I received this hysterical email from Karen who ordered Am I Hungry? as an e-book that comes with a complimentary Journal.

“I made the mistake of printing out a couple of pages of the Am I Hungry? Journal at work. My boss happened to pick it up off the printer. Here’s what happened.

My Boss: Did you print this? (She handed me the blank food journal that said, “Am I Hungry?” at the top).
Me: Yes, it’s something my weight loss coach recommended to me.
My Boss: You’re eating a donut.

So I finished eating the donut and sat there thinking about all the things that I wish I’d said. I sent an email to my friends asking them to pick their favorite reply:

• Oh no. I thought it was a carrot! Quick! Get a stomach pump!
• Here. Here’s my food journal. Would you just keep track of it for me from now on?
• Yes, that’s my new food plan. One donut in the morning and nothing else all day!
• Didn’t you eat one?
• I’m sorry. I thought the donuts were brought in for everyone. Someone should have told me I wasn’t allowed to have one.
• Yes, it’s the new Police Officer Diet.

Might as well laugh but it didn’t feel funny at the time.”

Karen’s boss’ mistaken assumptions about what it takes to reach a healthier weight highlight many of the reasons diets don’t work: 

1. If you’re on a diet, you’re not allowed to eat anything that tastes good
2. Everyone else can have a donut but you can’t
3. If you’re overweight, everyone has the right to comment on what you eat
4. If you eat one donut, you’ve blown it for the day
5. The 200 calories in an occasional glazed donut causes more weight gain than the 200 calories in a bowl of cereal with skim milk and blueberries
6. Only thin people can eat donuts in public

Ridiculous! Long term weight management doesn’t require deprivation or perfect eating. That approach only causes shame, guilt, hunger, and rebound overeating. Instead, take charge of your decisions, including enjoying a donut when you really want one. Karen, you are the boss of your body.

For more about weight management without deprivation and guilt, visit http://www.AmIHungry.com.

I knew the New Year’s weight loss ads were coming…but I never saw this coming!

Weight Watchers claiming they are not a diet? WHAT???

The same DIET I restarted 17 times? (I don’t give up easily, especially when everyone said it was the best diet out there - so obviously that meant there was something wrong with ME!)

If I had had to go to medical school 17 times, I would have finally decided that wasn’t working either. But I was smart and determined enough to get through medical school so maybe the problem wasn’t me. When I saw one patient after another fail Weight Watchers too (please forgive me if I was the one who sent you there; I didn’t know better yet), I finally realized that diets don’t work (unless of course you are only interested in short term results).

So when I saw Weight Watchers using that very phrase, “diets don’t work,” I was astounded and offended. What were they charging me for all those years?

And to add insult to injury, they are using my tag line, Stop Dieting, Start Living (I am not kidding; I had to take it off my home page http://www.amihungry.com/ but it is already printed on a bunch of my products!). Maybe I’ll have to change mine to: Stop Dieting Weight Watchers, Start Living. But then maybe they’ll revoke my lifetime membership and I won’t be able to rejoin for ”free” for the 18th time.

They even have the nerve to say, “If diets worked, why are they changing every five minutes?” Good point! Why does Weight Watchers change every year? (Oh yeah, I have a similar line on my website, “If diets were the solution, there wouldn’t be a problem” http://www.amihungry.com/health-professional-resources.shtml. Maybe I should change that one too: “If Weight Watchers was the solution, there wouldn’t be a problem.”

Really, IF Weight Watchers worked, would anybody still be overweight? I RARELY meet  an overweight person who hasn’t done it - at least once.

Before any of you Weight Watchers fans write back telling me what a great diet, ooops, I mean lifestyle change, it is, just ask yourself a couple of questions:

1. If it’s not a diet, then why do they tell you how many points you can eat each day?
2. If it’s not a diet, then why do you have to earn the right to eat more by exercising?
3. If it’s not a diet, then why do you have to be weighed in?
4. If it’s not a diet, then how come vegetables are “free” instead of just good for you?
5. If it’s not a diet, then why is everybody on it talking about food ALL the time?
6. If it’s not a diet, then why do you have to weigh, measure and write down your food? (unless of course you choose their “Core” plan - then you can eat as much as you want of the foods they say are allowed).

I’m not saying Weight Watchers isn’t a “lifestyle change.” I’m just saying, who wants that kind of lifestyle?

This is the third of the three questions you should ask before you decide what to eat. 

The key to the final question, “What do I have?” is planning. If you feel hungry and the only thing available is a vending machine, you’re likely to choose a snack food that may not be very healthy, may not taste very good and may not really be what you were hungry for anyway.

Instead, strive to have a variety of foods available that are healthful and appealing but not overly tempting. These are foods that you enjoy when you’re hungry but won’t be calling out to you from their storage place saying, “Come eat me!”

Of course, you’re not always in control of which foods are available. At a restaurant, office potluck, or friend’s house, simply see what’s available and remember to ask yourself “Is there a healthy choice that will meet my needs without feeling deprived?” For example, could you be happy with frozen yogurt instead of ice cream this time?

Matching the food you choose to what you’re really hungry for and what your body needs leads to greater satisfaction and more enjoyment—with less food.

Remember that small changes really do make a difference and that balanced eating is simply the result of all of the individual positive decisions you make. Eating food you truly enjoy while taking good care of your body is the best way to make long term changes that you can live with.

Join me for an 8-week Spirit of Women/Am I Hungry? weight management workshop at Banner Desert Medical Center. Send an email to info@amihungry.com or visit http://www.AmIHungry.com.

This is the second of three questions you should ask before you decide what to eat.

