Losing Weight The Heatlhy Way
These days all I see is pictures of people who have lost a lot of weight quickly while on some diet. I am all about losing the extra weight, so kudos to all that done so! My concern as a nutrition coach is HOW people are losing that weight. You want to make sure that you’re losing pounds and inches in a healthy, slow manner so that your body isn’t “shocked”.
I’m not going to debate all the different diet fads out there, but instead I want to talk about what I consider to be the better, healthier way to lose weight. There are 5 things I think you should start working on first:
- Be aware of your daily caloric and nutrient level intakes. You can’t change what you don’t acknowledge! So keep track of what you’re eating, how much and when.
- Aim to eat 6 small meals per deal instead of 3 large ones. Doing this allows you to stabilize your blood sugar levels, keeping your hunger and mood swings more consistent. Eating 3 snacks and 3 meals is the best way to accomplish this. While meals tend to be a bit on the “heavier” side, you still want to keep them at a reasonable amount. How much you need is going to depend on your gender, age, current weight, health conditions, if you’re breastfeeding, etc.
- Add in fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables are like the fuel we need in order for our bodies to run smoothly. They are packed with tons of vitamins and minerals that our body needs in order to feel its best! If one or both aren’t your favorites, then start small. Can you add just one fruit and veggie into your daily diet?
- Eat the right carbs, proteins, and fats. These 3 macro nutrients are the really the staples to keeping our bodies healthy. They give our bodies the energy we need to keep moving all day long, so we definitely need them. That being said, it’s important to note that there are better carbs and fats than others. For instance, fruits and veggies are actually carbs, but they are good ones. With fats, you want to eat the monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats whenever possible and limit your intake of saturated fats (avoid trans fats altogether).
- Understand your medical conditions, as it relates to food. Anytime someone is diagnosed with a new medical condition, ailment, pregnancy, or if you just have an issue that is bothering you, you need to understand how that might change your dietary needs. For instance, if you have Crone’s, you’re diet is going to look different than someone who is recently pregnant. There are foods you should eat and avoid eating if you’re diabetic, anemic, have high cholesterol, or are just looking to get rid of stretch marks! These things can make it difficult for people to just start up a new diet on their own. You can of course ask your doctor, or registered dietitian, but you can also work with someone like me who has also been trained to help people understand their dietary needs.
I could literally give you about 20 things to consider when it comes to healthy eating, but I don’t want to overwhelm you! One of the reasons I have decided to become a nutrition coach vs a registered dietitian is because I know that there is more to losing weight (and keeping it off) than just eating the right foods. Yes, that’s going to be a big part of it, but there’s usually more that has to happen. Because I’ve been educated with a holistic point of view, I’ve learned to look at the whole picture. Why aren’t you eating well? What caused the weight gain? Have you been successful in losing weight before? Why/why not? Do you know how to make better food choices (you’d be surprised at how many don’t)? Do you sleep well? Are you exercising? What’s your stress level look like?
This is just a small sampling of the many questions I ask my clients so that I can help them get to the root cause of their weight gain, so we can work together in keeping the weight off long-term. Personally, I’ve been following my own advice for the past 9 weeks, and I’m happy to say that I’ve lost 13lbs already! I didn’t set out to “diet”, but just to be more aware of what I was eating and to make small changes along the way. Now, my entire family is eating better, I’m losing weight, and everyone is feeling great! So losing weight can happen slowly, in a healthy manner, without cutting out any foods altogether, still eating the foods you love, and without supplements, pills, shakes, etc!
If you’re interested in learning more about losing weight the healthy way like I did, or maybe you just want to start making better food choices for yourself or your family, let’s chat! You can set up a free 15min phone call, so that we can talk about your unique situation. I not only work one-on-one with clients, but I also have one DIY online course available right now called “Nutrition – Postpartum & the Family” for mothers. I’m also running a live, online postpartum/family Facebook group every few months to help more mamas at a lower cost. If you follow my Facebook pages for Children or for Healthy Adults, you’ll see when my next group will start. Of course, you can always choose to work with me personally or through an online course at any time you wish.
*If you’re currently on a diet that doesn’t incorporate everything I just mentioned, I would highly suggest doing some research and talking with your doctor to make sure that the particular diet you’re on is right for you now and in the future. You always want to get the okay from your doctor before making any big changes to your diet, or before starting up a new exercise regimen.
