For a long time, I’d been on a quest to prove what I'd been taught about holistic weight loss regarding Vitamin P, or pleasure.  As a culture, it's instilled in us that the more punishing our lifestyle, i.e. depriving ourselves of foods we love, restricting, etc., somehow, the more rewarding, yet the concept of pleasure completely turns this belief upside down.

At first I was skeptical, and yet I have to say that the more I've studied it, and applied it, the more I have to agree with it.

I was your typical Type A corporate juggernaut for many years, constantly on-the-go, never stopping to slow down.  If I wasn’t moving, I was bored and had no clue what to do with myself.  I found it maddening to try to just sit still.  The energy of my career matched the energy of everything I did, including how fast I spoke, how fast I ate, and how fast I worked out.

In fact, the thought of slowing down at all was completely foreign to me and as far as I was concerned, worthless.

So along I went, pushing, forcing and shoving my way through life, resisting pleasure and seeking pain, completely unaware of my body’s neverending desire to do the opposite.  It made sense though, seeing as I had been taught that pain was the rule of thumb, as is evidenced in every aspect of life, from work, to religion, to health, and so it was for me too.

Until one day, I came to a new understanding and finally realized that the reason I had a harder time losing weight was because my body was now resisting the militaristic methods I was using in an attempt to achieve my goal. like PX90, kickboxing, or any other form of exercise that no longer felt right to me.  Because when I changed, everything changed, and what had once worked for me no longer matched who I had become.

Fast forward to now, years out of corporate and into a whole new way of living that’s void of self-deprecating behaviors.  Instead, I make my body a priority by feeding it well according to what it wants, not what I think it wants.  I walk and hike.  I have boundaries between work and play, and I no longer take aim at myself as the cause of everyone else’s misery, including my own.

In other words, [bctt tweet=”I stopped hating myself and began to see myself as loveable, worthy and deserving,”] and my body too.  I indulged in self-acceptance instead of self-hatred and in the process, learned to tune in to what my body wanted rather than force-feeding it only what I thought it wanted.

And it responded, quite nicely I might add.

Whereas on the one hand I had systematically pushed it past its physical capacity in ways it didn’t want me to, on the other, I started to pay more attention to what it was actually telling me and for the first time ever, drew the connection between mind and body and awakened to truth.

The truth that my body was in control of my body, not my mind.

So I probed further, asking how it wanted it to move, what foods were best, what people and places were good for me, and so on.  What I found it wanted most was protection, from negativity, from toxicity, and from that which I inflict upon myself.

That scared girl who didn't know how to manage a developing body or understood it was ok to be me still wanted my attention, from all those years ago, and well into my 40's, was still there, still wanting it, and finally had the courage to speak up and say it.

I was astonished at how easily the answers came once I opened up, which enabled me to overcome many of emotional eating issues, end a slew of toxic relationships that weren't in my best interest and I oust toxic substances like sugar, gluten and dairy.  Essentially, I just let go and allowed the inherent wisdom of my body take over.

And the struggle went away.

It was then that I finally got that my wise teachers were on to something after all.  It was no longer a mystery to me how it could be that such a simplistic notion as pleasure was the catalyst for lasting weight loss, and yet, it became undeniable.

Being in alignment with who you are at the deepest level of your being is one of the most courageous ways to be and is one of the most effective ways to release weight; until you get that the most authentic and sustainable way to lose weight is to fully be and express who are, without abandon, your struggle with weight will never end.

For more info on how to stop emotional eating, sign up for my free eCourse here:

Angela Minelli is an author, speaker and founder of Angela Minelli International, a heart-based global business serving purpose-driven everyday women and entrepreneurs whose self-image and weight issues are inhibiting their confidence and blocking them from pursuing their life’s passion. 

Angela's joy is in taking a stand for women who are living less than ideal lives, stopped by fear and doubt, which prevents them from stepping into their innate power and delivering their God-given genius to the world. Her coaching programs and products are designed for women with busy lifestyles yet allow for powerful transformation to take place within a small segment of time.  

As a natural health practitioner and digestive health specialist, Angela specializes in helping people overcome weight and energy issues through holistic, non-invasive protocols that address the root cause of their conditions, including adrenal fatigue, candida, thyroid disorders, and more.  

Explore the ideals that are the cornerstone of her work at angelaminelli.com.