Eat Without Guilt » Emotional 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

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

How Your Food Legacy Can Be Affecting Your Weight

Dinneen — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 00:53:40 +0000

Though at first it might be hard to believe, but your thoughts, feelings and attitudes toward food began a long time ago. Probably when you were a child. “But wait,” you might be thinking. ”I ate normally as a child. I didn’t have any problems with food back then!” On that point, you may or may not be right. Maybe you were overweight as a child. Maybe you weren’t. But that’s not the (main) point here. You see, attitudes toward food begin at home. The environment in which you were raised has subtly but powerfully influenced your current attitudes toward food. They became part of you whether consciously, or unconsciously….but how your parents and your family viewed food is probably still with you today. For example: Did your parents ever tell you to finish your plate, even if you were full? Was your mother, father, or sibling ever on a… Read more

Is Snacking Really a Diet Trap?

Dinneen — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 01:34:34 +0000

I’ve been spending a few weeks visiting my brother outside of Dallas, Texas and to my surprise, my pants are feeling a bit looser (yay!). But when I say it’s a surprise, I really mean it. I’m one of those people that need to ‘schedule’ my eating, or I’ll get ravenous. Just ask anyone…when I’m hungry watch out! My blood sugar drops and I get a bit (or a lot) cranky. So I always have a snack with me, especially when I know I’m going to be out all day and may not be able to eat at my regularly scheduled time. So being away from home, my schedule is totally off, including my eating times. I like to eat three square-meals a day. I’m not a big fan of snacking, but I do so when I feel my tummy getting hungry so I’ll grab something (preferably healthy & with… Read more

The Latest Diet Victim

Dinneen — Tue, 18 May 2010 19:44:42 +0000

As I started my week on Monday morning, I sat down with my coffee (yes, cream and sugar) and put on the television to catch up on some news. So I tuned into Good Morning America. Now I do realize these morning shows don’t really give us much ‘news’, but as I have my coffee in the morning I like to catch the weather forcast and there’s not much else on besides these morning shows. But they often (excuse my French)…..piss me off. Why? Because it seems at least once a week (actually, it’s usually a few times a week) they have a story about weight-loss. And the “right” foods to eat. And the right diet. And how to be slim and happy. Yadda, yadda, yadda… “Lose 10 pounds by eating superfoods!” “Sugar is bad (no wait, good) for your heart!” “Lose belly fat for good!” ”How to walk off… Read more

Will Work For Food

Dinneen — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 17:30:53 +0000

A few weeks ago I had a bit on an epiphany. It was after lunch. I had eaten a small lunch so a few hours later was hungry and decided to have some of the nuts my husband had bought. But these weren’t a can or container of nuts. These were “real” nuts. You know, the kind with the shell still on them? There were Brazil nuts, almonds, and walnuts. So I took a handful and started opening them one-by-one with a nutcracker (let me remind you I haven’t done this in years). As I was doing this I realized I was putting effort into eating. In other words, I had to WORK to get my food. And anyone who has opened nuts with a nutcracker knows that it takes time. With the time and effort it took, after about five minutes I had eaten about only 7 or 8… 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

A Powerful First Step to Ending Comfort Eating

Dinneen — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 15:45:23 +0000

Many of us at one time or another have eaten for comfort. It’s common to reach for food when we are bored, stressed, unhappy with life, upset, or depressed. So we eat in an attempt to feel better, get rid of the boredom, de-stress, or cheer up. Yet while we reach to the food for comfort, in the end it does the exact opposite. When you eat for comfort you don’t eat for pleasure and savor the taste, smell and texture of the food. Instead, you eat mindlessly and afterwards are more likely to feel miserable and guilty about overeating. In fact, you probably end up feeling worse after the comfort eating than you did before! Most of the time, eating fails to provide you with the comfort you seek. If you have relied too much on comfort eating to get rid of stress or cheer you up, you… Read more

Are You On the Roller Coaster Ride of Eating?

Dinneen — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 21:49:28 +0000

As I get many questions from readers, I’ve decided to start answering some here on my blog. Here’s one from this week: Q: I feel like my day is a constant roller coaster ride of eating based on EMOTIONS, so I feel it’s hard for me to listen to my body like I so often hear we should do. A: Let me tell you, I used to be first in line on the roller coaster ride! I’ve had almost every emotion imaginable when it comes to food. It seemed my day would be a “good” day or “bad” day based upon what I ate. Think about it, basing your day solely what you eat should not be how we live our lives. But I did that. Even within a day I would have these highs & lows around food — so I get that. A few months… Read more