Taking the "diet" out of "dietitian"

It may sound easy to "just eat" something but it's never easy to change our thinking around something, including food! It has to do with our complicated brains! "Re-wiring" our thoughts takes time and practice....it will NEVER happen overnight! There is no magic to it, there is no quick fix to anything!

This brings me to my next subject...dieting! I hate the word diet. To me, it should be a forbidden 4 letter word! Diet should mean "the way one eats" but now it is usually referring to some way of eating that cuts calories, food groups, etc.. I am very opposed to dieting! Yes! You heard me right! The dietitian does not like diets!!

Let me tell you a secret....they don't work! A diet, no matter what it is, is an attempted quick "fix" at reducing a person's weight. Most, if not all, are successful at first because they are very limited in calories and produce water loss. Let me tell you what happens in the long term though...

1. Your metabolism slows down from the decrease in calories. Because of this when you do eat, your body will hold on to as much of the calories as possible. Since a diet cannot and should not be maintained for long periods of time, once a person starts eating normally again, they will gain back the weight they lost as well as usually more. This upsets the person which triggers them to start another diet.....ladies and gentleman I give you "yo-yo dieting"!

2. You deprive your body of nutrients and energy that it needs to function well! How many of you have been on a diet and felt great all of the time! When your body is deprived, in addition to the physical deprivation which can cause issues like anemia, there is also a mental deprivation! People get grumpy and not fun to be around!

So, as a dietitian, what do I believe in? By now you should know!!! It's about lifestyle and developing a healthy relationship with food! No food is a bad food! Sound familiar yet?! It's about eating in moderation and not over or under eating!! Remember, there is no such thing as a quick fix. If something sounds too good to be true it's probably because it is!

Here is a homework assignment for you: Get rid of all items in your house that have anything to do with dieting! Recycle them, throw them out, whatever...but get rid of them! They will not help you!! This can also include any scales! Your genes determine where your body wants to naturally go! More on this in future posts!