to a lab and gotten tests on my vitamin levels, I assume they are OK or else my body would make me sick. If I was exhibiting symptoms of a deficiency, I would go and get it checked out. Some people say things like "I started drinking more milk because my body told me I wasn't getting enough calcium." Not only is milk a dumb way to get calcium, your body does not have the mechanism to "tell" you that you aren't getting calcium. You won't know for many years until your bones start cracking and breaking, and even then, it might be due to 5000 other factors that have absolutely nothing to do with calcium. So I agree that you should listen to your body, I just think that some people think the body is too specific. The body is very strong in its communications but also vague, because it is the mind's job to be specific. **The mind is part of the body, it can complete the message or it can make up its own completely "I need candy" or "I need to start taking Cow Adrenal Gland Extract supplements because my body told me it needed that."

[sk8joyful]

Originally Posted by FelineNostalgia

I'm a big believer in consciously connecting with your bodies messages.

why? - Your body can't give you 'messages'; it's
only the glove, that houses the REAL you: Soul+Mind

Originally Posted by FelineNostalgia

I'm addicted to chocolate and sweeteners/ diet drinks -
I'm aware I'm poisoning myself here.
immense cravings, both physical and psychological.

What you really want is to be FILLED, so you are satiated, with both Nurturing & Nourishing food.
Nurturing foods for your soul & mind. And Nourishing foods for your body. These are the goodies to crave...

Originally Posted by FelineNostalgia

I was wondering if anyone has any heart warming success stories or self hypnosis techniques to help me release cravings. Thanks!

Any nonsense you became consciously confused with,
get some help successfully by-passing ;
&
give YOUR own MIND back the reins for REcreating in yourself whole...