Skip to main content

Common Challenges: The Art of the Start

I did the strangest thing today. I tried on all of my dresses I've collected in my closet for the last nine years. Why did I do this you ask?  I was cleaning out my closet and I was celebrating reaching my pre wedding weight.

I'm a dietitian. I'm a mom. I have two jobs and I watch what I eat for the most part but with all that I have going on I have definitely put my dietary habits at the bottom of the barrel.  Sometimes I go through my day and by the time I sit down to eat I'm in crisis mode which is not the best mode to be in to allow for wise decisions.

I exercise intensely four times a week and since I've had my children who are ages three and two, I have held on to nine pounds.  This may not sound like a lot, and I'm not saying it is, but for me at five feet two it’s a pant size.

So instead of practicing what I preach I decided to treat myself like a client.  I did the food records; I analyzed my intake to goal, and changed up my routine.  It was hard to prioritize and at times I felt selfish not doing the baths for my children because I needed to get my exercise in. I was even tired getting up early in the a.m. to prep our dinner but I feel great and I'm confident that what I preach works if you're willing to put the effort in.

If you want to lose weight and keep it off there are five critical components:
1. Have a reasonable goal - (lose 1-2 pounds a week)
2. Schedule your time - (work out from 7:730 am every M, W, F, and Sat)
3. Keep Records - (write it down, it keeps you honest)
4. Hold yourself accountable- (tell your family or friends your goals, or get a buddy)
5. Celebrate your successes- (don't reward yourself with food, go to the movies, buy a new book)

As Walt Disney said "The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing."  Good luck and be well.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Make it Happen

Parents, I see you. I see you putting everyone else's needs in front of yours. I see your dark circles under your eyes, your gray hair, that your wasting away, or that you've collectively gained weight over the years. It's time to put yourselves first because if you don't take care of yourself you won't be around to keep taking care of everyone else. So often friends, acquaintances, or clients say to me, "I don't know how you find the time to exercise." "How can you take the time away from everything else and get away to exercise?" "I wish I could actually focus on myself and exercise." Exercise to me is self care. It produces endorphins faster than any other activity I engage in. It  reduces my stress, keeps me healthy, increases flexibility, and gives me more energy to be on point with my busy kids and my demanding job. My exercise isn't extravagant and it doesn't take too much time. Here's my secret. I always

Why this Dietitian Cares more about your PREbiotics than your PRObiotic Pill

Clients ask me all the time what I think of their brand of probiotic or which one they should start taking.  Studies have shown that probiotic supplements definitely have their place in certain circumstances (that’s a whole other blog for another time), but my bigger concern is... what are you feeding the ones you have already? “Probiotics” is just a fancy word for helpful bacteria.  Even if you don’t take a pill, you have these little guys in your digestive track.  The problem right now is that current probiotic supplements can only include the bacteria that scientists have been able to 1) identify and 2) put in a pill without them dying right away.   However, we (probiotic and non-probiotic users alike) have so many different strains of bacteria (somewhere in the neighborhood of billions) who do so much good for us such as make vitamins and help battle bad bacteria.  BUT - just like us - they need to eat!  A recent study showed that a diet high in protein is not in their

To The Bones- A review from a dietitian

Friday July 14th, Netflix premiered the movie To The Bone.  Prior to the premier many had opinions of the movie. Some were fearful that it would glorify an Eating Disorder, some felt the movie would put too much focus on extremely thin patients with Eating Disorders neglecting those that are within normal weight but still extremely sick, and many had a lot of opinions about the lead actress who lost a significant amount of weight for the role disclosing she is in recovery for an Eating Disorder. My colleagues and I discussed the pretense of the movie, I communicated to families that the movie was coming out in case their daughters and sons watched the movie, and Friday I went home from work and viewed the movie. Although Hollywood has a way of sensationalizing everything there was a lot that the movie got right. The opening scene where Ellen counts the calories as soon as she sees the food is a good depiction of how someone with an Eating Disorder thinks. Food is not sensual it i