Should You Hold on to Your Skinny Jeans?

 

This past weekend I did some Spring cleaning, and part of that was going through my closet and getting rid of clothes that didn’t fit.  This is something I do every year, getting rid of clothes I no longer wear or don’t fit me very well anymore.   (I give my clothes to charity, in case you were wondering)

 But it can be hard, tough to let go of the clothes I once fit into.

Sometimes the clothes no longer fit due to age, as my body has changed.  Or it could be due to the exercise (or lack of) I’ve done over the year, again changing my shape.  

Years ago, it was due to the constant dieting, re-gaining, dieting again syndrome.

And I used to hold on to my skinny clothes for YEARS.  Like 10 years.

But as I’ve healed my relationship with food and my body, I no longer hang on to clothes that old (or maybe I should check the BACK of my closet to double check!)

Ever notice how sometimes when we wore those “skinny clothes” we thought we were FAT?  And now we’d give anything to fit back into them! 

So it got me thinking: 

Do we really need to hold on to our skinny jeans? 

Does holding on to clothes that no longer fit really motivate people to lose weight OR could it be holding them back?  

I find there are generally Two Schools of Thought:

Part With Skinny Jeans

Some people say that keeping clothes that no longer fit may actually hurt your self-esteem and hinder your weight loss efforts. Why?   Because they become a constant reminder that you’re not at your “ideal” size.  

And there are those who keep their skinny clothes for years and years (like I used to do).  Some say if you hold on to clothes for too long, it can make you depressed and feel sadness for memories of what could never be again.  Once the clothes are gone, they feel they can go forward instead of living in the past.

Retain Possession of Skinny Jeans

Others say keeping some old clothes, like their skinny jeans, actually does motivate them.  Gives them something to work towards and is a reminder of what they’re aiming for.  And then once they DO fit back into them, they feel a sense of pride and accomplishment.

So I’d like to hear from you.  What are your thoughts?

Does holding on to those “skinny jeans” help or hinder your weight-loss efforts?

Contest Winners Announcement

I’d like to thank everyone who sent in their entries!  Your stories, struggles, and battles with the scale all touched me deeply. You are all special, unique, and have the power to change your health and your life.  

I randomly chose winners by putting the names in a hat and took out three.

So…..drum roll please….the 3 winners of the Get Out of The Diet Rut Contest are:

Charlene Smith

Deb Taylor-McGee

Elizabeth Cook

I look forward to helping you get clear on where you get stuck, and designing an effective approach that works for you.  You’ll be getting a personal message from me soon.

Please give them a warm welcome!

For those of you who did not win – you can take charge of your health, and your life.  I am putting together a program that will help you create and maintain new, healthy habits so you can start to look better, feel better, and live the best version of your life.  It will put you in the driver’s seat of your  health and weight so you can create a life of re-balance to help you achieve your goals, make it easier, and give you better and faster results.

Congratulations to everyone and I look forward to teaching you and giving you a set of skills you will be able to use the rest of your life.

Wouldn’t you like to know The Top 5 Slimming Secrets of Successful Women?

Now You Can!  Join me and Francine Allaire, Founder of The Daring, on Wednesday April 22 at 5:30pm PST / 8:30pm EST.

The Top 5 Slimming Secrets of Successful Women:  The Costly Mistakes Businesswomen Make That Affect Their Health and Can Hurt Their Bottom Line

During this hour-long Interview and Q&A format, sponsored by The Darning, you will learn the connection between your health and your business and how it can boost your success!

Attend the tele-gathering in real time so that you can ask me your most pressing questions.

We offer you 3 ways to join us and benefit from this Tele-Gathering.  For more information or to Sign up click here.   Don’t DARE  Wait!

UPDATE: One Hour That Could Help Change Your Life

 

Want to look, feel and live your best life?

What if I told you in just one hour you could change the direction of your life?  How one hour could mean the difference between success and failure?

You’d want to know what would happen in that hour, right!

That’s why I’m having a contest (raffle, giveaway…whatever you want to call it) where I’m giving away a F.R.E.E session with me. 

Some of you want to know how one hour of my time can help you. I’m here to tell you — a LOT! 

The “Get Out of the Diet Rut” Session can really do wonders. Why?  Because during our session, I’ll give you suggestions that’s worked for many of my clients and may work for you!

