Its kind of a funny idea, isn’t it? Buddha, Jesus or Moses on a diet? It’s hard to picture that! Why? Because I imagine that they were too busy doing their life’s work, fulfilling the Higher Will by spreading a message of goodness, love, forgiveness and enlightenment, to be bothered with dieting!

Yet, I am certain that they ate well and that they ate healthfully.

Now, we may guess that it was easier for them in the time that they were alive on this planet because fast, processed, sugar-laden and chemical-rich foods were not yet invented. That is certainly true!

And yet, do you think that any of these great Beings would be snacking on chips, indulging in ice-cream or chugging down diet soda, even if they were alive today?

That’s doubtful. Let’s look at why not.

1. Buddha’s Second Noble Truth and Dieting

Buddha taught 4 Noble Truths. To simplify, the first Truth is that life is suffering. The second Truth is that the cause of this suffering is craving. Buddha’s third Truth is the teaching of how to be free from suffering and the 4th truth is living the path that frees us from suffering. So the Buddha didn’t diet because dieting causes cravings, since it creates a feeling of deprivation and lack, and that increases suffering!

2. Mindfulness and Dieting

Besides the 4 Noble Truths, Buddha taught the Eightfold Path to Enlightenment. The road to Enlightenment is paved with Right Mindfulness and Right Thinking, which leads to Right Action and Right Speech.

Can you force right thinking? Of course, not! But you can create the circumstances that will increase your ability to think, perceive and act from a higher level.

This is what I love about hypnosis! Hypnosis can help us with developing Right Intention and Right View – two of the fundamental teachings of Buddha. Right Mindfulness leads to right eating without needing to be on a rigid diet.

Mindful eating doesn’t mean being on a diet, but rather listening to your body’s feedback and giving yourself exactly what you truly need. This includes enjoying every bite!

3. Basic Spiritual Teaching: Do No Harm

Buddha taught us to cultivate right action and to do no harm, not only to others but to ourselves. If you’re way of eating is doing you harm, then you are not “bad,” you are simply off-track. It’s time to get on track with healthy eating for permanent weight loss, without dieting or deprivation.

4. Follow Your Higher Will

Jesus, Buddha, Moses and all enlightened, wise teachers tell us that the answers to all of life’s questions are within and we connect to this higher intelligence through the heart. What should you eat? Your body knows. Let your experience and your body guide you, not the billion dollar diet industry.

5. Throw Your Diet Out

That’s right, get rid of your diet and start listening to your body. Jesus, Buddha, Moses and all great beings, no matter what period of history they lived in, ate whole, real, clean, unprocessed food from the earth. How much food did they eat? Just enough to satisfy their physical hunger. It’s that simple. You can do it, too!

When you begin to let your life experience guide you to the eating plan that works for you, whether that is Paleo, Low Carb, Smoothies, High Protein, Vegan, Raw or a combination, you will finally have the success that you have been hoping for. Trust yourself. Your body knows. Stop looking outside yourself for all the answers.

When people ask me why I went into hypnosis, I tell them that I find it to be the most direct route to the heart’s wisdom of how to live life without suffering.

To me hypnosis is a form of prayer, but it also gives us a way to get answers. Though we don’t have a way to directly speak to Buddha, Jesus or Moses today, through the wisdom of the heart, we can learn to listen and trust.

Dieting is suffering. But so is eating with no regard for the effect trigger foods are having on your body and not paying attention to what your body needs for mental, physical and emotional health.

Healthy eating while enjoying every bite is the goal that I encourage you to strive for and a wonderful method for permanent weight loss, vitality, energy, and living a craving-free life.