Guest Author - Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen

Remember that ecstatically happy feeling of falling in love and anticipating the next time you'd see your sweet honey? Nothing mattered as much: not chocolate, cranky coworkers, credit card bills, being stuck in traffic, or cheese-smothered nachos….because you were hooked on the endorphins of love.

And, though losing weight wasn't a top priority, you may have managed to shed quite a few pounds!

Why? Because you were intensely connected to another human being. You were involved, loved, preoccupied, passionate, and probably living more authentically than ever before.

You don't need a partner to be in love!
Maybe you're married, single, widowed, or stuck out in the mission field in Africa or Alaska where eligible bachelors aren't exactly plentiful. Maybe you have three kids and a loving but not-so-passionate husband, which doesn't seem to trigger those wonderful endorphins of passion and preoccupation.

It doesn't matter. You don't need an amazing partner or a fresh new love to tap into those great "falling in love" feelings because they can be accessed in all sorts of different ways.

For me, it's focusing on writing. When I write, I forget about my food obsessions, cravings, and cookie temptations. I get swept into my thoughts and the page in front of me, and food becomes peripheral. When I'm working towards my goals, I forget about my bad food habits….because I'm in love with what I'm doing.

Appreciation and gratitude
Martha Beck states that appreciation and gratitude are "two brain states that are common components of falling in love," (in her recent book The Four Day Win). They actually help people lose weight! When you appreciate your body, you focus on all the wonderful things it does such as getting you from Point A to Point B and helping you enjoy life. Your ears let you hear music and the ocean; your eyes open your soul to beauty and nature. You can feel soft fur or scratchy whiskers; you can taste sweet chocolate or salty popcorn.

When you appreciate your body and all it allows you to do, you don't think about eating until you're so full that you can't breath or starving your body so you can be thin.

Find your passion
Come on, you know what you love to do! Your passion is what you get lost in for hours, what you love to think and talk about. It's what you wish you could do for the rest of your life – it's what you'd do for free if you had unlimited resources.

Finding your passion doesn't mean you have to make money from it or spread it around the world. It's baking chocolate chip cookies or making sure your kid has a soft clean blankie. It's planting your garden or polishing your car. It's visiting people in the hospital or teaching others how to scrapbook.

Your passion moves your focus from your body and food to things that really matter to you. It helps you be your authentic self, and encourages you to love and accept your body, mind and soul – no matter what your shape and size may be.