Five simple rules can help you look and feel great.

1. When you are hungry, eat. Real hunger comes on gradually and does not have emotion tied up in it. When you eat as you are actually hungry, your body will relax, knowing it is not going to be starved, and your metabolism will speed up. Many of us confuse thirst for hunger, so drink about 8 ounces of water before beginning to eat to see if this satisfies the urge to eat. There is about a 75% chance that you are actually thirsty instead of hungry.
    
2. Eat what you want and not what you "should." We obsess about foods we think we shouldn't eat. Throw out the foods that you do not like, and make a list of five foods you do like. Shop from this list. Stock your fridge and cupboards with foods that inspire you and that you enjoy eating. Naturally thin people eat foods they love, just not to excess.
    
3. Eat consciously. Savor, enjoy, chew, taste. Eat without distractions (TV, reading, radio, working, driving, etc). Chew each bite at least 20 times and notice the feeling of the food in your mouth, how the texture feels, what the flavor brings on in terms of memory, sensation, satisfaction, etc. Imagine you are a gourmet, and eat so slowly that it is about 1/4 your normal speed. Put your eating utensils down on the table between bites.
    
4. When you're full, stop! Even if you only suspect that you might be full, stop. The more you listen to this signal, the easier it will become to hear and feel it. Eat at least one meal blindfolded so you can see how much food remains when you tune into your full signals. Eat based upon this sensation, not about what you see on your plate.
    
5. Do not weigh yourself every day. Only weigh about every two weeks.

Now, you may wonder why I, being a health conscious naturopathic doctor would make these types of suggestions, rather than being very strict about what I would "allow" you to eat. First, let me say that I believe what we put into our mouths is our individual responsibility, and what we believe to be true about what we eat will govern how our bodies respond. Secondly, I have seen in my practice what an adversarial relationship most of my clients have with food. They have been taught to use food as a "fix," a "reward," and something to do when they are bored. They have been schooled to see food as an enemy. This type of mindset will greatly diminish any long-term solution to weight problems. Therefore, if we can "make friends" with our food, eat and savor every bite, chew and enjoy the tastes in our food consciously, and learn the messages from our body that signal hunger, thirst and fullness, we will be so much further down the road to making wiser food choices. When that happens, you will trust your body to tell you what to eat, what foods will provide the healing nutrients you need to solve health problems, when to eat, and how much to eat.

My personal diet consists of about 75% raw foods in various forms, including smoothies (with fruit, nuts, seeds, nut milks, flax seed and green powder), daily juicing of fresh fruit and vegetables, large meal sized salads, snacks of nuts, veggie sticks, and various vegan recipes that are satisfying, delicious and beautiful to look at. My lifestyle may not suit yours, and vice versa. Isn't it wonderful that there are so many choices in our lives? Isn't it great that we each get to choose what works best for us? I believe we can learn so much from what others do, but  that ultimately, we are our own best authority and final arbiter. Learn all you can about nutrition, get advice from professionals, become educated and then make your own best decisions based upon this information and what your own personal guidance suggests.