dieting Archives - Page 4 of 5 - Diet Free Radiant Me | Intuitive Eating | Emotional Eating

Please Tell Me What to Eat!

“Can you give me a meal plan WHILE we work on intuitive eating?”

This is a question I hear often from clients who are contemplating starting the intuitive eating journey!

The answer is NO! Giving you a meal plan goes against the core beliefs of intuitive eating which is eating based on YOUR inner body wisdom, not a pre-printed meal plan. Even if this meal plan is “calculated” and customized for you.

Let me explain.

You have been on many diets over the years. Perhaps these were formal diets such as Weight Watchers (you can have x points per day), Jenny Craig (you can only eat our prepackaged meals), Atkins (no carbs!) etc.

Or, you were on what I call a “Self-Designed Diet”, meaning you created rules that you told yourself you’d follow. Example:
• I can only eat carbs for lunch, never with dinner.

• I must stop eating by 7 pm every night.

• If I snack, it can only be on a fruit or veggie sticks

You get the picture, right?

Point is, these diets or your own self-designed diets gave you the rules of eating. You followed them like the good girl you are. But these diets don’t take into account what your internal body cues are telling you about when to start eating and when to stop. You eat when, what and how much the diet tells you to.

So, what’s the big deal?
This only “works” for as long as you “follow” it. Then when you have a bad day or an uncomfortable emotion surfaces that you’d just rather not feel, BAM….off the diet you go.

This cycle continues until you realize that you need off this merry-go-round. There is no joy in eating anymore. So, you hear me talking about intuitive eating and you’re like, “wow, this sounds amazing. Let’s do it. But, can you give me a meal plan too?’

I hope you now see why my answer is “no”. Not because I don’t want to help you. But because on the contrary, a meal plan will keep you dieting by telling you when to eat, how much to eat and what to eat. It does not allow you to relearn how to let your body guide your eating decisions.

Having said this, I will also say that at a certain point on the intuitive eating journey when my clients raise their hand and say “YES, the intuitive eater within me has woken up”, then we start talking about nutrition. And guess what? You are now able to make the best choices for yourself with my guidance based on what feels awesome in your body!

Sounds intriguing? Want in on this journey? Just reach out to me at www.TalkWithBonnie.com and let me know you want to Break Free of Dieting for good! I’m here to support you!

New Year, More Mindfulness

Whenever the New Year nears, it’s all about “New Year, New Me”. The “new me” is usually associated with joining the gym and going on a crash diet, all to lose a few pounds. Instead of starting your New Year off with enjoyment and ready to tackle what comes your way, you’re starting it off with food restrictions and stress about going to the gym and “needing” to lose the weight.

Why do you associate the New Year with weight loss?

Let’s try something different this New Year and reframe your thought process. Change your “New Year, New Me” mentality into “New Year, More Mindfulness”. By taking a step back from focusing solely on weight loss and what your body looks like, you’ll develop a greater appreciation for what your body is capable of and what it needs to be its best.

Here are 5 tips on how to, or continue to, be mindful in the New Year:

Recommit to your diet-free journey. Remind yourself why you began your intuitive eating journey, or are planning to begin it. Then every time another commercial hits the airwaves, an email pops up in your inbox or your friend chews your ear off with the new diet she is on, quietly repeat this mantra to yourself “I have committed to a diet-free life. I rock!”

State your New Year intention. Set a clear intention about what you want to experience in 2017 and what steps you will take to reach your goals. Write down your big intention and keep it in a visible spot around your home. Reflect back on it throughout the year when you need a reminder about what you want to accomplish by 2018!!

Listen to your body. Instead of focusing on the weight you “need” to lose and restricting your favorite foods, focus on listening to your body. What is your body trying to tell you? Does it want you to stop dieting? Does it want you to feed it nourishing meals? By taking the time to listen to your body, you’ll develop a stronger relationship with it and you’ll learn to love your body.

Practice moderation, not deprivation. You may feel like you need to deprive yourself to avoid weight gain, but that’s not true. When you deprive yourself, the backlash is overeating and bingeing. If you take the time to listen to your body and savor each bite, you’ll find you are satisfied with smaller portions.

Avoid celebrating with food. Whenever something good happens in life, birthday, promotion, anniversary, etc., going out to eat is the common way to celebrate. But, if you’re struggling with your relationship with food, this can be a difficult time. Instead of going out to eat to celebrate an occasion, find another way to celebrate that makes you feel comfortable and happy,

By becoming more mindful of your body and what your body needs, you’ll be able to give your body what it wants. With mindfulness, you’ll learn to become an intuitive eater. You’ll be able to avoid overeating, feeding your emotions and loving your body once again.

If you want to talk, just contact me here.

