I’m not the least bit religious. So don’t worry, I’m not about to get all preachy on you. But as I’ve written before, religions can have elements that are based on universal truths. And here’s a fun one that may not have occurred to you, which can help you to lose weight: Saying grace before meals.
I’m not talking about any particular prayer, but more the energy behind the act of saying grace, or what I believe was its original purpose before it turned into an obligation or just some words church going folk rattle off before digging in.
You see, it’s not really about the words at all. Words don’t really mean anything. It’s the energy behind the words that matters. And so, just regurgitating some old prayer without any meaning or feeling behind it, does nothing. But connect with the right frequencies, and oh, how things can change.
The prayer that people say before meals generally contains words of gratitude. When you get into the feeling of being grateful, you’re actually raising your vibration. And if you can achieve the feeling for thankfulness on a certain subject, you can change your whole relationship to it.
What does this have to do with your weight?
Let’s say you’re sitting at the dinner table with a plate full of food in front of you. How you feel about that food makes a huge difference in how it affects your body once you eat it. Are you aligned with the energy of the food? Do you feel good about it? Do you believe it’s going to nourish you? Are you excited and joyful about how it’s going to taste?
Or, do you have resistance to it? Do you feel guilty about eating the quantity or the type of food? Do you love the taste but hate the amount of calories? Do you believe it’s going to make you fat or fatter?
In short, do you feel good or bad about the meal you’re about to eat?
Here’s the dirty little secret:
You’re supposed to enjoy your food. You’re not supposed to suffer, or eat bland, tasteless food in exchange for a slim body. The Universe didn’t set it up so that all the food that tastes good is fattening and all the food that isn’t fattening tastes like rice cakes. Eating food that isn’t enjoyable to you isn’t serving you, at all. It’s not just the taste, though, it comes down to the entire range of feelings you have about your meal.
So, if you love the taste of ice cream (which feels good), but believe it’s going to make you fat (which is something you don’t want, so it makes you feel bad), eating ice cream isn’t going to serve you. The guilt and self loathing you feel while and after eating it is your indicator that how you feel about this action isn’t going to get you closer to those skinny jeans (i.e. what you want). It’s not the ice cream that’s the problem, it’s how you feel about it.
You can’t eat food that you don’t feel good about and get the body you want. Ever. Sure, you can starve yourself with food that tastes like cardboard and lose weight for a bit, but it won’t last. The vibrational discord you experience while eating stuff you hate is going to cause a lot of negative emotion. And if your coping mechanism is to eat when you feel bad, well… you see where I’m going with this. Furthermore, if your relationship with food hasn’t changed, you’re never going to be able to eat “normally”, the way you see others do without blowing up two sizes.
So, the solution is to change the way you feel about food. And one tool you can use to help you do that is to get into a place of gratitude about your food before you eat it. Enter saying grace.
The main idea behind saying grace is to feel grateful for the food that God has provided. Now, whether you believe in God or Source or the Universe or your own divine power, it doesn’t matter. Call it whatever you want. The important thing is to connect with the frequency of gratitude, i.e. the feeling of being grateful.
Before you begin to eat, take a moment and focus on your food.
- Be thankful for what you’re about to eat.
- Be grateful for the taste, the texture, for how it’s going to nourish you. Imagine each cell in your body benefiting from the nutrients you’re about to eat.
- See each of your organs working away efficiently, soaking up the energy of the food you’re about to ingest.
- See and feel the energy of the food (make no mistake, food has energy), and align with it.
- Thank all the animals and plants as well as all the people who have contributed to your meal. The farmer, the guy who drove it to the supermarket, the store clerk, the person that cooked it, etc.
- Thank the earth for providing you with this delicious and nutritious meal.
- Thank yourself for choosing to each such a delicious and nutritious meal.
This can take a few seconds or a few minutes, but the point is to get into the space of gratitude in regards to your food, and fully align with the energy of it before you eat it. I believe that this was the original intent behind saying grace. It was more about energy alignment than pleasing some deity.
A few more tips:
- It helps if you’re eating something you can feel good about. Delicious and nutritious meals will be easier to align with than meals you have a lot of resistance to. Don’t force yourself to eat things you hate, and don’t pig out on things you KNOW (according to your beliefs) will make you fat (and therefore will make you feel bad.)
- Eat slowly and continue to appreciate the meal you’re eating as you go. Really take the time to enjoy it – again, the better you feel about the food, the easier it will be.
- Don’t eat in front of the TV or the computer (my personal downfall). Distractions will make it hard for you to focus. I know you’ve heard this tip in every diet book ever. It isn’t just about knowing when you’re full (although that does help).
