Eat Without Guilt

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

One Simple Trick to Improve Your Diet

Dinneen — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 22:06:19 +0000

I like to think I’m not like “most” nutrition experts. And though I’m all about nutrition — I also take a different road than most people out there. I’m not going to tell you exactly what to eat and when. Sure, I’ll give you my suggestions and advice — but I need to look at the individual as a whole and not just say “eat this, not that” (because if it was that easy you’d already be at your ideal weight). You see, most nutrition experts and Diets give their clients a list of foods to avoid. And guess what? As human beings — all too often we want what we can’t have. Let me say that again. We want what we can’t have. Think about it. Imagine I tell you right now, that you can never have another cookie again. Okay, forever seems way too long. So what if… Read more

Afraid of Overindulging in Candy this Halloween?

Dinneen — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 15:46:18 +0000

With Halloween approaching, I know this can be a difficult time for many people ~ especially emotional eaters. With all of the candy around, it’s tough to not overindulge in chocolate, feel ‘bad’ or guilty for eating so much of it — and then get into the spiral of eating MORE of the candy, or having it for breakfast on Nov 1st (okay, maybe that was me years ago). Though I have written about how to conquer your candy cravings at Halloween in the past, and the tips and advice I gave I still stand by today. But as I’m constantly learning, becoming more aware, and after working with and helping hundreds of women — my insight is deeper & more profound. As many of my readers are emotional eaters (and let’s face it — there’s a lot of emotion attached to food, so who hasn’t eaten for emotional reasons at some… Read more

Stuck In a Diet Rut? How to Easily Get Out of It

Dinneen — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 13:41:05 +0000

* Disclaimer: I don’t like the word “diet” — but unfortunately it’s what most people trying to live a healthy lifestyle relate to. Let’s face it — we’re creatures of habit and most often eat the same things over and over again. And whether you’re trying to lose weight, maintain your healthy lifestyle, or have a healthy relationship with food, it can get pretty boring. I know even for myself, though I’ve overcome my battle with dieting, poor body image, low self-esteem, and avoiding parties because I felt fat and like crap — and though I do lead an overall healthy lifestyle (chocolate included!) I sometimes find myself in a rut and not enjoying my food or exercise routine. So What Causes This Rut? Simply put: Boredom. Ourselves, our bodies, and our tastebuds get fed up. They’re saying: Another lunch of chicken breast, green beans and brown rice AGAIN? In… Read more

Halloween: 9 Tips to Conquer Your Candy Cravings

Dinneen — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 14:54:26 +0000

Remember being a kid and getting all excited about Halloween? Deciding on who or what you wanted to dress up as, creating a costume, and being able to get all of that candy!! Yet now as an adult, thoughts of all that candy is the scariest part of Halloween. There’s just too much of it around and you don’t know how to conquer your candy cravings. So here are some tips to help you tackle the holiday and manage all of those treats: 1) Wait to buy the candy until the day of Halloween. Especially if candy is one of your trigger foods. Know yourself. If keeping it around is going to be just too tempting, then wait until buying it. 2) Don’t purchase your favorite candy. I know for me, it’s Snickers and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups (and Kit Kat, and M&M’s, and….okay…there’s a lot I do like!) So… Read more

Book Review: Beautiful You — and a Giveaway!

Dinneen — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 01:03:46 +0000

Have you ever started reading a book, only to find you can’t put it down? Before you know it, you’ve read a ton of pages. It’s late at night, so you tell yourself, “just 5 more minutes…” as you’ve got to get up early the next day. Yet 30 minutes go by and you’re still reading? That was me when I picked up a copy of “Beautiful You: A Daily Guide to Radical Self-Acceptance” by Rosie Molinary. Beautiful you is just like it’s title, beautifully written. It’s like sitting down with a best friend who only has the best advice, says the most insightful things, and gives you a whole new outlook and perspective of you, your life, and your body. Unlike most body image type books I’ve read before, Beautiful You is unique. Unique in the way it’s presented, written, outlined, and organized. The voice of the book is… Read more

Ending Fat Talk in a Weight Obsessed World

Dinneen — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 20:09:24 +0000

In case you haven’t heard, this week is Fat Talk Free Week, a national campaign to help raise awareness of the dangers of ‘fat talk’ so many girls and women participate in. You know, all those things we say to ourselves, like, “do I look fat in this” or “gee, you look wonderful — did you lose some weight?” to the talk in our own mirror “argh, I just hate my thighs! I’ve got to go on a diet.” The motto of the campaign is “friends don’t let friends talk fat.” And I’m on board. I’ve got to admit, it does feel good to tell someone they’ve lost weight. Or that they look good in their ‘skinny jeans.’ And let’s face it — I used to like hearing people tell me those things. But here’s the deal: By doing so, we are putting our bodies above our brains. Above our… Read more

Secrets to Eating Healthy On the Road…

Dinneen — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 15:21:43 +0000

It seems like everybody is on the go these days. The lazy days of Summer are over and things are back in full-swing. This past week I’ve had a few clients who travel a lot, and another off to the in-laws for a few days — and they find it hard to balance eating right and being away from their normal routine. It’s all too easy to go on a 3-day spree of eating muffins, hamburgers, pizza and cookies. Okay, there’s nothing inherently wrong with those foods, but eating them for a few days in a row can leave you feeling sluggish AND give you the feeling of a ‘free ticket’ to overindulge and continue the “fest” long after you’ve returned home. For many, that bit of indulgence can turn into a feeling of entitlement and a fear of losing control (that the indulging will snowball into days or weeks…)… Read more