What the Diet Industry Doesn’t Want You to Know

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 getting heavier and heavier.  I think the ‘industry’ is doing something right — to put money in their pocket.

And let’s face it — diets don’t work.  There are different statistics out there, some even saying that 95% of all people on a diet gain the weight back within a few years.  I can tell you from my own personal experience this has been true for me.

In addition, diets do NOT teach you how to trust yourself.  The basic message of a diet is:  if you trusted yourself, you would start eating at one end of your kitchen and chew all the way across the U.S.  (okay, I’m exaggerating, but you get the idea).  But basically they tell you that if you trusted yourself  you’d never stop eating.  So, you need to trust them and their ‘rules.’  And do what they say, as opposed to learning to listen to yourself.

Another thing that is that weight-loss should not be the goal.  It should be the by-product of learning how to listen to your body for when it’s hungry, what is needs, and what it wants.  In other words –a healthy relationship with food, weight and your body.   Because when you lose weight….you don’t lose the reasons WHY you turned to food in the first place.

Let me repeat that:  when you lose the weight, you don’t lose the reasons why you turned to food in the first place.

For these reasons, and many others, is why I started Eat Without Guilt in the first place.  I struggled for so long, yo-yo dieting, feeling like a failure, that I had no willpower, that I just couldn’t follow the “rules”, and that if I could ONLY just lose weight I would be happy, joyful, peaceful and content.  Losing weight would make me not only happier, but a better person.  Boy was I wrong.

I want to help as many people as I can break free of the diet and overeating cycle and live a healthier, more satisfying life.  And to set you free so you can continue it on your own.  And to learn how to support YOURSELF.

And that’s just one of the reasons why I created an Intuitive Eating Success Class – to set you free and give you the tools to continue it on your own…for life.  Without having to pay me over and over again.  I’d love nothing more to have you in my course, and then see you continue on your own without my help (I’m not kidding!).

You see (especially women) we are so good at supporting everyone around us that we tend to put ourselves at the bottom of the list. We are constantly under pressure, overwhelmed and have many demands at both home and at work. We expect ourselves to be superwomen….and everyone else does too.  So for many, this translates into having an unhealthy relationship with food. The only way we know to give ourselves a break or a ‘treat’ is to eat something.

I want women (and men) to get back on the path to returning to your own natural instinct to eat when you are hungry and stop when you feel comfortably full or satisfied. So you never have to spend a dime on weight loss products again.  Ever.

My intuitive eating course, and my eat without guilt philosophy, is not a diet or plan.  Instead, it’s about  regaining the pleasure and enjoyment of eating without guilt and punishment.  About learning how to listen to yourself and your body.  How to discover if you’re really hungry, what you’re hungry for, and to bring complete awareness to what you are eating.  How to begin creating lasting peace with food.

About how to uncover your automatic response to emotions – and how to steer it away from food (because so many of us turn to food for emotional reasons, not physical ones.  Or we’ve been dieting or overeating for so many years that we no longer ‘know’ the difference between to two).

It’s about helping you respect your body and do what’s right for YOU (not what the newest ”study” or weight-loss guru says).

That’s what I’m all about.  Helping people get back to learning how to trust themselves again. And be really comfortable around food.  And not dieting and feeding the diet industry.  But to learn how to feed ourselves, our body and soul, and treating ourselves with kindness….NOW, not when we lose the ‘weight.’

So, what are your thoughts?  Do you agree, do you think I’m being too negative (about the diet industry)?  What has been your experience with diets?  I’d love to hear your thoughts — and yes, even if you don’t agree with what I say.  That’s the main reason for this post!  To start a discussion…

(for information about the upcoming Intuitive Eating Success class, just click here)

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

Do You Know How to Listen to Your Hunger?

You’ve probably heard over and over again “eat when you are hungry and stop when you are full.”

Good advice, but often people tell me that they don’t even know what hungry feels like.  They either feel hungry all to time, or can’t decipher if their “hunger” is true hunger or emotional hunger.  Many people on their weight-loss journey have lost their ability to even know what real (ie biological) hunger feels like.

And it’s more common than you think.

The Clock Strikes 12

For some people it’s simply because they’ve never allowed themselves to be hungry.  They eat all the time.  Or they eat simply because it’s meal-time.  The clock say’s 12 noon so they just eat.  They’re not really hungry, but they’ve been eating at this time for so long they actually think they’re hungry.  But their body isn’t giving them the signals.  They have just been on autopilot for so long, that they believe they are hungry but in reality their body is not.

