Eat what you want

This may seem like backwards advice for someone trying to be healthy and lose weight. Actually, it's not—at least not when you add this clarification: Eat what your body wants.

My mom has a friend who has lost 110 pounds and discovered the great "a-ha" for making it happen. The friend wrote a book, and my mom wrote a great article about it all:

What the diet industry doesn't want you to know - ksl.com

I've been to a class by this friend, Tres Hatch, and what she teaches is so intuitive. It's not an earth-shattering concept, yet for some reason it's a message that's too often lost in the mad dash for weight loss. There's really no secret combination for healthy eating; it's simply a matter of fulfilling your body's needs. While it can be tricky to learn to listen to what your body wants, it's a skill worth having.

Some things I've realized after listening:

• When I'm craving salt, I'm actually dehydrated and thirsty.
• When I'm craving sugar, I've had too much salt and not enough fruit.
• When I'm craving carbs, I'm in need of an emotional boost (it's my sad day, PMS go-to).

Take a few days and listen to yourself. I know it's hard to ignore the screaming-for-chocolate cravings, but this is a skill worth developing. Though it's not 100 percent easy to stick to this method—especially if your cravings are raging out of control—it's a wonderful natural blueprint to follow for learning how to fuel your body properly and getting it to function at its highest levels.

This is perfect for me now, as I start my new regimen. I started halfheartedly yesterday but didn't have all the necessary ingredients. So today, it's on. Wish me luck!