Go with your gut

Women have 'intuition', men 'go with their guts'. Women should be more like men. But wait, women are like men - intuition = guts. The problem, we often do not listen to the truths that our sensational abilities bring us.

1. Being Literal - Listen to your gut, when it comes to your gut -
Far too often we do not listen to what our bodies tell us about what we need from food. No, not the one that goes, "This has been a hell of a day, we need dark chocolate flour-less torte".

I mean, if you feel sluggish, take on some complex carbs in the form of fruits and veggies or whole grains. If you are feeling weak, take in more calcium, protein or iron. And above all know when enough is enough.

Your body itself is actually a lot less demanding than you think when it comes to food. We just let our mind override our gut and take that third piece of pizza anyway. This is a great article from Women's Health Magazine that talks about the reasons and a few ideas on listening to your gut - when it comes to food.

2. Being Instinctual - Listen to your gut, when it comes to romance -
A month ago I knew that Berger (Ron Livingston on "Sex in the City") was right, "He's just not that into you." But I went ahead and let things not move forward and took a coffee or phone call when I could get it.

Finally, after weeks of dancing around the subject it came up today. He mentioned e-mailing me later in the week. I said I didn't think he was really interested in dating me because he was "dealing with a ghost from his past". He acknowledged that was the case, but he still wanted to talk to me. I half-heartedly gave him an o.k. But the truth is, I was saving face.

I did it again. I didn't follow my gut. My gut told me early, 'this guy is emotionally unavailable'. Instead, I wasted two months attempting to move forward with a guy that had no intention of doing so. Again, I have chosen an unavailable man. This time he doesn't have a girlfriend, just a 'ghost'. Ah, yes improvement.

I am way too out of practice. I have spent 20 years wrapped in a cocoon of fat. And while I have attempted a relationship a couple of times during that period, mostly they were great exercises in masochism.

I have to find a way through this. There must be a decent man out there that wants to have fun. No, scratch that, there is a decent man who wants to have fun. Maybe he isn't in Iowa though, I don't know. But from now on, I really have to follow my own advice and Go with my Gut, it talks to me for a reason.

Yours in health, Kate