- Do this with every meal, if at all possible, not just dinner or special occasions. Yes, you do have the time.
- When choosing foods to eat, pay attention to how you feel about them. Practice feeling the energy of the food. Does your body really want this? Or is it just habit? Listen to your body.
Getting into the habit of aligning with the energy of your food will take a bit of practice. But it really works. It will help you to raise your vibration around food, and when that happens, you begin to feel better about food in general. And then, something amazing happens. Without forcing yourself, without deprivation of any kind, without a diet plan, you’ll begin to make “better” choices. You’ll naturally gravitate towards food that are more aligned with what you want, that is, foods that fit into your belief structure. If you believe donuts will make you fat, for example (and who doesn’t?), you’ll naturally begin to stay away from donuts. But not because you’re so disciplined. They’ll just lose their appeal.
Ready to give it a try? Shock your family and say “grace” tonight! 🙂
Every meal I eat is in front of the computer or television…
I like to start my day watching something uplifting while having a tea and breakfast or reading your blogs while eating or snacking.
I often think it would be nice to eat the hot dinner at a proper table and have a good conversation. But we don’t have a dinner table, just flat cushions and we sit cross legged on the couch eat dinner and watch t.v.
My significant other doesn’t want to talk, just relax after work. So most of our time together in the weekdays is eating together, sleeping together or watching television together.
We bond properly on the weekend or during intimacy; but I’m well aware most people eat with the t.v. on and it’s not nice but we do it anyway.
Also with food sometimes I eat things that I don’t like the taste of or feel good about.
Something I saw in forums-not just me- is the spouse who is not the breadwinner feels they have much less say in things around the house including what food is bought as they didn’t pay for it.
Well basically the breadwinner or highest earner will have more control in the house and that sucks.
Hey Alice,
That’s a very common belief and it doesn’t just extend to food. A lot of housewives will feel less entitled, even if they have a part time job, just because they’re no longer bringing home the big bucks. Contribution is contribution (cleaning the house is work, too). And really, if one partner had to hire someone to do the work that the stay at home partner does, it would add up to quite a salary (usually).
I’m going to have a think about this and see if I can come up with a blog post.
Huge hugs!
Melody
I have always said grace but hated those moments where the religious go on and on and just make the meal unsavory as you watch the food congeal and go cold….I learned that grace was about coming from the dessert and cooling down the body so that food could be digested and one not get food poisoning – and in the desert there needs to be a great deal of gratitude for food and water 🙂
When my children were little we would sing a grace before meals…often and round and so our focus was on coming together.
I wish I could clean up all the rules I have around food and for so many years I have had to cook so many specialty foods for allergies and celiac disease. I think my energy is tired of dealing with food and I know I am tired of cooking and freezing and money issues around food.
I do know that some fancy olive oil I have been having on my salads are taking the knee pain away…and the lovely CSA veggies in my box each week are highly anticipated and wow do they make the salads delicious and yummy….and the carrots – inspiring – nothing like from the grocery store at all…
I went for a sailboat ride yesterday – my blood pressure is normal – exquisite today 🙂
lots of energy there
Way to go Patricia! It’s so great that you notice which activities and which foods raise your vibration. Your body responds immediately. We all have a lot of rules around food. Sometimes it’s just easier to stay away from something than to change your belief around it. For example, I no longer eat or drink any kind of dairy. I’m not intolerant, but when I look at it, I get grossed out. I had eggs, chicken, milk and cheese for years. But now, I can’t. My body tells me that they won’t be good for me, and I’m ok with that. if I pushed it (without cleaning up the energy) I’d probably develop an intolerance. The energy of that food just isn’t compatible with my body right now, but I’m sure that as time goes on and I continue to raise my vibration, I’ll get to the point where I can eat anything. Will I want to? I don’t know. Not eating things I used to like is a lot better than denying myself things I really want…
Hugs,
Melody
Dear melody,
Yes that is right, i had some sudden realization that, food is only to have some energy for physical activity of our body. I started taking my food with little attention with no other activity(TV,BIZ,other thinking,discussion).And whenever i had a feeling, can i have some more or not, i choose not have, because already enough stuffed, but i am trying to overload that”s how i take it. Result, lose of 10 kilograms weight. I am very happy everybody appreciated me and it increased my confidence.My chest and stomach in straight line, great feeling great look.
But i lost this control.Thanks for remainding
Thank you.
With regards
P.Murali kannan
Hi Murali,
There’s a big difference between just disciplining ourselves and denying ourselves food, and listening to our bodies while aligning with the energy. The first one is hard, short lived and frustrating while the second one is much easier, intuitive and leads to permanent changes.
