Eat Without Guilt » overeating

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

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

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

How to Eat Right and Still Enjoy the Holidays

Dinneen — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 23:02:58 +0000

There are so many temptations during the holiday season it’s no wonder many of us get stressed over how to get through it all while still being able to fit into our jeans come January 1st. As someone who loves food, giving up great food during the holidays for me isn’t an option. And it shouldn’t be for you either. So here are a few ways to bring pleasure — not the pounds — to the holiday festivities: 1) Aim to maintain. I recently heard about someone who skipped her friends holiday party because she was dieting and thought there would be too many tempting foods. To me that’s unfortunate and not so healthy. Instead of trying to completely overhaul your diet and lose weight during the holidays, try to maintain your current weight. And if you really do want to lose weight, be realistic about just how much you… Read more

The Secret to Surviving Thanksgiving Without the Weight Gain

Dinneen — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 20:53:14 +0000

Thanksgiving is often a stressful time for dieters or those trying to maintain their weight loss. ”Should I have the turkey without the gravy? Can I really stick to the veggies and not have some of the mashed potatoes made with real butter?” It’s like we’re in a constant dilemma all day long. We worry about how many calories are in each serving, or can we nibble on appetizers without going overboard, or can we really just take one serving of everything? So little time, yet so much on our minds. Last year I wrote about How to Enjoy Thanksgiving Without the Guilt, which is a good read for those of you worrying about feeling guilty after eating a bit more than you normally do, and how to deal with the voices in your head telling you to eat the carrots when what you really want is the homemade stuffing.… Read more

What Kids Can Teach You About Weight Loss

Dinneen — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 20:01:58 +0000

I watched one of the most powerful Oprah’s shows yesterday. The subject was an epidemic that is affecting the health of America’s children, and what’s also affecting too many adults. It’s not what we usually associate with adolescents: drug addiction, alcohol abuse, or smoking. It’s something more powerful and affecting more kids (AND adults) than ever before: obesity. The children on the show show took part in a day-long intervention, just like what is often needed when children (or adults) abuse drugs or alcohol. But for these kids their drug of choice was food. The intervention was to get to the real reason why these kids ate. And like Oprah said on the show, the reason they got overweight “goes way beyond junk food.” On the show we got an inside look of these children’s lives. They spend their days in shame, guilt, depression, discomfort, stress or pain. In one… Read more

Enjoy Thanksgiving Without the Guilt

Dinneen — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 23:53:11 +0000

Whether you’re trying to lose – or simply maintain – weight, this time of year causes a lot of dread and anxiety. You want to get through the holiday season without putting on extra pounds, without feeling fat, and without the guilt of eating holiday foods. And then we all have the “shoulder angel” and “shoulder devil” talking to us. You know, those voices in our heads, the two that constantly fight with each other about what to do. You’ve probably seen them in cartoons. On one side of the shoulder is an angel, representing good or “our conscience.” On the other shoulder is the devil, representing bad or “tempation.” It seems these two follow us around, especially during the holidays. You’ll be at the Thanksgiving table and all the delicious food is being passed around. You have those two guys on your shoulder. The good one says, “Oh… Read more