For example, let’s say together we uncover the greatest cause for your weight issue and it’s a case of “portion distortion.” I give you a few ideas that have worked with some of my clients and you choose the one that feels right — which you can easily incorporate into your current lifestyle. You leave the session, try it out and manage to get your portions under control! 

With this one change, you create and maintain a new, healthy habit as you begin to lose the excess weight. You begin to look, feel and live better which makes you feel more confident, empowered and motivated to succeed!  

On top of that, in the “Get Out of The Diet Rut”  session we’ll uncover the biggest obstacles which are holding you back from success. Together we’ll come up with a uniquely targeted game plan to overcome those challenges that you can implement right away.  You’ll leave the session with an action plan for success!

So if you want to look, feel and live your best life — don’t wait and enter the contest TODAY.  It’s free.

Just write one or two paragraphs about your biggest weight-loss or diet challenge. 

Then choose ONE way to enter:

 

1)  Email it directly to me at info@EatWithoutGuilt.com OR

2)  post it on your blog or Facebook with a link back to www.EatWithoutGuilt.com.   Then email info@EatWithoutGuilt.com with your entry. OR

 3) Leave a comment in the comments section below

That’s it!!  

I KNOW you want to look and feel your best, and one hour with me could literally change your life. 

If you’re willing to try, I promise to motivate, empower and inspire you to rediscover your best self.  With some insight, ideas, tips and an action plan you’ll get moving faster and unleash your best self! 

Glazed Carrots Recipe

I’ve invited Drew Kime of How To Cook Like Your Grandmother  to share another one of his famous recipes.  This one is for Glazed Carrots.  I must admit, as a kid I didn’t like vegetables too much but now I know that’s because of the way they were cooked — boring and bland.   But this recipe makes them tasty and great!

I’m always looking for a ways to change things up a bit and make veggies taste GOOD.  And that’s what Drew is great at.

This recipe is super easy and healthy.  Your kids will love them too!

 

————————————————————————————

Wait! Before you hit the “Back” button on your browser, these are
not the mushy, syrupy pieces of sad that you remember from your
high school cafeteria. They’re a little sweet, a little salty, and still
have a bit of texture to them.

For what it’s worth, I nearly got a fork in the back of my hand when I
reached for seconds without asking my wife if she wanted any more. I
guess that’s a good thing.

 

———————————————————————————

Ingredients

3 cups carrots, diced bite size
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons brown sugar
salt

 

Directions

You can scale this recipe up or down really easy. You don’t even need to
deal with fractions on the ingredients. I love that. Just peel as many
carrots as your family would eat, dice them, and measure how much you’ve
got. Then get one tablespoon each of butter and brown sugar for each cup
of carrots.

Melt the butter on high heat, add the carrots, salt to taste and stir to
coat all the carrots with butter, and then often enough to keep the butter
from scorching. As soon as the carrots start to change color (they’ll get
a little darker) add the sugar and stir until it’s dissolved.

Add enough water to just barely cover the carrots and reduce the heat to a
simmer. Stir occasionally as the water reduces, until there is almost no
syrup left in the pan, and it’s all on the carrots. Pour out into your
serving dish and pour over any remaining syrup.

And that’s it.

You can see step-by-step photos, as well as plenty of other old-fashioned recipes, at
How To Cook Like Your Grandmother.

Get Out of The Diet Rut Contest!

There’s so much doom and gloom today and people are in a rut…..in so many areas of their life.  I find it can be tough for people trying to gain control of their weight, get healthier and feel better.  

When trying to lose weight, many people can’t get moving or get stuck.  You don’t know where to begin, or you’re already going and then roadblocks get in the way keeping you from moving forward.

In order to help you live your best life, I’ve decided to shake things up a bit with some good news:  a contest!

I’m having a Get Out of The Diet Rut Contest, and here are the details and how you can enter:

What You’ll Win:

An hour long one-on-one “Get Out of The Diet Rut” Session with me, Dinneen Diette.  In this session I’ll determine your three biggest diet roadblocks and provide personalized strategies for crushing those barriers that you can use right away making your weight-loss easier and more productive.

The way to lose weight effectively and keep it off is getting clear on where you get stuck.  I’ll uncover that and design an effective approach suited just for you.

How To Win:

Write one or two paragraphs about your biggest weight-loss or diet challenge and post it on your blog or Facebook with a link back to www.EatWithoutGuilt.com.   Then email info@EatWithoutGuilt.com with your entry. 