The next question to ask yourself is, “What do I need?” This question allows you to consider your the effects of certain foods on your body. I truly believe that all foods fit in healthy diet so food decisions aren’t “good” or “bad.” However, some foods offer more nutritional benefits than others so you may want to take that into account when deciding how a particular food fits into your overall intake.

As you consider what food to choose, ask yourself, “What does my body need?” Keep in mind the principles of variety, balance, and moderation when deciding what to eat. Consider nutritional information, your personal health issues, your family history, what else you are eating that day and how your body responds to certain foods.

Here are some specific examples of issues you may want to consider: history of high cholesterol, family history of diabetes, allergic reaction or digestive problems from certain foods, fatigue when you eat too many carbs in a meal, vegetarian diet, etc. The list is very personal and specific for each individual.

For an overarching approach, ask yourself, “What is the healthiest thing I could eat without feeling deprived.” Enjoy your healthy choices by focusing on fresh foods, appealing combinations, new flavors, and interesting recipes.

Join me for an 8-week Spirit of Women/Am I Hungry? weight management workshop at Banner Desert Medical Center. Send an email to info@amihungry.com or visit http://www.AmIHungry.com.

Yesterday I told you that there are three questions you should ask before you decide what to eat.

The first question, “What do I want?” may come as a surprise because people are often afraid they’ll lose control when they eat what they really want. But what happens when you try to avoid something you’re craving—like those Girl Scout Cookies that were delivered right after you started a low-carb diet?

First, you check the label and confirm that they’re off limits so you put them in the freezer. Two days later they whisper to you from their hiding place, “Pssst. We’re in here!” You manage to resist them, instead munching on some olives, four cubes of cheese, a hunk of leftover meatloaf with a side of celery sticks, two pieces of low-carb toast—and yet you still don’t feel satisfied.

“Hey! We’re in here and we taste great frozen!” You finally give in and have two Thin Mints®. Blew it again! Might as well finish the sleeve—and a bowl of ice cream—and start over tomorrow. Sound familiar?

Deprivation and guilt are two of the most powerful triggers for overeating. Instead, keep in mind that all foods fit into a healthy diet. Thinking about what you really want to eat without judging yourself will keep you from feeling deprived and out of control when you choose to eat certain foods.

You might be worried that if you ask yourself what you’re really hungry for, you’ll always choose foods you “shouldn’t.” At first this might seem true, since cravings tend to get stronger if you’ve tried to ignore them for a long time. But once you let go of the guilt about eating certain foods, you’ll find that you want a variety of foods to feel healthy and satisfied.

Join me for an 8-week Spirit of Women/Am I Hungry? weight management workshop at Banner Desert Medical Center. Send an email to info@amihungry.com or visit http://www.AmIHungry.com.

This time of year (heck, every time of year!), people struggle with “being good” when there are so many “bad foods” to choose from. Ironically, we’re supposed to define ourselves by what we put in our mouths despite the fact that the definition of “good” and “bad” foods changes every few years or so. Many people feel confused and overwhelmed by all the conflicting and often arbitrary messages about what they are “supposed” to eat.

But it is possible to find that balance between eating for health and eating for pleasure. In fact, one of the keys to optimal health and lifelong weight management is to nourish your body and your soul with the foods you eat.

So how do you drown out all the noise and find that balance for yourself? Start by asking yourself three simple questions when you’re hungry: “What do I want?” “What do I need?” “What do I have?”

Over the next few days I’ll explain the significance of each question in detail but for now, practice becoming aware of your thought process around choosing food. If you have specific questions that you would like me to address, email me at info@AmIHungry.com or visit http://www.AmIHungry.com.

Also, if you’re interested in childhood obesity, I’ll be on a Discovery Health Channel special for the next five Sundays. Check http://discoveryhealthcme.discovery.com/ for listings.

This Thanksgiving, leave the stuffing for the turkey! Instead, experience maximal enjoyment from all the wonderful food by eating mindfully.

The key to mindful eating is to notice the details. Pretend you’re writing an article about your Thanksgiving meal for Gourmet Magazine.

• Focus on the people you are sharing your meal with, the interesting conversations, and the memories they stir up.
• Mentally describe the table setting and the ambiance. Notice the aromas, colors, textures and presentation of the meal.
• Before eating, take a moment to be truly thankful about where your food came from, including all the people who invested their time, effort and talent to get it from farm to plate.
• Put one small bite in your mouth. You only have taste buds on your tongue so the flavors of a large bite of food will be lost on your teeth, cheeks and the roof of your mouth.
• Notice the texture and flavors of the food on your tongue then slowly begin to chew the food. Breathe while you chew since flavors other than salty, sweet, bitter and sour actually come from the aromas.
• Set your fork down between bites; if you begin to load your next forkful your attention will be on the next bite, not the one you are eating now. And if you are focused on the next bite of food instead of the one you are eating now, you won’t stop eating until there are no more forkfuls.
• Sit for a moment and let the flavors and experience linger before you take the next bite.
• Notice as the food gently fills your stomach. Decide how you want to feel when you are done eating. Stuffed and miserable? Or comfortable and content?
• Remind yourself that you can eat more later or at another meal so there is no need to eat it all now and ruin the experience.

Mindful eating is a great way to enjoy Thanksgiving more while eating less. You’ll be thankful that you did!

Want to learn to eat like this all the time? Join me for an 8-week Am I Hungry?® Workshop. You’ll have the support of a small group as you learn how to deal you’re your holiday triggers and develop a lifelong non-diet approach to weight management. The workshop starts November 28th, the Wednesday after Thanksgiving. We will meet from 6:30 to 8:00 pm for four weeks then take a two week break for the holidays then start again on January 9th. (Near I-10 and Chandler Blvd.) This could be the start of an amazing new year! Register at http://www.amihungry.com/weight-management-workshops.shtml or send an email to info@amihungry.com.