Today is “International No Diet Day.” This is an opportunity to say NO to diet-deprivation, NO to scale-stepping, and NO to weight-worries! 

Just for today, what would it be like to give yourself permission to have a “forbidden food,” in a safe and enjoyable way? Think of a food that you truly love, but try not to eat, because you tell yourself, “I can’t stop once I start eating ______, so I’ll just stop eating it.” The next thing you know, the food that you consider OK to eat is very limited, and most of it you dislike, but you tell yourself, “It’s worth it to keep eating this way, because I don’t overeat now, and I’m losing weight!” Until you realize you can’t eat “this way” any longer, and you “give in” to your food cravings, over-indulging in all of the foods that you’ve deprived yourself of. We always want what we “can’t have.” Then, one cookie becomes too many, because 100 is not enough. However, if you CHOOSE to have a cookie, and pick out ONE from a local bakery that is your FAVORITE, and then you sit with a friend who is also enjoying her delectable delight – suddenly you experience the freedom with food that you truly yearn for!

Just for today, what would it be like to NOT step on the bathroom scale? Or, if you have already checked that number, what would happen if you didn’t allow it to define you? You are so much more than a number! If you stop and really think about it, does the scale ever let you have a good day? If the number states the same (or Heaven forbid goes up), then you berate yourself, and vow to be even more disciplined with your diet. Even if the number goes down, you might feel a moment of success, which quickly fades way as you shift into panic about how you’ll be able to keep losing weight, and eventually maintain the weight you lose. So, no matter what you weigh, you don’t have a good day. And eventually, you become like 95% of dieters, who regain weight they lose, usually ending up weighing more than when they started the latest diet. This is a phenomenon known as “diet-induced obesity,” caused by rebound weight gain in response to chronic dieting. 

Just for today, what would it be like to let go of your weight worries? Maybe your Mother keeps telling you that you should lose weight (sorry to point fingers, all of you Moms out there). Or your doctor (see Mom? It’s not all your fault!) – or SOCIETY’S STANDARDS. Who set these anyway? Who decided that fashion models, actresses, or media stars portray ideal beauty? From curvy Marilyn Monroe to stick-thin Twiggy, how should women look? What if the way each of us looks RIGHT NOW it exactly the way we “should” look? We each can set our own “ideals,” based on being our True Self! And, for the doctors out there, who set the BMI (Body Mass Index), and decided that patients “should” be a “normal” weight as determined by the BMI standard? There can be “Health At Every Size” (HAES®) – and for the science behind this, LEARN MORE HERE

I hope that my diet-free message inspires you to LIVE FREE – even if it’s just for today! If you’re HUNGRY for MORE of my “DON’T DIET DITTIES,” join me for these special events and offers: 

• May 6th @ 2:15pm (EASTERN time):  FACEBOOK LIVE
  Did you miss it? Click the link to watch the recording!
• May 6th @ 8-9pm (EASTERN time): FREE GROUP CALL
  Did you miss it? Click the link to get the recording!
• 50% OFF Dr. Dorie’s UnDiet™ ORDER NOW
  Downloadable Self-Help Program – SPECIAL PRICE TODAY ONLY
• FREE with any EDIT™ Certified Registration SIGNUP NOW
  Get Dr. Dorie’s UnDiet™ download – FREE GIFT TODAY ONLY

The post International No Diet Day appeared first on INTUITIVE THERAPY™ | Healthy Weight Loss | Eating Disorder Recovery Coach.

Binge Eating Disorder and weight loss goals tend to surface with New Year’s Resolutions. However, your therapist tells you, “Trying to lose weight can trigger binge eating.” And, your dietitian tells you, “Cutting calories too much can trigger binge eating.” But you’re wondering,”I’ve gained so much weight because of binge eating, so how can I lose this excess weight in a healthy way?”

Based on my 20+ years of clinical experience in the treatment of Binge Eating Disorder and Obesity, as well as my own personal experience overcoming these issues, I have some Binge Eating Disorder and Weight Loss Success Strategies to share with you.