OR — if you don’t have a blog or Facebook account, don’t worry because you CAN still enter!!  Either:

1)  Leave a comment in the comments section below, or  

2)  Email your entry directly to info@EatWithoutGuilt.com

That’s it  and you’ll be entered!!  So easy.

Contest Rules:

Three winners will be chosen at random on April 21, 2009.  You’ll be contacted to schedule your session right away.

 

Good Luck!

-Dinneen

Häagen-Dazs New Ice Cream: Less Is More?

I’m often asked what is my favorite food, and I’ve got to tell you that’s a tough one to answer.  There are many foods that I like and enjoy, some of them “guilty” and some of them not.

But one of my favorites is ice cream.  

Low-Fat, No Fat, or Full-Fat?

Years ago I was one of those who stayed away from the real stuff, and instead opted for the light, low-cal versions in hopes of saving my waistline.  Then I visited Italy and tasted gelato for the first time.  When the clerk handed me the dish, I turned to my friend and said “is that all they give you?”  I couldn’t believe how small it was.  I felt cheated.  I mean, were they kidding?

No they weren’t.  One bite into the stuff and I was in heaven!  I mean this was gold.  I couldn’t believe ice cream (well, gelato) could be this good.

And you know what?  That small serving was all I needed.  I was satisfied and couldn’t imagine eating more.

But when I came back home, the ice cream I bought in the supermarket just didn’t do it for me.  Before I knew it I’d eat half the gallon and still not be truly satisfied. Either that, or I’d be in a sugar coma and have a stomach ache from all the sweetness.

So I’d look at the carton to read the ingredients and see all kinds of fillers, stabilizers, emulsifiers, fat replacers or other modifiers.  What was going on?  Isn’t ice cream supposed to be made from milk, cream, sugar, eggs and a flavoring (like real chocolate)?

Trying It At Home

A couple of years ago I bought an ice-cream maker and it changed my life (for the better, I might add).  There’s nothing like real ice cream without all of that added stuff.  A little goes a long way and I no longer turn to those lower-fat versions.  My wallet, my mind, and my waistline have been saved.

My Waistline?

You read that right: even my waistline was saved.  Because I no longer eat half a gallon looking for that pleasure and real, honest-to-goodness taste.  I eat a small serving and I’m done.  

Though I do make my own ice cream, I am human and have a busy life.  Making it at home with my ice cream maker is fairly quick and surprisingly easy, but I do often pick up a gallon at the supermarket.  But now I only choose ice cream that has a few ingredients, like five.  As close to the real thing as I can get, without forking over a fortune.  And my taste buds just don’t like all that added stuff.

Keeping It Real

You can imagine my delight when I recently saw that Häagen-Daz® now has a new line called Häagen-Dazs five™ , that contain no more than five ingredients:  milk, cream, sugar and eggs, plus one of seven flavors (mint, ginger, coffee, vanilla bean, passion fruit, brown sugar, and milk chocolate).  They also have less fat.  And yes, the serving size is the same as their regular versions.  Which just goes to show that keeping it real does not necessarily equal more fat or calories.

But isn’t this what ice cream is supposed to be?  Five ingredients plus a flavor (or two)?

For a suggested retail price of $4.39 per carton, I might just stick to my ice cream maker or my other favorite brand.  (*Note, since late January of this year, all Häagen-Dazs® branded 16 fl. oz. cartons have downsized to 14 fl. oz., and in March 2009, all 32 fl. oz. cartons will change to 28 fl. oz…..so you’re getting less for your dollar.  They explain why on their website).

Whether they’re making this “real” ice cream for our benefit or their benefit, I’ll leave up to you.  But I’d like to hear from anyone who has tried it and what they think.

For me at least, “keeping it real” is the way ice cream should be.

Interview: The French Diet Connection

We always hear how the French are slim, and so are the Italians.  But we also know they’re famous for their croissants, cheese, pasta and creamy sauces.  So how do they eat those foods and stay slim?

Listen in as Stacey Shipman interviews me for her Back to Your Senses Podcast.  I lived in France for over 5 years and have spent a lot of time in Italy.  I learned first-hand how they do it!  I  share some of their “slimming secrets” which you can easily integrate into your lifestyle.  

Also be sure to get your copy of my report “Top 5 Slimming Secrets of French & Italian Women” which you can get for FREE by clicking here.

So listen in and find out their secrets:

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