Food, Food Everywhere

We live in a society today where food is around all of the time.  Any time of day, any day of the week, you can easily get food.  So we can eat at all hours of the day.  And there’s no longer eating ‘hours’ for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  It is completely acceptable to “eat” at all hours of the day.

This was something different I experienced living in France.  If I wanted to eat lunch, whether it be in my office at work, or on the weekends while strolling around town – cafeteria’s, restaurants, canteens, etc where only open during lunch hours.  And I would be hard pressed to find a vending machine anywhere.

Other Voices

There are other ‘voices’ of hunger like eating to fill emotions.  And emotional eating is one of the top reasons diets fail.  But when you divert your attention from whatever is causing you angst (like a bad day at the office) by eating, you’re often just making the problem even worse.

And the food can act like a drug. Eating can take the edge off what ever is going on, similar to the way a drink does for alcoholics, but unfortunately this tactic is a temporary fix at best.  After you’re done eating, you still have to deal with the original problem.

Tuning In

But know that the first step to “finding your biological hunger” is to listen to it.

Now it sounds/feels different for different people.  Remember, we are all unique so just like eating patterns, biological hunger varies for everyone.

In the beginning, you might be able to recognize ravenous hunger (when you’re so hungry you could literally eat anything), but have difficulty recognizing gentle hunger pains.

So here are some tips to help you recognize when you are hungry:

-      mild (or loud!) rumbling in the stomach

-      light-headedness

-      headache

-      very low energy, feel a bit faint

-      uncomfortable stomach pain. It feels really empty

-      irritability

-      difficulty concentrating

Another tool to use is the Hunger Scale.  It’s a way to help you identify your hunger and get in touch you’re your body’s inner signals.

If you’re not familiar with the hunger scale, it a scale of 1 to 10.  With 1 being extreme hunger (you feel so hungry you could literally pass out) to 10 being beyond full (like after eating Thanksgiving Dinner). The neutral point is five.  At 5, your body has enough fuel to keep it going and you’re more or less satisfied.  You could eat a bit more, but physically your body is fine.

Every time you eat, check your hunger level.  Ideally, for you to be truly hungry, you should be at a 3 or 4.  If you’re 5 or above, you’re not biologically hungry.

So begin to really listen to your stomach, and not what the clock says, not what your ‘head’ is telling you, and not because you’re feeling some type of emotion.

It’s all a part of what’s called intuitive eating. Eating when you’re really hungry, stopping when you are full, and listening to your body.  If you can start listening to your true hunger signals and eat because you are physically hungry, then you are slowly on your way to honoring your hunger and

Part of eating intuitively is knowing what hunger feels like, honoring it, and giving it (and your body) the proper nutrition it needs.

Want to learn more about listening and honoring your hunger, how to stop when you’re full, and how the heck to really listen to your body and give it what it needs? Want more insight into knowing when you’re truly hungry? Then be sure to register for my upcoming f.r.e.e. call where I’ll be covering this and MORE.  Learn how YOU can listen to your hunger and your body and lose weight in the process.  Get all the details here.

Monica Seles and Her Biggest Opponent – Food

I recently picked up a copy of Monica Seles’ book Getting a Grip: On My Body, My Mind, My Self. In it she talks she talks very openly and candidly about her biggest opponent, and it’s not something or someone she faced on the tennis court.  But it was a battle that began to destroy her sense of self, her career and her life. The opponent was food.

Monica Seles is best known for her incredible talent on the tennis court as a former World No. 1 player.  She won nine Grand Slam championships and was the youngest player ever to win the French Open.  Earlier this month she was even inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame. But with all of the wins, trophy’s and accolades Monica struggled for years with her weight, yo-yo dieting and overeating.

Little did I know (nor did anyone else know) that Monica struggled with binge eating for 9 years.  She was someone who – literally – was at the top of her game, but inside she was fighting another battle.  She was struggling with self-doubt, self-hatred, fear and sadness that many of us can relate to.

The book is written from two sides which are nicely intertwined.  In one, she provides a very detailed, real view into the life of a tennis pro:  the travel, tournaments, competition, preparation, and the pace.  She recounts different matches and stories of her travels around the world.  As I’m someone who enjoys watching tennis, it was quite interesting for me to get an insider’s view of the sport.