1. Stop Trying to Lose Weight. You’re probably thinking, “But I want to lose weight!” As strange as it may seem, weight loss happens when you stop trying so hard to make it happen. Allow weight loss to be an outcome of other goals, such as reducing or eliminating binge eating.
2. Don’t Diet or Forbid Food. Many people with Binge Eating Disorder attempt to restrict or forbid certain foods (usually the foods they tend to binge eat). However, deprivation eventually triggers binge eating. The key is to have “permission to have” all foods in moderate amounts.
3. Learn Mindfulness Meal Skills. Binge Eating Disorder typically involves rapidly eating large quantities of food. Incorporating mindfulness skills at mealtimes can help to restore balance to the quantity and quality of food consumed. There are many books about mindful eating – and our therapists and dietitians at Positive Pathways can give you 1-on-1 guidance.
4. Incorporate Intuitive Eating Practices. Intuitive eating is NOT eating whatever you want, whenever you want – that’s impulsive eating, which is common in Binge Eating Disorder. Intuitive eating involves tuning in to your body’s feedback before, during and after eating. With practice, you will discover a “way of eating” which allows your body to have enhanced energy, heathy digestion, and weight loss as a natural outcome.
5. Enjoy Meaningful Movement. Forget about exercise to burn calories. Focus on moving your body in ways that feel good to you, so that you’ll actually want to move more. Consider gentle movements, such as stretching, walking, and yoga. Look for beginner yoga classes in your local area – and watch for classes coming soon to Positive Pathways!

You can overcome Binge Eating Disorder and weight loss can be a natural outcome. Keep your focus on Binge Eating Disorder recovery, and trust your body to find its way to a healthy weight.

*****

Article may be reprinted with the author bio below.

©2019 by Dr. Dorie McCubbrey. Dr. Dorie is a Certified Eating Disorder Specialist and Licensed Addiction Counselor who is passionate about training professionals to effectively guide clients in recovery from eating disorders, through her Eating Disorder Intuitive Therapy (EDIT)™ Certified program. She also meets with clients at her treatment center, Positive Pathways PLLC, located in Evergreen Colorado. Learn more at: https://www.drdorie.com

*****

Want more that this “taste” of EDIT™? Dr. Dorie is passionate about her method of Eating Disorder Intuitive Therapy (EDIT)™ to help people overcome eating disorders and addictions.  She provides customized counseling for eating disorders and alcohol / drug addiction at her Positive Pathways treatment center in Evergreen, Colorado – and EDIT™ eating disorder training and certification for coaches and clinicians worldwide. CALL 303-494-1975 – EMAIL DR. DORIE – GET CERTIFIED

The post Binge Eating Disorder and Weight Loss appeared first on INTUITIVE THERAPY™ | Healthy Weight Loss | Eating Disorder Recovery Coach.

Trick or Treat? If you struggle with Binge Eating Disorder or Food Addiction, then Halloween can be a tricky time of year. You have to pass by all of those bags of candy in the aisles at the store, and you have to overcome the urge to buy several bags of candy “for trick-or-treaters.” Who would know all of that candy was just binge food for you?

Tricky Treats. Perhaps you actually do buy candy with the real intention to give it to the children who come by your home on Halloween. What do you do with the candy until that night? Do you hide it, so it’s out of sight, and hopefully out of mind? Do you wait until the day of Halloween to buy the candy, so that it’s not around, tempting you? Even if you wait until that day, how do you keep your own hand out of the candy bowl that night?

It’s Such a Trick. People with Binge Eating Disorder and Food Addiction often have to work very hard to fight off cravings for sweets. It’s a game of all-or-nothing — where many people with eating disorders can’t stop eating binge foods once they start, so they try to abstain from any trigger foods. But doesn’t this leave you feeling deprived? Don’t you wish you could have a few pieces of candy and stop?

It Can Be a Treat. What would happen if you really could have 3 or 4 mini-packets of candy, without binge eating? Here’s how you can make peace with Halloween candy. Try these steps for sweet success:

1. Carefully choose 3 or 4 small pieces of candy — select a few of your favorites!
2. Set them aside, and notice your thoughts and feelings as you anticipate eating the candy
3. Use an affirmation, “Food has no power over me. I am making peace with food.”
4. Plan a time when you won’t feel rushed or distracted to enjoy your candy
5. Invite a friend to have some treats with you, if you’d like extra support in this process
6. Try the “Beginners Mind” technique as you sample your first piece — tap into all of your senses
7. Notice how the candy looks, smells, and feels in your hand before you put it in your mouth
8. Lick the candy, and notice how it tastes — taste as if you are having this item for the first time
9. As you put the candy in your mouth, notice how it feels as it melts, and as you swallow
10. Notice your thoughts and feelings, and proceed in a similar way with your other 2 or 3 pieces

Trick into Treat! You can stop binge eating and make peace with food!

*****

Article may be reprinted with the author bio below.