Dieting Information Overload – When To Start Taking Action

I’ve been a registered dietitian nutritionist in private practice for over 28 years now. Wow, hard to believe. And a lot has changed in the industry in the last 28 years. When I first got out of school and opened my business, I was mostly treating patients for medical conditions using nutrition therapy. These conditions included uncontrolled diabetes, cardiovascular disease, high cholesterol, hypertension, gastrointestinal conditions, to name a few.

In most of these cases, except for some of the gastrointestinal conditions, weight loss was always a part of the treatment plan. I created a nutrition plan that included a meal plan tailored to the patients’ medical condition and weight loss goals. My patients were getting better and losing weight. It all seemed so perfect.

At some point, I asked myself what can I do to help prevent these illnesses or the complications from occurring due to their diseases. Again, weight loss was usually part of the prevention plan and my patients wanted a meal plan to follow, which I obliged to.

Yet, at some point about 5-6 years ago, I realized that these meal plans are actually doing a disservice to many of these patients. The meal plan turned into a diet for them to follow and they just didn’t know how to navigate certain situations in their lives when they couldn’t “follow” the meal plan I created. These included vacations, weddings, deaths, job loss and other events and circumstances. They then felt guilty, ashamed and upset that they just couldn’t “do it”. They lost total confidence and trust in themselves.

Can you relate?

This is when I turned my attention to helping people break free of dieting to learn how to re-trust themselves and their bodies again to make the food choices that feel right for them. Yes, this is where my intuitive eating work comes in.

But here is what I have found.

As I started talking about and spreading my message about giving up dieting, all of a sudden the internet was swarming with coaches doing the same thing. It caught on like wildfire! It seems like every other day there is another summit with ‘expert interviews’ telling you how to give up dieting.

I’ve been on these summits, and I do believe they can be very helpful. But I also believe that there comes a point where you need to stop collecting information and start taking action. That’s when the real change happens.

So, in theory, yes, giving up dieting is your answer to finally achieving the body and life you want without food restriction, deprivation and feelings of guilt after you eat. But, if you don’t begin to practice this, you will continue to struggle.

3 Tips to Help You Start Taking Action

Stop signing up for every “end dieting” summit that pops up in your newsfeed. Choose 1 or 2 experts that you resonate most with and follow them (hint…I hope I’m one of them).

Pick one action step and focus on that for one week. Self-assess each evening to see how you feel with your progress. When you are ready, add a second action step and so on. Don’t take on too many changes at once.

See support to help you on your journey. These changes are tough! Anyone who tells you otherwise is not being truthful! There is no reason to go this alone. An RDN coach can walk the journey with you and support you. If you’d like to see how I can help you, just contact me here.

I am excited for you that you have made the commitment to give up dieting forever. I also know how scary that thought is. Please don’t let that fear keep you in the “gathering information” phase. Start taking action today. I am here to support you.

Chocolate Doesn’t Solve Your Problems

Life is hard sometimes, wouldn’t you say? Things can be going along wonderfully and then all of a sudden BAM, you get hit in the face with a situation that you are not quite ready for. What I’ve learned in my life is firstly that this is just a part of life. We become better people when we go through tough situations and we learn from them. And, secondly, I’ve learned that food (and for most people…chocolate) does not make the problem go away.

Now, I know you are reading this and perhaps you are saying “you are wrong Bonnie, chocolate makes it all better”.

And, to that I say, it makes it all better for the moment you are in your empty body, stuffing the chocolate in your mouth, pushing your feelings down deeper and deeper. But now, the chocolate is gone and what are you left with?

THE PAIN! The pain of still dealing with the difficult feelings you had originally, AND the pain of the GUILT of bingeing on chocolate and the PHYSICAL PAIN of eating too much of it.

So, what are you to do when you just don’t want to deal with the situation that has presented to you in your life?

You SUCK IT UP AND DEAL WITH IT!

WITHOUT. THE. CHOCOLATE.

Yes, I know that sounds harsh, and I don’t mean to be harsh. But it’s just a part of life. You are here on my blog reading my articles, following my work because you want help. You want and need someone to say to you “let’s learn how to deal with your emotions and difficult situations in life without using food. Because food is not the answer.”

Here are 2 steps for you to take immediately so you can learn how to turn away from the chocolate when feeling down:

Step 1: Make a list of the situations and/or emotions that cause you to turn to chocolate (or any food for that matter).

Step 2: Click on this link to request to speak to me so I can help you craft a plan to overcome emotional eating.

I look forward to speaking with you soon!

Are Negative Food Messages Causing You to Gain Weight?

It’s no question that obesity is a major concern in the United States. The rise in obese adults in the last few years has given authorities a reason to take action.

Today there are a number of campaigns out there trying to steer the public towards healthier food choices. However, some of these messages are actually backfiring. The reason? Because they’re delivering strong negative messages instead of positive ones.

