Eat Without Guilt » Intuitive Eating

How to Stop Mindless Snacking

Dinneen — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 17:53:56 +0000

Do you sometimes find yourself eating when you are not really hungry? Ever sit down in front of the TV, bag of chips or pretzels in hand–and before you realize it, you’ve finished the entire bag? After you’ve finished dinner, do you sometimes find yourself looking around your home for a snack even though you’re not really hungry? Maybe you dig into the candy dish in your office and later notice not one or two, but ten Hershey Kisses wrappers in the trash? If so, you’re not alone. Though snacking can be good for you, too often people snack mindlessly and snack for reasons other than true hunger. Too many people snack not because they have a physical hunger, but to feed an emotional hunger. But no matter what or how much you eat, you can never satisfy an emotional need with food. So what to do? I have a… Read more

The First Step to Ending the Diet Cycle

Dinneen — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 19:21:37 +0000

It seems every day there’s a new miracle product, program, or ‘food’ that promises weight loss. Yet time and time again I see the promises are false (and I’m sure you do too!). Sure, if you follow a diet plan you will most likely lose weight — but after some time you put the weight back on. So you go on a diet AGAIN, and the cycle continues. Here’s how the process usually goes, in its most simple form: Start dieting (often on a Monday…) Restrict meals and/or types of foods Lose weight End dieting Return to normal routine & eating habits (and likely some bingeing in there too) Gain weight Start dieting again Repeat steps 1-7 again (and again, and again) Look familiar? You see, going “on” a diet implies that someday, unhealthy habits — and extra weight — return. More beneficial is learning — and sticking to —… Read more

How to Avoid Overeating During the Holidays

Dinneen — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 16:17:58 +0000

As someone who helps women with their eating, I surprise people all the time when I’m at a holiday party. They see me eating the brie with soft crusty bread (and she’s going back for more!), then later headed to the dessert table for a few holiday cookies (how could she?!). They can’t help wonder how on earth I do it — keep my weight in check and help other women do the same. The trick is to avoid all the typical holiday diet “advice” — avoid certain foods, eat before the party, only take one serving. Instead, you need to approach the holidays (and frankly, ALL year) with an easier and softer approach for both body and mind. Here are some of my favorite suggestions: 1) Make every bite count. Do you want to fill up on all the appetizers and then not have room for dessert? When you… Read more

Thanksgiving Healthy Eating Tip

Dinneen — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 16:42:16 +0000

For a holiday that’s all about giving thanks, Thanksgiving Day is not the time to worry about calories, fat grams, carbs and diets. Sure I know there are many tips for eating healthy on a holiday, but you’ve already heard or read about them before: make sure you eat breakfast, drink enough water, limit your alcohol, fill your plate with vegetables, skip second helpings, etc. And sure, it’s good advice, but what kind of world do you want to live in if you can’t enjoy a holiday without fretting over whether to have the pumpkin pie or not? And lets face it, even if you DO fret over it you’ll probably end up eating it anyway. Either that, or you’ll deny yourself the dessert, and then end up overeating or bingeing later on. So this Thanksgiving I have one piece of advice (okay, two): eat with pleasure and without… Read more

How To Eat Like a Naturally Thin Person

Dinneen — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 20:31:06 +0000

The other weekend I was at a friend’s house for a party, when all of a sudden a woman came up to me and said “You’re having a piece of cake?” “Yes,” I said, “and I’m enjoying every single bite.” The woman then replied, “Oh, you must be one of those naturally thin people…I can’t even look at a piece of cake and not put on 5 pounds!” Little did this woman know that for at least half of my life I dealt with overeating, emotional eating, binge eating, and yo-yo dieting. Quite often people see me eating a guilty food, see that I’m at a normal weight — so they just assume I’m a “naturally thin person.” What people don’t realize is that now, I have a relaxed relationship with food. And that was the turning point for me. Changing my relationship with food. So much of what I learned about food,… Read more

What the Diet Industry Doesn’t Want You to Know

Dinneen — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 23:14:22 +0000

I’ve seen too many women spend years dieting, spending hundreds (more like thousands) of dollars on weight-loss programs and diets. And having self-esteem issues because they just ‘can’t follow the diet.’ Well, you might not like hearing this, but… The multibillion dollar diet industry thrives on your failure. They need you to keep coming back to them for business. The diet and weight-loss industry is built on repeat business. It would be a very short-lived business if we all succeeded the first time. And let’s face it, if they could really show you how to lose weight AND keep it off — you wouldn’t have to keep purchasing their products, attend their meetings, and buying their special foods. And some of the “big name” diet and weight-loss organizations are owned by food companies ….(makes you think, huh?). Americans alone spend over $55 billion (yup, Billion!) dollars a YEAR on weight-loss products. And as a nation we keep… Read more

Have Your Pizza and Eat It Too

Dinneen — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 23:44:36 +0000

The other evening I went out to dinner with my husband when something really struck me that I wanted to share with you… I looked over at the next table and saw a young girl who had a piece of pizza on the plate in front of her. I saw the mother trying to coax her to eat, but the girl was just too interested in looking around, saying hi to other people in the restaurant, and she even got up to check out flowers in the restaurant. Then she went back to her seat, started talking to her brother, and then finally (after about 5 minutes) she took her first bite of pizza. And then it hit me — that’s what Intuitive Eating (also called mindful eating) is all about. About getting back to that place where *life* is more interesting and fulfilling that food isn’t so important anymore.… Read more

The Magic Answer to Your Weight Struggle is Closer Than You Think

Dinneen — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 14:03:32 +0000

It seems every time I turn on the TV, there’s news of some celebrity, personality or public figure and their battle of the bulge and war on losing weight and KEEPING it off. Many of us can relate. Even Oprah. Yes, Oprah I wrote about Oprah’s weight gain (and losses) last year here in my blog. Many people in the spotlight, like Oprah — and even past winners of the reality show The Biggest Loser — can’t seem to keep the weight off. They lose, then gain, lose, and then gain again. And it’s the same for many of us! What the heck is going on? For one thing, we keep looking to external factors to determine what and how much to eat. We’ve spent years listening to others to tell us what to eat, so we’ve been disconnected from our bodies. If we listen to our bodies correctly, it tells… Read more