Could you be a Doubtful Dieter? Let’s see!
In my 11 years of being a dietitian consultant, I have met a number of men and women who felt hopeless about achieving a healthy weight range after trying different types of diet and weight loss products. This hopelessness often results to an attitude that is detrimental to one’s health – that is, totally giving up on pursuing a healthy lifestyle. Unhealthy eating habits; physical inactivity; inability to cope and manage stress; and negative perception may contribute to the development of chronic diseases like diabetes, heart diseases and cancer.
A client once told me that she already tried everything to lose weight but she was not successful in maintaining it. She said: “I don’t think my body will respond to our weight management program either! Nothing works for me.”
She has a point. Some diet programs work and some don’t. Some may be initially effective but not sustainable thus causing a dieter to regain more weight.
Let’s consider one scenario: You and your friend are doing exactly the same diet program. However, your friend loses five pounds in one week and you’re pea green with envy because you lost zero pounds despite the near starvation state you are in. Now comes the big question, WHY?! What went wrong? Frustrating, isn’t it?
There are two things we need to keep in mind when we catch ourselves in this situation:
Be realistic – You did not gain weight overnight so don’t expect to lose weight overnight. Healthy weight loss is 0.5 to 1 pound per week. If you lose more than that then you’re blessed with a body that responds well to a good diet and increased physical activity.
You’re unique – the saying “one size fits all” is not applicable to dieting. There is no specific diet that can make everyone lose the same amount of weight at the same time. Our metabolism, genetic makeup, health condition and lifestyle vary therefore the way we consume and utilize energy also varies for each person.
Dear Doubtful Dieter, do you now see things from my point of view? Well, it doesn’t end there. Let that Doubtful Dieter have even just a tiny bit of hope once again. Something has to be done.
The key to losing weight and effectively maintaining it is – PERSONALIZATION
A person’s diet should be suited to his or her lifestyle. There are several factors that need to be considered like the individual’s energy requirements, level of physical activity, health condition, food preference, food availability, culture, beliefs and schedule.
One of the things I don’t like to hear is this: “I don’t eat after 6pm.” This is okay if you sleep by 9pm but if you work until the wee hours of dawn then this habit will not only make you very hungry by midnight but will also deprive you of nutrients. Deprivation will lead to binge eating, which in turn will make you gain more weight. Plan your meals according to your own schedule to make sure you are well nourished throughout the day or night. Just remember not to eat less than three hours before you go to bed. Our metabolism slows down when we’re asleep so we don’t efficiently burn excess calories.
Losing weight may be challenging to most of us but it is not impossible. Remember to take it one step at a time and adapt a positive attitude by focusing on your progress no matter how small it may seem. It is best not to compare yourself to anyone else. Assess and appreciate how far you’ve come along. It may take weeks, months or even years to achieve your health goals but you only have two choices: to be disease-free or sickly. Which one would you choose today?
