Thursday, May 30, 2013

Is It Such a Sacrifice?

I had woman in my office recently, we will call her Ann, looking to lose weight.  I had seen Ann two years ago but she only came for one follow-up visit despite doing quite well the first week.  Ann admitted to me that that is her typical behavior, start something strong and then give up quickly.  Nonetheless, she was ready to start again.  We discussed what would be different this time and the need to recognize the hurdles that makes her give in. Ann complained of feeling tired from carrying an excess fifty pounds and worried about her impending health.  This time she was motivated. Nothing was going to stop her.

We started to review a meal plan and slowly went through the types of foods that would be most beneficial for weight loss.  I evaluated her current diet and we quickly recognized where things were falling apart. Together we developed a strategy to find the best ways to combine her lifestyle with making better food choices. 

At some point we got on the topic of mayonnaise.  Ann was shocked at the difference in serving sizes of regular versus low fat mayo. When I suggested she try the low fat if she prefers to use more mayo I received a look of such disgust as if I were asking her to eat something from the show Fear Factor.  She said she wouldn't consider eating something so grotesque. I was taken aback. Just thirty minutes ago, Ann was willing to do anything to feel better, now it was such as a sacrifice to choose a low fat variety over the regular.  The mayo choice suddenly took presidence over achieving her goals.

I called her on it. Believing that having to try a new food or change a food variety is such a sacrifice is an excuse.  You are looking, though not directly, for a reason to fail I told her.  Negative talk will not help you succeed. In fact, a study by Special K found that thinking positive about weight management help women to lose and maintain weight more successfully.

I have engaged in this scenario many times over the years.  If you find that when you think about changing your food intake to lose weight or get healthier but then you turn your nose up at having to choose foods that are 'out of the box' for you, think again.  Is it such as sacrifice to choose healthier foods? Which would you prefer, make healthier choices or stay in the state you are in?

Ann has been back several times.  She is doing well and has made some difficult, yet necessary changes.  She has chosen to use the regular mayo, just less of it.  Ann says she is motivated by how she feels.

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Working on Change

My last blog talks about identifying the areas you struggle with the most.  It can be a very difficult task.  Many times I ask my client this and I find I am struggling to obtain an honest reply.  I am practically trying to pull the words out.  Not because anyone is looking to lie or not be forthcoming but more because the truth can be tough to admit.  You can say "my problem is" but now it's time to dig deeper.  Why is that "your problem."

In the example of the person who craves sweets at night, try to identify why you are craving sweets.  Is it emotional eating? Too many tempting foods in the house? Are you eating out of boredom? Some things may be easier to modify than others but they are necessary to fix the behavior. Seek as much help and support as you need to.  I can't predict success but I do know, what we don't change we will repeat.








Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Where To Go From Here

What I love about my job is helping people who thought they couldn't be helped.

My client looks at me, doubtful, that I can help them  Why is this time different from any others? That's a good question.  I don't have a magic wand or a crystal ball.  I can't control or predict their success.  I can however, provide the tools necessary to be successful.  I am also their support system as they embark on this journey.

So you have identified what your weaknesses are.  Some common themes:
"I don't eat until lunch or even later in the day"
"Nighttime is my biggest downfall"
"Things start to fall apart when I get home from work and invade the kitchen cabinets"
" I eat off my kids plates and pick at their food"
"I'm not hungry in the morning"
"I don't eat cake, cookies, candy so what is it that is making me heavy?"

Can you relate to any of these?

These are popular reasons why so many people are stuck in the "I can't lose weight mode" but again, identifying the reason or reasons is the first step in finding the solution. 

Let's say for example, nighttime is when things fall apart.  You are what you call "good" all day long but after diner you have a yen for something sweet. You start with a piece of fruit but it escalates into a cookie, then a spoonful of peanut butter and then maybe a small cup of ice cream.  You get the point. 

There a few problems here.  The first is, once you start introducing the sweets at night it is hard to stop.  Your body craves sugar, not protein. It's not too common to be craving turkey breast after dinner, right?
Eliminating the routine of having sugar at night is a good first step.  It is hard, no doubt but if you can get past the first three days, you will succeed.  Get out of your usual nighttime routine to distract yourself.  If you find yourself obsessing over having something sweet have a mint or a cup of tea.

An additional reason this can occur is because you are using artificial sweeteners.  Althought there is no strong evidence to back this up. I have found in my practice, those that use a lot of artificial sweeteners througout the day have more sweet cravings.  Start to wean yourself from the fake foods and sweeteners.

Lastly, we always want what we can't have, right?  Having your head in diet mode means being restricitve a lot of the time.  Even if you are not being compliant, you are often restictive when it comes to the heavy hitters such as candy, cakes, cookies etc...  Being overly restricive is not a good thing either.  The question becomes, how do we find a healthy balance with the foods we love without leading to cravings and weight gain?

More on this and where to go from here in my next blog...

Thursday, May 9, 2013

Getting Started (Blogging for me and Ace-ing Your Diet for You)

I am thrilled to be starting a Ace Your Diet blog.  I have been counseling men, woman and children on losing weight and adopting a healthier lifestyle for almost twenty years.  Helping so many people change their life is a very gratifying way of making a living. 

As I sit in my office in Northern New Jersey battling with insurance companies to get coverage for my clients, I ask myself, how can I help those that can no longer afford to come to my office? What can I do to provide my services to people outside of my geographical location? I want to share my knowledge of how to help people lose weight through my twenty year experience and success.  So here I am, blogging for the first time.

Where to start?  Not a difficult question to answer.  What do I hear most often?

"My problem is..."

Recognizing what your problem is is one of the first tools needed in weight loss.  What I mean is, recognizing what your shortcomings are, where things are falling apart that are contributing to your disordered eating patterns.  If you feel you do everything right and you know everything there is to know, you don't.  Changing your diet is a process and there is always something to learn.

At the end of the day, something is not working for you and it is my job and yours to work together to figure out what it is and how to fix it.