©2018 by Dr. Dorie McCubbrey. Dr. Dorie is a Certified Eating Disorder Specialist and Licensed Addiction Counselor who is passionate about training professionals to effectively guide clients in recovery from eating disorders, through her Eating Disorder Intuitive Therapy (EDIT)™ Certified program. She also meets with clients at her treatment center, Positive Pathways PLLC, located in Evergreen Colorado. Learn more at: https://www.drdorie.com

*****

Want more that this “taste” of EDIT™? Dr. Dorie is passionate about her method of Eating Disorder Intuitive Therapy (EDIT)™ to help people overcome eating disorders and addictions.  She provides customized counseling for eating disorders and alcohol / drug addiction at her Positive Pathways treatment center in Evergreen, Colorado – and EDIT™ eating disorder training and certification for coaches and clinicians worldwide. CALL 303-494-1975 – EMAIL DR. DORIE – GET CERTIFIED

The post 10 Steps to Stop Binge Eating appeared first on INTUITIVE THERAPY™ | Healthy Weight Loss | Eating Disorder Recovery Coach.

I’d like to introduce you to Janelle Hunt, who is a Registered Dietitian and an EDIT™ Certified III – Eating Disorder Treatment Clinician. Janelle worked with me at my previous office location in Denver, Colorado. She is a knowledgeable and compassionate clinician, who specializes in nutritional counseling for people in recovery from eating disorders. She guides her clients to learn the real facts about nutrition – in this article, you’ll learn the facts about fats. If you’re “hungry for more,” please contact Janelle about becoming a client (see bottom of article).
– Dr. Dorie

Sugar addiction – a behavior of binge eating sugary foods – is a problem reported by many people, especially at this time of year, when Halloween candy is so prevalent! Some “sugar addicts” attempt to abstain from sugar, only to find that restriction can trigger binge eating. As I discussed in a previous blog, carbohydrates are essential for health, and sufficient carbohydrate consumption can reduce cravings for sweets.

Now, let’s look at the importance of protein. I find very few of my clients are fearful of protein, which seems to stem from the messages from the media telling us that if we consume lots of protein, that means we will lose weight and fit into society’s view of perfection. I specifically just read an article saying protein can help us lose belly fat. Honestly? Let’s think about that a minute. How can eating a chicken breast cause fat in our belly to shrink?

Keep in mind that everything we eat breaks down into calories. If we over consume calories, we gain weight; if we restrict calories, we’ll lose weight. We should consume a variety of nutrients from all food groups. We do not gain or lose weight from certain foods, but rather from calories. For example – if we eat fat, it does not immediately turn into fat in the body, nor does protein foods immediately turn into muscle in the body. All food breaks down to calories and the body uses them where they’re needed or burns off what isn’t needed.

To better explain this, let’s say you overall eat a balanced diet and your weight is maintaining. If you all of a sudden decide to eat an additional 500 calories of protein each day for a week and the next week decide to switch that and instead consume an extra 500 calories of butter; you will still gain the same amount of weight both weeks because you over-consumed calories. You won’t gain muscle weight when eating the protein and weight in fat when you consume the fat. That’s not how our body works.

Foods containing protein are broken down to smaller molecules in our body called amino acids. Examples of a few protein-rich foods are meat, dairy products, eggs, nuts, lentils, soy, tofu and tempeh. Protein is essential for our body to build muscle, since muscle is made up of amino acids. We have to be physically active, though, in order to use protein we eat to make muscle. This can include walking or light activity.

The other essential reason we need to consume protein is that it is needed to send the signal to your brain that you’ve eaten and help you feel satisfied. This is why diets push consuming more protein. If you eat toast for breakfast, it has very little protein, so your brain is not told you’ve eaten and that’s when clients start to notice sugar cravings and overeat the rest of the day. However, if you had a couple of eggs or Greek yogurt with your toast, the brain gets the signal that you’ve eaten and less cravings tend to happen, which means decreased over-consumption of calories.

So if you find that you never feel satisfied during the day or constantly crave sugar as in a “sugar addiction,” try to have a bit more protein for breakfast and see if this helps!

