What buying a french press has taught me about intuitive eating.

I finally got around to buying a french press, something that I have been eyeing for a long time. Something about being able to slow down and make coffee straight from beans of a local roaster intrigued me to get one.

I also didn’t wanted one that was complicated,expensive, or something that would break like glass.

So after many reviews, I took the plunge and got me a stainless steel one off the internet for a little under $30.

It came with instructions (thankfully because I am all about user manuals) on how to get the best strong cup of coffee. So I just followed what measurements it told me.

The first several times the coffee came out very light, like dirt water and not so bold. Not so great. What am I doing wrong?

So I tweaked and adjusted the amount of ground coffee and water until I got it just right.

It took time and practice, as I have never made coffee this way before, only through a nespresso machine, a regular coffee maker, and frappes made with a frother and instant coffee. This was a whole new level of coffee making for me.

This is with any new skill, needing to do trial and error, and that includes intuitive eating.

Just like learning the art of the french press, Intuitive eating takes time, and practice, and it won’t be perfect and linear. It also takes compassion for yourself, and removing the guilt and shame of not being perfect with it. There is no timeline or deadline when you are supposed to be a perfect intuitive eater.

And sometimes, you may have to adjust and tweak it to your own liking, which I had to with these measurements for coffee.

How has learning intuitive eating been for you? Have you tried intuitive eating yet? Let me know by hitting reply! I would love to hear it.

-Deanna

When food becomes your sole source of joy.

I noticed that I became more and more of a homebody the older I got.

Sure, that comes with age, but I know very active women way beyond my age bracket.

Sure, it’s fun to get some fun snacks and what not and park yourself in front of the tv to watch a marathon of your favorite tv show or movie. And sometimes you need that form of rest and pause. It is the best feeling. And so important and needed.

However, when I decrease my activities I do for fun or stop my hobbies etc, over time, I noticed I think about food more and consumes my life more.

If you are ALWAYS thinking about food and always reaching for snacks,meals etc even when not hungry, one thing to rule out is that you possibly don’t take enough time out for pleasure, hobbies, and so forth. It can be very possible that you are trying to address boredom via food.

The other day I went to the beach with my daughter to enjoy the last few weeks of summer in Chicago. Another day in the week we went shopping in a popular area in the city as well.

Sure we still ate lunch of course, all the walking we did built up a hunger, but we were having so much fun, it was just a relaxed approach to food. And we ate just enough to keep us satisfied. We even stopped by a candy shop. And moved on. We satisfied our craving for pleasure which is to do things fun outside the home that we felt satisfied then all around.

And going shopping and the beach are just a couple examples. Maybe you can pick up a good book series, play board games, find a hobby like painting, take long walks, you get the idea.

What are some fun things you like to do? Let me know! Would love to hear them!

-Deanna

Letting Go of Perfectionism During Summer.

I am writing this as I crack open a pink lemonade Spindrift on my balcony,soaking in the warm weather this time of year.

It is getting closer to the end of summer, and I don’t feel that I did enough to embrace it.

Does this sound like you too? If you are like me, I like doing a bucket list of activities to make it the “best summer ever” and always compare my summer to the last one. I have been like this since I was a kid. Did I do enough? Did I waste too much time not being in the present moment to enjoy this season?

This time around, I am going into the summer with a different mindset. I am telling myself that just because I didn’t do all the things over the summer doesn’t mean that I can’t enjoy the present moment or create memories for the rest of the year. Summer should not dictate how great our year is going.

And sometimes, you may not realize that you did way more than you think you did to embrace the summer months. Most days for me was spent relaxing and taking gentle walks, but if I count up the number of activities that I did over the last few months, it adds up and made me realize I did more than I thought.

This also includes any type of movements or foods you incorporated or not during the summer. Summer can be a time for many of us where we reassess our wellness goals and may push ourselves to do more than usual due to the advantages of warmer weather. Having compassion and embracing imperfectionism is key in this area as well. You need to keep in mind that we have the rest of the year to pursue wellness habits and again, the summer season should not dictate how we want to pursue overall wellness.

Loving all the seasons for what they are is key to not be left with disappointment that we didn’t take advantage of the summer months.

How is summer going for you? Let me know! Would love to hear about it and how you are feeling this time of year.

My current thoughts on social media.

Among my feed where I follow a mix of everyday individuals doing amazing things as well as fellow coaches, a theme of leaving social media has been popping up over and over again on my socials.

I have been thinking to drop Instagram myself as it just seems to get harder and harder to be seen as a service provider there which makes it less enjoyable.

I enjoy engaging with my followers on my instagram and even have fun making posts sometimes, but the algorithm makes it more and more difficult to see our follows, friends, and pages we actually want to see. Then add suggestion pages that you probably were better left not seeing as well.