Researchers are finding that negatives messages such as “sugary snacks are bad for you, don’t eat them” can actually cause you to choose these foods rather than ignore them. Interestingly, positive messages around sugary snacks that don’t illicit negative feelings about eating them have less of an impact in you choosing these foods.

One study from Arizona State University wanted to see if this theory was true. The study included 397 participants who were given a positive or negative message about sugary snacks in the form of an advertisement. Following the ad, the subjects were offered cookies on their way out.

What they found was that people who received the negative message consumed 29% more cookies than those who saw the positive message.

The researchers wanted to further explore the effects of messages on food choices. This included a negative message, a positive message and a balanced message that portrayed even-handed information about the benefits and drawbacks of consuming sugary snacks. In this study, 324 people participated.

The results of the study found that participants who were shown the negative message consumed 30% higher unhealthy snack choices compared to the group who received the positive message. The group that received the balanced message consumed 47% less unhealthy snacks. What this study ultimately shows us is that advertisements in the media have an effect on influencing how you perceive food and even the choices you make.

But let me take this a step further. The diet industry and other health gurus and experts out there who are telling you “don’t eat carbs they are bad for you (or gluten, sugar, etc… you can fill in the blank with all the negative messages you are told), are actually setting you up to crave these foods and eventually break down and overeat them. This in turn perpetuates the restriction/deprivation/dieting/feeling guilt and shame vicious cycle that so many overweight people struggle with every day of their lives.

Is this you?

Do not be fooled; be aware of the information you’re exposed to and stay alert to inaccurate information from biased sources.

For more information on becoming the expert of your own body, download my free e-book here

Your turn to take action: What negative messages have you fallen prey to that led you to overeating those foods?

Protecting Yourself Against New Year’s Diet Talk

You have made the commitment to never diet again. Yay you!! The only problem you are facing now is the constant bombardment of the media with THE way for you to finally lose your excess weight now that the New Year is approaching.

All this diet talk sends chills up my spine. Actually it makes me downright mad. I am really so tired of hearing about the next miracle diet to hit the market.

You know why I am so mad about it?

Because it’s the innocent, decent people like you that get hurt. It is so easy to get sucked into the amazing claims these diets tout, why wouldn’t you say “let me try it, this will be THE one.”

But sadly, it isn’t so. Not too soon after January 1^st you will be throwing in the towel on this diet too.

So the question is, how do you deal with the media and how do you deal with your girlfriends who are getting ready to embark on a new diet come January 1^st?

Here’s how:

Recommit to your diet-free way of life. Remind yourself why you began your intuitive eating journey. Then every time another commercial hits the airwaves, an email pops up in your inbox or your friend chews your ear off with the new diet she is on, quietly repeat this mantra to yourself “I have committed to a diet-free life. I rock!”

Unsubscribe from all diet-related email subscriptions, or magazines that advertise the latest diets and “here’s how to lose the baby weight fast” articles.

Find a buddy to join you on your diet-free journey. Not sure where to find one? Join us in the Diet Free Radiant Me™ online community where there are hundreds of others who are breaking free of diets!

I’m keeping this blog short, sweet and to the point.

1.Commit to your diet-free lifestyle and learning to practice intuitive eating.

2.Close your eyes and ears to others who talk diets.

3.Get the right support for your journey.

Your turn to take action: How does all this end of year/New Year diet talk make YOU feel? What action will you do to stay free and clear of the diet industry vultures?

Dieting – a Creature of Habit

I was meeting with a client yesterday. We were speaking about making behavioral changes. For the purpose of this blog, it doesn’t matter what behaviors we were actually speaking about. What does matter was the “aha” moment she had from this discussion.

Change by definition is “to make or become different”, or “the act of making or becoming different.”

My client, let’s call her Lisa, was resisting change. She was engaging in the same behaviors for months, yet was wondering why she wasn’t progressing forward on her intuitive eating journey. As she pondered this, she finally said “I am a creature of habit. Change is hard”.

Yes, change is hard. But what is important for you to understand is if those same behaviors you have been doing for years have not gotten you the results you wanted, then nothing is going to change. You cannot continue doing the same things and expect different results.

If you have tried to lose weight by the act of “dieting” and you haven’t been successful, then it’s time to recognize that you need a change. You need to acknowledge that dieting is not and never will be the answer to long lasting weight loss.

It’s comfortable to diet. Well, okay, I don’t really mean it’s comfortable by the actual definition of comfortable (definition: being in a state of physical or mental comfort). I don’t think anyone in their right mind would say that food restriction, feelings of deprivation and guilt is actually comfortable.

What I mean is its familiar to you. You know what to expect, it’s safe for you. There are no surprises (well with some diets, there might be some undesirable surprises like hair loss, constipation and irritability.)

So, why is it so hard to give it up?