But the other story in her book is about a person no different than you or me. A person who suffered with a lack of control over food because of unresolved emotional issues.

When Monica was at the top of her tennis game she was stabbed during a match in Germany.  Her injuries healed, but emotionally she was still hurting.  Then her beloved father, who was also her coach and biggest fan, was diagnosed with cancer and eventually the disease took his life.  Monica turned to food for comfort, solace, and as a way to get over the inner pain.  It was almost like a best friend, something that was always there for her.

In her book Monica talks very openly and candidly about these struggles.  Everything from raiding the hotel mini bar, to sneaking out in the middle of the night to get fast food.  But her struggle isn’t just about eating too much…

At times Monica would spend weeks and months dieting, watching diligently everything she ate, and even hired personal trainers to get her into shape.  She would spend hours at the gym but then come home and have a 3,000 calorie binge.  Along would come the feelings of shame and guilt, followed by days or weeks of deprivation to make up for it.  Then the cycle would start all over again.

This yo-yo cycle went on for years, and in the book Monica lets down her guard and is extremely honest, open, and vulnerable telling us her deepest feelings.  What’s more, there is no self-pity or “woe is me” attitude.

In the book she talks about the steps she took to take back control of her eating, her food — and her life.  Like anyone who overeats too often or has a binge eating disorder, the ‘hunger’ is never for food.

I’ve written and talked a lot about the power of the mindset and the need to work on your inner self before you can change your outer self.  And that’s exactly what Monica does to take back her life and win the battle.  After working on her inner self her outer self began to change.

Once she slowed down and started to explore life outside tennis she finally started to connect with her inner self and the desperation and obsession to eat started to subside. Due to an injury, she couldn’t play tennis for a while and was forced to look at who she really was. As the pace slowed, so did her intake of food. She began to identify with her feelings and most importantly – once she changed her focus from her obsession about losing the weight, she started to lose it. Effortlessly.  And you can too.

You see, whatever you focus on is what will manifest in your life.  If you focus all of  your time and energy on how awful you look and feel, well — you’ll continue to look and feel awful. When you shift your focus to something positive and explore new things, you’ll find you don’t have to diet or try to control things to change your body and weight. It was the same for me in my weight struggles and helped me recover from an eating disorder.

Personally I loved the book as many of her struggles I could relate to.  Though she may have the money, fame, and trophy’s on her mantle, she clearly shows that those things don’t bring true happiness.  The book isn’t a diet book nor about a quick fix.  Instead, it’s about learning how to enjoy food again, learning to let go of the past, and coming to peace with yourself.  Monica learns to reduce her anguish over the things she cannot control, and realizes that she can do a better job over those things she CAN control — such as her mindset and her eating.

It’s an inspiration for anyone struggling with their weight, overeating, or binge eating.  It will give you hope and let you know that you can turn your life around.  Starting with your inner self.

Stop Worrying About Food…and Lose Weight

 

 
Can you imagine a life without the chains of dieting and constantly trying to control your weight? A life without rules, restrictions, and being told to eat the right foods?

Image just how wonderful it would feel to wake up every morning without having to face the scale, without having to count calories, without having to eat foods you don’t like that leave you unsatisfied.

Imagine….

• being able to wear clothes you love and feel good in
• thinking of food only when you’re hungry
• finding real pleasure in eating 
• eating your favorite foods without constantly counting calories or fat grams… and 
• not feeling guilty – ever again!

Think of how liberating it would be to feel truly nourished.  Of being able to eat and stop when you’re full — and KNOWING when you’re full.

You CAN eat and not have to settle for the “healthy option” all of the time.  It is possible.

NO gimmicks, fancy foods or expensive items to buy.  NO chanting or repeating mantra’s all day.  NO need to completely turn your lifestyle upside down.

Just simple, easy advice that FITS fits into your lifestyle and leaves you feeling alive and full of energy — and being in control.  

I can show you how.

Discover a whole new way of eating, looking at food, and loving your body.  Learn how to create a healthy relationship with food…and the unwanted pounds will come off — without ever having to worry about putting them on again.  Ever!

Let the Eat Without Guilt principles be your passport to freedom from dieting.

Contact me and I’ll help you taste the freedom — it’s divine!