Regardless of whether you’re an expert Pleasurista, i.e. lady on the path of pleasure, or are just getting started in this wonderful tribe, have a go at this 3 question quiz. The answers await you below.

Hey, hey – no peeking!

Instructions: Fill in the blank with the correct response. 

1. Adding _____________ into your life actually diminishes your cravings for junky, low-quality foods thus helping you shed extra pounds.

a. Severe exercising and dieting

b. Pleasure, enjoyment and fun

c. Bacon, lettuce and tomato

d. A treadmill and an Ab Roller

2. What do the restrictive approaches to weight loss have in common?

a. A punishing, one-size-fits all workout regime

b. An emphasis on cutting back on a particular food

c. A set-in-stone guide to eating

d. All of the above

3. The “stress mode” is one of two states your body can be in. It signals your body to secrete more _______ and __________: two powerful chemicals that have you hold on to fat, refrain from muscle-building and crave larger amounts of food. (The goods news is they are reduced when you are in a state of pleasure.)

a. Cholecystokinin and serotonin

b. Insulin and cortisol

c. Peanut butter and jelly

d. Dopamine and norepinephrine

Time’s up, Pleasurista! How did you find it?

Read on to see how you did, and maybe you’ll learn a little something new that will lighten your path towards a slimmer you.

1) b. Pleasure, enjoyment and fun.

Yes, you got it! Adding pleasure, enjoyment and fun into your life actually diminishes your cravings for junky, low-quality foods, thus helping you shed extra pounds.

How? The feelings of relaxation that pleasure, enjoyment and fun produce in your system sooth your antsy compulsions for junk foods. Subsequently, as your feelings of well-being from ever-increasing pleasure blossom, your cravings for high-quality, nourishing and organic foods naturally flourish.

Adding pleasure enjoyment and fun into your life also causes your body to shift into the metabolic state where fat-burning is optimized. This relaxation-induced metabolic shift is the scientific bedrock that supports a successful weight reduction through the pursuit of pleasure.

2) d. All of the above

Frightening as it may be, a punishing, one-size-fits all workout regime, an emphasis on cutting back on a particular food and a set-in-stone guide to eating, are common cornerstones of the restrictive approaches to weight management.

This sort of paradigm is highly stressful to your unique female body. It’s inflexible, demanding and downright stressful. Imposing a regime that was not customized to fit your system’s unique needs will successfully help you gain weight, not release it.

Stress, as a seasoned Pleasurista knows, is the #1 factor for weight gain. Holding on to extra weight is your body’s way of protecting itself from stress. Deep in you cellular memory is the understanding that: extra weight and size brings protection and survival. It’s a primitive physiological mechanism that your body inherited from your ancestors’ bodies.

No matter how popular they may seem, restrictive approaches to weight reduction will never work in the long run – they’ll leaving you feeling stressed, unnatural and worst of all, extremely cranky.

3) b. Insulin and Cortisol. 

The stress mode, which we talked about in #2, is the physiological state that signals your body to secrete more insulin and cortisol.  These two chemicals give your system the “go ahead!” on having you hold on to fat, refrain from muscle-building and crave larger amounts of food.

Remember how weight gain is your body’s way of protecting itself from perceived harm? These two chemicals are part of that amazing, organic response.

Way on the opposite end of this is your body’s relaxation state. This is when a wonderful gamut of relaxation-related hormones (dopamine, serotonin, cholecystokinin and norepinephrine) kick in and cause your body to drop extra weight, and shift itself towards greater overall wellness. This is why pleasure, enjoyment and fun are so important to include on your weight-reducing path. They’ll help you relax, and enter a metabolic state where you’ll slim down.  

I hope you can hear me holler: Well done! I’m very glad you made it this far in your research of pleasure.

Did this quiz lift you up, and inspire you to take action?

If it did, share it with a woman in your life. She might need to brush up on her Pleasurable Weight Loss skills, too.

I would love to know:

1. How did you do? Did you get them all right, all wrong, or half-and-half?
2. Which question was obvious to you? Are you already a Pleasurable expert, or still savoring being a novice?

Wherever you are is perfect. I support you wholeheartedly in your journey, and am excited to hear about your progress!

With Love and Pleasure,

xo Jena

P.S. Ask your heart: do you need a boost in the direction of embracing your pleasure?

If the answer is “yes,” I’d love to see you on November 30 – December 2 at Pleasure Camp NYC. This multi-faceted event will give you the knowledge, practices and community you need to pleasure up, and slim down.

Warning: this event is not for wimps! It’s for women who want to fire up their inner strength, focus and passion, within a community that is seeking the same kind of revolutionary, health-affirming results they are.

Will you answer your intuitive call? Listen closely. If it’s for you at this time, register here.