Diets don’t work. They are especially toxic for your relationship with food and your body. So what is left to do if you want to improve your eating or manage your weight? Try these tips to avoid falling back on dieting this spring: 1. Reconnect with your hunger levels: everyone already has a way to “regulate” their eating and it has nothing to do with other people’s diet advice. Listening to your very own hunger signals is the first step to reconnecting with your body’s needs. No diet book, diet guru or meal plan will ever know how much or […]
Mindful eating- step two!
I’ve previously blogged about the general concept of mindful eating along with one way to practice eating more in the moment. The next step you can take involves learning the difference between eating due to hunger versus other influences.So so so many clients struggle with eating when they are not hungry which can trigger feelings of guilt and shame. Understanding whether you are eating due to hunger or other reasons begins with being mindful before taking the first bite.Before you take a bite of food, take a minute to listen to your body. Ask yourself- “am I truly hungry?” The task at hand is not to resist the urge […]
What is mindful eating?
I talk a lot about mindful eating and how it can help you manage your health, reduce any disordered eating and help repair your relationship with food. Understanding what mindful eating is and how to practice it is the challenging part. Not because it is hard to do but because it takes time, inner reflection and lots of practice. Being a mindful eater means noticing the colors, smells, flavors, and textures of your food; chewing slowly; reducing of distractions like TV or reading; and reducing guilt and anxiety around food choices. Noticing these things means deliberately paying attention, being fully […]
Can losing weight lead to gaining weight??!!
If there is one major negative thing that has emerged from recent research on weight loss is that it often leads to weight regain. If done in an unhealthy, unbalanced way, regaining the weight along with a few extra pounds is also a big possibility. This weight regain is not only frustrating but makes any subsequent attempts at weight loss even harder. So, if losing weight often leads to weight regain, wouldn’t weight maintenance be perhaps the better option for some people? Yes. Also, it is important to note, that if you are gaining weight over time, stabilizing your weight […]
Stay AWAY from this emotion to ease health management
I have always been a big advocate that taking pleasure in eating is important for everyone- especially when people are trying to lose weight. At first, some clients find it sounds counter intuitive and they may try embracing the motto eat to live rather than live to eat. HOWEVER, if you are as “live to eat” kind of person, changing this personality trait is a huge task, especially when you are also changing so many other things in your life to try to lose weight. Often, my clients who “love” to eat (foodies!) or who believe they should not want […]
Where to turn when extreme dieting (ultimately) fails
Although I help people every day manage their weight, I also work with people with eating disorders. My counseling techniques do change depending on my client but one thing always remains the same: extreme dieting is bad. Understanding the difference between normal, everyday improvements with eating and extreme dieting can be tricky. Explaining this difference to anyone who does not have a skewed relationship with food (and even to those with this problem) can be a challenge. Extreme dieting is a problem for so many reasons since both physical and mental health is compromised. Unfortunately, a new trend is emerging […]
Learn how to feel in charge of your eating with this simple strategy
Having food rules, diet rules and food restrictions are sadly becoming the norm nowadays. So common, in fact, that it can be hard to even identify the ones you follow. This is especially true if you have been following them for a long time.Food rules can be about what or what not to eat. For example, “I am not allowed to eat chocolate because it is bad”. They can be about restricting the time you can eat. For example “I am not allowed to eat past 7pm”. They can be about how much to eat. For example “If I eat more than […]
When is YOUR vulnerable hour?
So many people get frustrated with their latest “cheat” or guilt trip. After hearing many stories from my clients, it started to become clear to me that there are times during the day in which we are more likely to make food decisions that don’t match our hunger levels (or even our food desires). This “vulnerable” time may be influenced by a number of different factors: low energy levels, high stress levels, the feeling of being over worked and the need for recompensing, the feeling of deprivation after a very low calorie day, etc. If you can identify your most vulnerable time during the […]
Embrace your inner foodie
So many of my clients consider themselves to be foodies and often this love for food is conflicted because it is both enjoyed and hated. Enjoyed because food tastes good and brings them pleasure but hated because they feel it gets in the way of their goals (whether they it weight management, lowering cholesterol or managing blood sugars). I, on the other hand, feel that this title should be embraced to enhance ones health. Foodies love to experience new foods, explore flavor combinations, and don’t want to waste a bite on foods that don’t meet their high expectations. Quality, not […]
Eat what you love, love what you eat INTERVIEW
I recently had the pleasure of speaking with the author of “Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat: How to Break Your Eat-Repent-Repeat Cycle”, a book about eating mindfully and fearlessly. Dr. Michelle May is a physician and a recovered yo-yo dieter who has learned to eat instinctively to help her stay healthy and happy. Her new book has won numerous awards and you can find it both in book stores and online. Look for the link to a sneak peak of Chapter 1 at the end of the interview! For a 1st timer to your concept, how do […]