And on top of that, excessive mindless scrolling becomes a bad habit that can affect one’s mental wellbeing. Not to mention some of the toxic interactions you see on there.

I am definitely guilty of mindless scrolling which eats up a lot of time, a lot of time I could have been doing something productive and/or meaningful. Has that ever happened to you? You are not alone I can assure you!

But I can’t dismiss social media all together as I met wonderful women who I have collaborated and keep in touch now, coaches, authors, speakers, you name it.

I won’t erase my instagram completely off the face of the earth, but will be working ways to use social media more intentionally and not let it consume my entire being. I would like to keep a presence on there but use it as one of many parts of my ecosystem as I continue to coach and inspire women when it comes to the non-diet life.

I am ready to do in person events, and am definitely going to continue my podcast and my email list. Also, blogging here has been enjoyable for me as well.

As I continue to decrease my posting on Instagram and Facebook, I invite you into my email newsletter community. I send out emails 1-2 times a month and post coaching tips,inspirations,offers,deals, and special events.

You can sign up for it by clicking here: Coaching tips and the latest to your inbox

When to actually count calories in your non-diet journey.

One of the suggestions that most intuitive eating and non-diet coaches makes is to not count calories when it comes to making peace with food. I also agree with this too especially if you are coming from a restrictive yo-yo dieting mindset.

But I have to say, when first coming off the on again, off again diet cycle, calorie counting can be helpful when figuring out your hunger and fullness cues.

If you find yourself bingeing at night there could be a strong possibility that you are not eating enough during the day, or eating more than usual at your next meal. That’s a given. But this takes time and patience as you did not get here overnight.

When I stopped dieting and embraced the Intuitive Eating journey, I made it a point to make sure I eat throughout the day, breakfast,lunch dinner, and a snack in between. From time to time I still felt hungry, so what gives?

It finally dawned on me, I am eating 3-4 meals a day, but NOT enough food for each meal.

So I took it upon myself and got curious-I counted my calories on an average meal. I surprised myself when I was finding that I was only eating around 200, 300 calories per meal.

This is definitely not enough, because you also have to remember all the moving you are doing through the day, I walk a lot as I live in a big city and then there are the workouts I do in between. So then the daily calorie total is even less.

Yikes! No wonder I was always hungry. I was not eating enough!

This could be why you are always hungry too, and it may be time to get curious also how many calories you are really eating.

I think this use of calories is not a bad thing, as you are not using it to restrict food/calories but trying to make sure you get enough of them.

Then overtime, with enough practice, you will get a better sense of how much food you really need to help get through your day. So give that a try and tell me if this will work for you. I would love to hear your feedback! You can email me at deanna@deannakozarov.com

Empathy for Ourselves: Why Not Cheer Our Own Comebacks?

For those who are not aware, we see celebrities like Amanda Bynes and others who have had some pretty bad experiences but are now trying to move forward in the best way they can.

We root for them, despite how their appearance changed,what they are planning to do next etc. We wish them wholeheartedly the best.

While we root for these comebacks, celebrities or not, why is it so hard to do this for ourselves?

Our setbacks may or may not be as big as Amanda’s, but we all have them on some days if not months or even years.

I invite you to root for yourself and practice self-compassion, get support wherever it’s needed, and do your best. Our efforts definitely deserve it too.

Here’s to rooting for our own comebacks,

-Deanna

P.S Second season of The Intuitive Wellness Cafe podcast is in full swing! Tune in here and take a listen: The Intuitive Wellness Cafe

The one tip that helped me feel safe with body image.

As you embrace Intuitive Eating and food freedom,your body may have changed shape as well.

You eventually want to get to a place where you feel confident in shorts and sleeveless tops again, but you may not be there yet. The thought of busting out shorts for the first time in a long time in public a size bigger or two scares the daylights out of you.

I want to invite you to a practice what I learned when embracing my own intuitive eating and body image journey through what is called titration. It’s what it sounds like- “dripping over time”.

In this case, you can find a sense of safety by just slowly introducing things like wearing shorts for the first time since any weight gain.

While we stick with the example of wearing shorts, if you do not feel comfortable wearing shorts outside the home, why not start wearing them around the home first? In this scenario, you are creating safety around doing something different without going to the extreme. At least until you are ready and comfortable to then wear them out in public.

The next step then may be wearing them while walking over to the coffeeshop real quick to grab a coffee and return home.

Creating a safe environment while trying something that is helping you get outside your comfort zone is key. Maybe you will only do this if alone if you have others living with you,etc. You can create safety that would work and feel good to you.

Will you give this a try? Would love to hear your thoughts and how you will incorporate this practice.