Thanks so much for your comment. And congratulations on your success.
Hugs,
Melody
Hi Melody,
I like the idea of raising your vibration before you eat. At one time I was going to write a post about how to lose weight but after careful consideration I decided against it. It would have been about one paragraph long and went something like this, burn more calories than you consume.
I know that has nothing to do with the LOA, and that is why I leave these types of posts to the experienced writers like yourself. I think sometimes I look at life too black and white.
Ha, ha, Todd.
Well, perhaps it really is that simple for you. It all depends on your belief system, really. So, if you have a simple, black and white relationship with food, then a black and white solution will work. Consider yourself lucky! 🙂
Hugs,
Melody
Ello Ms. Fletcher,
Thank you for writing this post… I’ve spent years coming to this point of realization, and you crystallized it here in a way your audience can absorb in an instant.
To supplement your evidence, I propose that the opposite is true as well. By appreciating food first and foremost, I’ve been able to gain 15lbs and cure some really doubleunfun IBS. All the logical food choices in the world don’t matter, and can’t help you achieve your goal, unless you’re aligned with the right vibrations.
Thank you again, Melody.
Hi Morgan,
You’ve made an excellent point! When we line up with the energy of food, it benefits us the most. And that can mean gaining weight when that’s necessary as well. Our bodies get what they need. Thank you so much for contributing this valuable information.
Huge hugs to you,
Melody
This topic put me to remember during Memorial day weekend we had a family get together at my niece’s home! I was asked to say Grace, as I looked around the table my grand nephew who is 5 yrs. old raised his hand up and asked if he could say grace! He was granted the honor, he clasped his little hands and began thanking the all mighty for his Mom and Dad, the food that had great vegetables from their garden, he gave thanks for that! For every one that came that day! As I was looking around the table you could see that everyone there was being blessed! Tears of joy from Mom and a big smile from Dad,
Grandma was also filled with joy! This was his first time that he’s ever done that! Vibrations were definetly flowing that day! He was just overwhelmed with hugs and kisses after that! Wisdom from a Child is a wonderful thing!
Hi Dan,
Children can be our greatest teachers. And I don’t mean that metaphorically… they are so connected and haven’t yet built up this arsenal of beliefs that they have to navigate. Thank you for this wonderful story. I’m sure nobody got digestion that day! 🙂
Hugs,
Melody
Hi Melody,
This is a very interesting topic! The state of mind is really important to how well we digest food and I had never thought of saying grace as being anything beneficial to the physical aspect of eating. I agree that we should be grateful for the food but this really brings it to a whole new level.
Thank you for this thoughtful post! 🙂
Stacy
Hi Stacy,
Thanks so much for your kind world. I’ve found that since I stopped demonizing religion, that it contains a lot of useful tidbits. A lot of religious rituals and symbols were based on Universal laws and truths. You just have to dig to find them. Their meaning has been obscured or lost and obviously there’s a lot in religions that is counterproductive, but I really enjoy finding those nuggets. 🙂
Hugs,
Melody
This could have not had come at a better time! Really motivated me. You are right, to be slim or go on a diet you do not need to have horrible food – that stood out for me maybe because I’m reworking my food intake etc.
Thanks for the post, Melody!
Thanks Gabriella. It’s such a widely held belief that in order to lose weight, we have to heat crap food, and that food that tastes really good (not just kind of good, but REALLY good) is automatically fattening… But it’s just that: a belief.
Hugs,
Melody
Hi Melody,
Excellent post! Being in gratitude and giving thanks to God for what he has given us is crucial. The more we are thankful, the higher our vibration will be, and the more God will give us the same of what we are thankful for. This applies to food, money, relationships, health, etc… I started applying this concept in many areas of my life. It is very important to “feel” what we are saying and not say it in a routine way. The other benefit of gratitude is that it gives us peace of mind and tranquility. Nice job Melody and thanks for sharing 🙂
You’re welcome Dia. Thanks for the valuable comment! 🙂
Hugs,
Melody
Interesting post Melody! I will definitely start doing this. You’re right I do not always enjoy the foods I eat. However I can see how if I begin to approach all meals from a place of appreciation that will put me at a higher vibration which will in turn allow me to treat my body with care and appreciation as well. Melody you are definitely the best when comes to LOA application application and practicality!
July is almost here I look forward to reading your book!
Kim
Gaaa! No pressure then… 😉 Thank you so much for your kind words, Kim.
Huge hugs for you, (or should I say skinny hugs for you?) LOL
Melody