Signe Darpinian, MA, MFT; Founder & Executive Director, My Weigh Family Therapy likes to debunk this common myth around eating at holiday parties: The idea is that you fill up on healthy food before you go, so you don't eat all the 'bad' food at the party.
In her experience, it just doesn't work as most people are confronted with desired 'bad' food, and eat it anyway even if they are not hungry (as they have already stuffed themselves prior). Often one experiences guilt either during the event or afterwards when they get home.
My Weigh Family Therapy
240 Third Street, Suite Two
Oakland, CA 94607
(510) 251.8777
Workshop November 21 & 22, 2009:
10am-4pm Saturday & Sunday.
Fee is $300. Sign-ups are under way with limited space.
website: www.myweighfamilytherapy.com
About Signe Darpinian, MA, MFT:
Signe is a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist with a Certificate in Eating Disorders and a Master's Degree in Counseling Psychology from John F. Kennedy University in San Francisco. She is the co-founder and owner of Meghan's Place, a center specializing in treating teen and adult eating disorder clients throughout Northern California since 2004.
Signe is well-known for her deep dedication to her field, with annual participation in the world's leading symposiums like the London International Eating Disorder Conference. She is very committed to her community as well, having served as a board member for the Office of Education and the Center for Human Services.
Signe has proudly received many area recognitions for her work in women's health, and was selected for Stanislaus County's "10 Outstanding Women" in 2007.
Affable and dynamic with a style all her own, Signe is also a featured speaker at notable academic institutions such as Stanford University and the world-class Rancho La Puerta Spa in Mexico.
More recently Signe has made an impassioned focus on the emerging Intuitive Eating movement, with a strong belief in this progressive treatment's ability to deliver the body's natural shape. In 2009, Signe founded My Weigh, an innovative therapy center in Oakland, California that uses a mindful and intuitive eating approach to treat clients looking for long-term solutions to food, weight, and body image issues.
Along with renowned Stanford doctors, she is currently developing plans for a critical research study on the same subject - and is diligently working on her first book.
About Rhonda Golkin, Holistic Health Practitioner Intern:
Rhonda is a DBT Skills Trainer as well as a mindful and intuitive eating Group Instructor, who brings years of practical experience to My Weigh's main track programs. After years of struggling with diets herself, Rhonda became interested in learning to eat in response to the body's cues.
She eventually moved on to become a facilitator of workshops on the subject at Meghan's Place, the Central Valley's only center for disordered eating. Her professional aspiration is to provide essential tools like self-nurturance, coping strategies and distress tolerance to clients on the path to body contentment.
Rhonda continues to further her own educational development as she pursues additional certification as a Holistic Health Practitioner (HHP), Massage Therapist and Reiki Master at the Holistic Life Institute.
When not quieting minds of others at My Weigh, you can find Rhonda treating her own to a peaceful hike in the mountains, taking photographs or enjoying a gourmet meal in San Francisco.
Basic Outline of the 'mindful eating' scale in 1-10:
- 10=beyond (or 'excessively' or 'uncomfortably') full - unbutton the pants stuffed!
- 9=very full
- 8=full
- 7=nearly full
- 6=mildly full
- 5=neutral (neither full nor hungry)
- 4=mildly hungry
- 3=hungry
- 2=very hungry
- 1=beyond (or 'excessively' or 'uncomfortably') hungry
- Don't starve yourself beforehand as that leads to binge eating. Having appropriate snacks such as a cheese stick, which has a good balance of fat and protein, will carry you for a couple of hours.
- Be near a 3 when you go to a party and then enjoy the special fun food.
- Get balanced physically and emotionally before going to a party or dinner event.
- Don't be afraid of the holidays - eat whatever you want - just start with a cue and stop with a cue.