PS. Season 2 of The Intuitive Wellness Cafe podcast is now in full swing! Check out the first three episodes here: The Intuitive Wellness Cafe

“Embracing Solitude: Understanding the Difference Between Being Alone and Lonely”

This past weekend, I got an unexpected call from one of my friends I haven’t heard from in quite some time in the neighborhood if I wanted to meet at our local coffeeshop. She is an older adult who refers to it as “the cafe” which I love, despite there are many in our neighborhood but I knew exactly which one she was referring to.

“Meet you in half hour?” she suggests

“Yup, see you then!” I confirmed.

I am used to the last minute invites due to coming from a European culture and quite frankly, they work out somehow better, especially if we are literally living five minutes from each other.

We did a lot of catching up, and of course knowing that I am a coach, she asked a variety of questions related to how to be healthy. One facet I brought up that does not get talked about often when speaking about health and wellness was being part of community and not isolating yourself is an important one too. And that there is a difference between being “alone” and being “lonely”.

Do you know the difference?

Being lonely is having a lack of community, not engaging with others and truly feeling and being isolated and disconnected from the rest of the world. One of the characteristics of blue zone communities that live to be hundred is due to making sure no one becomes isolated.

You can still be alone without feeling lonely, if you have a genuine community surrounding you and not isolate yourself. This can even be just a tight knit neighborhood where you see regulars out and about and connecting even for a few minutes. Or a tight small circle of friends.

Being “alone” is not a bad thing at all. In fact, you need that solo time to recharge from being out and about socializing. You need to go inwards to reconnect with yourself as well. Some solo activities can include: journaling, taking solo walks,painting,reading a book, listening to a podcast, just to name a few.

What is your best way to spend time “alone”? Would love to hear your thoughts!

And if you are looking for a community, this can take place online too. I have a newly formed Food Freedom for Women group over on Facebook if you would like to join us! The group can be accessed by clicking here: Food Freedom Women’s Group


-Deanna

Sometimes the little things are the big things.

We live in a society where the big shiny things are highlighted on social media and beyond. We have capitalism and the comparison trap to thank us for that.

I started to see the word “glimmers” popping up which basically pertains to finding wonder in the small things in life.

After going through the pandemic, I realized that it’s the little things that can make an impact on our lives. One example that sticks out is being able to enter inside my favorite local coffee shop after restrictions were lifted and sit inside amongst the big windows with the sun peering in. I felt truly happy as if I won the lottery! It is pretty amazing how something so dramatic as what we went through can put it in perspective.

I think most of us who have gone through something major can then appreciate the little things in life. But no need to go through a tragic situation in order to do so.

Ask yourself throughout the day, what are the small things that brought you joy? It can be anything, a sunny walk, a sip of coffee, a chocolate filled croissant, coloring with your child, a phone call to relatives, just to give you some ideas.

What are small joys aka glimmers in your life you noticed? I would love to hear them! Comment below or reach out to me at deanna@deannakozarov.com and let me know!

PS. The Intuitive Wellness Cafe Podcast Season 2 Episode 1 is live! Take a listen here: The Intuitive Wellness Cafe Season 2 Episode 1 . If you have any topics you would like to discuss let me know. As always, your name would be anonymous.

Diet culture tells us that health is primarily food and exercise. Here is why this is not true.

Now with the weather getting warmer here in the midwest(strangely no snow in February in Chicago!), I have been opting to go on walks as much as possible. With the walking I am also trying to make sure I get adequate natural light, since we tend to be surrounded by artificial lights constantly(computers,our phones etc). I noticed my energy levels and mood shifts for the best when I change my environment to more natural activities.

While some foods definitely can help support our energy levels and health, diet culture has got us convinced it’s the ONLY thing that matters when it comes to health.

What good is it to focus solely on food and excessive workouts when your mental health and surroundings are not adding to your wellbeing? Health and wellbeing are more than just food and exercise. A more holistic approach is needed when it comes to supporting our health and wellness habits. No point in eating salads for instance if you are stressed to the max in other areas of your life.

What about connecting with friends and family? Belonging to a community? How is your sleep? Your stress levels? These also matter as well. All of it.

With that being said, I had recently formed a Food Freedom Women’s Facebook group! Connecting and meeting like minded women who are also on the same journey as you can be very beneficial to your health. We will be in there supporting,inspiring,and educating each other so come join us! I also will be going in there to provide support,encouragement, coaching tips and do virtual and in person events and workshops (think brunch meet ups and intuitive eating picnics,walking events, virtual coffee chats, and more).

The Food Freedom Women’s Facebook Group will be a fun, safe, non-judgemental space for all women who are tired of diet culture, tired of the toxic messages out there about health, tired of diets that actually don’t work, and want a peaceful relationship with food, their bodies, and movement. For the woman who still cares about her health but not in an obsessive,toxic way that Diet Culture is teaching us to do.

Be sure to join today! And let any women interested know about the group.

You can join by clicking on the link here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/foodfreedomwomengroup

See you in the group! -Deanna