Because you will be moving into unchartered territory. You will be embarking on a journey that you have never been on before, and you don’t know what to expect. So sometimes it’s just easier not to jump.

But today is the day. Today is the day that you leave diets behind and vow to learn a better way. Today is the day that you realize that change will not happen unless you become just a little uncomfortable in order to change your future.

You are not alone. I am here for you. And, I have put together a community of women who are venturing into this unknown territory just like you.

Come join us in the Diet Free Radiant Me™ Online Community. It is a free private online community where you will learn a new way of living and where you will get the support and comradery you desire.

Your turn to take action: Click HERE to join our Diet Free Radiant Me™ Online Community.

There’s No “Throwing in the Towel” in Intuitive Eating

If you are a chronic dieter, then more than likely you have “thrown in the towel” quite a few times.

A new diet comes to market. It’s exciting, this will be the one. You start the diet and things are going well. But then you had a bad day at work, you went on vacation or you had a fight with your boyfriend. Or, you get on the scale on weigh-in day and it hasn’t budged.

Either way, you ended up in the pint of ice cream saying to yourself “forget it, what does it matter anyway”.

You have just “thrown in the towel” from another diet. When will this end?

I’ll tell you when! When you finally realize that diets are not working for you. Never have, never will. When you decide that to give up dieting, you need another path. And, you have discovered intuitive eating is that path.

Okay, so let’s talk about this. You start working with me to learn how to reclaim being an intuitive eater (I say “reclaim” because let me remind you that you were born an intuitive eater). And you immediately are having major “aha” moments. Wow, you are discovering things about yourself, your past, your beliefs that you never realized impacted your relationship with food.

This is great! You laugh, you cry, all from a good place of finally moving forward.

Then it happens. You disappear, stop showing up for your appointments and stop returning emails and phone calls.

What is going on?

More than likely, an old familiar trigger has popped up and you haven’t yet learned how to handle it. So, you fall back into past overeating habits. Now you feel bad, embarrassed and say to yourself “you see, this won’t work either”. And, you throw in the towel.

Please listen up! What I’m about to say requires capital letters.

THERE IS NO FAILURE IN INTUITIVE EATING!

THERE IS NO “THROWING IN THE TOWEL” IN INTUITIVE EATING!

Intuitive eating is a learning experience. It’s a process of ups and downs. Whatever trigger has thrown you “for a loop”, let’s learn from it. Don’t let it take you back to a place that you DON”T want to be….back to the land of dieting!

If this sounds like you, I care about you and I am here to help you.

Reach out and ask for help. There’s no shame in that. It’s something to be proud of.

Click here to send me an SOS email.

Diet Chatter at the Hair Salon

It’s interesting the conversations you overhear in the hair salon!

Yesterday, I was at the salon getting my hair done. As I was sitting minding my own business reading some notes in preparation for an interview later in the day (as a side note, I was interviewed for a telesummit, more on that in the next week or so), I overheard a few women talking.

What do you think the conversation was about?

Well, when a bunch of women get together, the chatter is usually about the latest diet they are on. One woman was following Atkins, the other cut out all carbs but isn’t “quite doing Atkins”, yet a third is on a liquid diet.

My hairdresser, knowing what I do for a living, said to me “Bonnie, you aren’t going to like this, but I have cut out all carbs and breads. I just can’t figure out how to limit it”. She went on to tell me about her experience with Cheese-its. As much as she tries to limit to a serving, she wipes out the box in a day, okay, maybe 2 she says if she really has “willpower”.

Ugh, there’s that word again…WILLPOWER!

Listen up! It’s not about willpower. Willpower is you trying to get yourself to do something that you don’t want to do. You might be able to hold off for a few days, heck maybe even a few weeks, but then it gets you!

Another woman commented that her friend told her that she noticed when she eats slower, she gets fuller faster and is more satisfied.

BINGO! That woman got it!

By engaging in mindful eating and tuning into your inner signals of hunger and satiety, you can trust your body to tell you when you’ve had enough to eat. And, you can eat a serving of Cheese-its and stop.

Intuitive eating is a process. It takes time to learn. But, what’s your rush?

If you need help getting started on your path towards intuitive eating, don’t’ be shy. Reach out to me here.

Willpower is a Dieter’s Word

How many times have you used the word “willpower” when you’ve been on a diet? “I wish I had more willpower not to eat the cake”. “Why can’t I just have the willpower to say NO?” I am NOT going to eat the chocolate, no, no, no! I must have the willpower!”

How has this strategy of willpower worked for you?

I bet it’s worked for a short time, but inevitably when you try to “will” yourself to not eat something that you really would love to eat, you break down and eat it. The only problem now is that you just don’t have one piece of cake or chocolate, you have many.

There is no place in intuitive eating for the word “willpower”.

I explain more in the video below. Just click and watch. Then post your comments below the video and/or right back here.

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