I’m not a nutritionist. I should count how many times I say that…I repeat it because I need to be clear about my qualifications to give nutrition advice. What I’ve found over my 14+ years of training is that while I’m not a nutritionist (2x today so far) I know a lot about nutrition and also know that to maintain our weight, ESPECIALLY as we age, what we put in our mouths is largely responsible for our success in that endeavor.
Today I would like to focus on this article http://cnn.it/2pNefyd about the “non-diet diet” approach to eating. I chose this article because I could have written it…if I were a nutritionist ;).
Let’s turn this into a quiz. If you have been with me a while, this should be EASY, pick out these 9 points:
- 7 things I say all the time and
- 2 things that are a part of the article that I HAVEN’T said before, but understand and want to discuss.
I’ll give you a minute to go find those 9 things…(Jeopardy theme song is playing in my head…).
HERE WE GO:
- Diets have an expiration date. Whether it’s a week or a month or whatever random timeframe has been put on it, DIETS have a start and an END date. So think this through: what happens when it’s done? I could tell you about “study after study” showing that people “go back to the way they were eating before”…but you could probably answer that question yourself. What has happened to YOU after a diet?
- If you are restricted – and can’t eat the foods you love – you MAY go back and not only eat them, but eat MORE of them. You can regain the weight you lost, and sometimes add more. This process is the beginning of a “yo-yo” cycle which is incredibly unhealthy for you BOTH physically and MENTALLY. It can create an “unhealthy relationship” with food.
- SUSTAINABLE eating plan – I wish I HAD counted the number of times I have said THIS. If a plan isn’t sustainable, you won’t stick with it. Read that again. That statement is redundant, but it’s SOOOO true. I had a client who followed a very popular plan for a few months. I told this person, “Look, I don’t want to be right here, but if you follow this plan, you WILL lose weight. Without a doubt. BUT you WILL gain it back. I can pretty much guarantee it.” This person said, “NOPE. I am going to continue to eat this way forever.” This diet was very restrictive of carbs. Guess what. Gained it all back. 30+ pounds. I share this story NOT, NOT, NOT to say “look how RIGHT I was!!” I don’t want to be “right” here. I love it when my clients are SUCCESSFUL in changing their lives. LOVE IT. This way was not sustainable.
- Planning ahead. One key to being able to eat what you want is PLANNING AHEAD. Please raise your hand if I have told you the following:
“You need to look at your nutrition for the WHOLE WEEK. If you know that you have dinner plans for Wednesday and Friday nights, the other days of the week you will probably want to scale back on things like sweets, alcohol and processed foods. Eat a lot of fruits, veggies, lean proteins and fiber. Drink a ton of water. That way, when Friday night rolls around, you can have that piece of homemade chocolate cake without guilt.”
- Which leads to “allowing yourself a small indulgence…” I LOVE food. Food is a huge part of our culture and think that ENJOYING it is really important. Deprivation leads to overindulgence so PLANNING for foods that you enjoy should be a part of ALL nutrition plans.
- PROTEIN and FIBER – I have entire blog posts about protein and fiber. Here is a link to my website with 8 articles I’ve written mentioning protein, fiber or BOTH: http://www.mytimellc.com/?s=protein
- Lastly, “limiting refined starches”. This one makes me sad. Really, not kidding. If I could only choose ONE food to live on for the rest of my life it would be some combo of bread, cheese and red sauce. Pizza, pasta, you name it – I would live on it for the rest of my life. Unfortunately as I’ve gotten older I see that that will NOT help me maintain my weight. These items must be chosen deliberately and in moderation.
Here are the 2 things that I HAVEN’T said before but are worth mentioning:
- I don’t know a lot about “intermittent fasting” (I used Wikipedia here to give a general definition). I do know that there are many ways to do it. The article explains that while many can’t fast for days, “fasting” from dinner the night before to breakfast (12-14 hours) “may” help with weight loss. Might be worth exploring. My initial thought is that the decisions that are made AFTER dinner generally aren’t the best for us…cookies, ice cream, chips, alcohol. If you DON’T eat after dinner, you are eating fewer calories. Makes sense, right?
- This last point is interesting: “While portions are important for weight loss, Alpert said the quality of food is more important than the quantity. ‘I think what you are eating is so much more important than how much you are eating…and when you are eating the right foods at the right times, you will automatically be eating closer to the right amounts – – and if you are hungry, there’s nothing wrong with eating more protein and fiber,’ she said.” At first I thought this was crazy wrong. Then I read it again and thought about it. It makes total sense. Here’s the rub: many people may KNOW what the right foods are, but don’t necessarily eat them. Quantity DOES matter. Even if you are eating plain, grilled chicken breast, eating 15 chicken breasts is too many. If you are able to say, “Yes, I am still hungry so I’ll eat one additional chicken breast.” That’s great and will help you lose weight because you aren’t eating 6 cookies instead.
SO while what she is saying makes sense, my issue with her statement is that it assumes that people will eat the “right stuff”.
As the new year begins, many are drawn to resolutions. If you want to start your year with a new way of eating, I recommend this “non-diet”.
Have questions or comments? I would be happy to discuss them on a call or Facebook.