*****

Looking for guidance with NUTRITION? Contact Janelle Hunt, MS, RD – the author of this blog article. She is an EDIT™ Certified III – Eating Disorder Treatment Clinician, and has a specialty in nutritional counseling for eating disorders. – EMAIL JANELLE

Interested in a FREE consultation with Dr. Dorie? Dr. Dorie is passionate about her method of Eating Disorder Intuitive Therapy (EDIT)™ to help people overcome eating disorders and addictions.  She provides customized counseling for eating disorders and alcohol / drug addiction at her Positive Pathways treatment center in Evergreen, Colorado – and EDIT™ eating disorder training and certification for coaches and clinicians worldwide. CALL 303-494-1975 – EMAIL DR. DORIE

The post Sugar Addiction: Eat More Protein and Crave Less Sugar appeared first on INTUITIVE THERAPY™ | Healthy Weight Loss | Eating Disorder Recovery Coach.

I’d like to introduce you to Janelle Hunt, who is a Registered Dietitian and an EDIT™ Certified III – Eating Disorder Treatment Clinician. Janelle worked with me at my previous office location in Denver, Colorado. She is a knowledgeable and compassionate clinician, who specializes in nutritional counseling for people in recovery from eating disorders. She guides her clients to learn the real facts about nutrition – in this article, you’ll learn the facts about fats. If you’re “hungry for more,” please contact Janelle about becoming a client (see bottom of article).
– Dr. Dorie

Do you constantly crave sweets?
Do you try to avoid sugar, but eventually binge?
Do you wonder if you have a sugar addiction?

We are constantly bombarded with conflicting nutrition messages; “Eat only foods that are fat-free or low-fat,” “Consume high fat food and lots of protein,” “Avoid all carbohydrates,” “Everyone should follow a Paleo diet,” etc. Let’s step away from the fad diet band wagon for a moment, and consider why it’s important to consume all nutrients in moderation – including carbohydrates.

Foods containing carbohydrates are broken down to glucose in your body, which is the key nutrient. Examples of a few carbohydrate-rich sources are foods containing sugar like desserts or candy – as well as bread, rice, grains, lentils, potatoes, pasta, juice and fruit.

Carbohydrates are an important energy source for your body, which you likely are aware of already. Not only are they important to provide energy for your body but they also provide fuel for your brain to function. Glucose is the only nutrient that can cross into your brain to be used as fuel to allow you to concentrate and think clearly.

What is often not talked about is how important carbohydrates are for the production of making the messenger’s in your brain, specifically serotonin, which is responsible for functions such as making you feel happy and relaxed, as well as helping you sleep, regulate your blood pressure properly, have pain sensitivity and control your mood.

Have you put carbohydrates into a “bad food” category? Especially sugar – have you told yourself that you should never eat sugar, because you have a “sugar addiction”? If so, do you find you restrict sugar and then binge on sugary foods or other carbohydrates, which can often lead to a feeling of being out of control? Your brain knows you will feel better, think more clearly and sleep better if you eat carbohydrates – therefore, if you avoid them, your brain will keep reminding you to eat them until it often becomes an overwhelming need to over consume them (often snack foods, like chips, crackers, pastries, candy or dessert). This tendency of using food as if it were a drug to help you feel better, can lead to weight gain which then reiterates your belief that carbohydrates are “bad.”

Have you ever been on an Atkins diet? Most people describe they get incredibly irritable and can’t think clearly when they follow a low carbohydrate diet, such as Atkins. This is because their carbohydrate intake is so low that they have no fuel for their brain to function properly nor can they make serotonin effectively.

What if you practice getting away from the thought that “carbohydrates are bad” and “sugar is addicting,” and instead focus on telling yourself carbohydrates are essential to consume throughout the day to help you decrease binges, think more clearly, and provide you with a more stable weight. Practice getting away labeling food as good and bad and instead work on incorporating everything in moderation – including sugar!

*****

Looking for guidance with NUTRITION? Contact Janelle Hunt, MS, RD – the author of this blog article. She is an EDIT™ Certified III – Eating Disorder Treatment Clinician, and has a specialty in nutritional counseling for eating disorders. – EMAIL JANELLE

Interested in a FREE consultation with Dr. Dorie? Dr. Dorie is passionate about her method of Eating Disorder Intuitive Therapy (EDIT)™ to help people overcome eating disorders and addictions.  She provides customized counseling for eating disorders and alcohol / drug addiction at her Positive Pathways treatment center in Evergreen, Colorado – and EDIT™ eating disorder training and certification for coaches and clinicians worldwide. CALL 303-494-1975 – EMAIL DR. DORIE

The post Sugar Craving: Why Am I Constantly Eating Sweets? appeared first on INTUITIVE THERAPY™ | Healthy Weight Loss | Eating Disorder Recovery Coach.