Tag: healthy eating
Weight Loss – Same Same But Different
Weight Loss is such a big part of what we as dietitians and nutritionists do every day. Whether people are trying to lose weight to improve health markers, fit back into old clothes, feel more confident, be at the correct weigh-in weight for a competition, achieve a certain percentage body fat in time for a physique competition, weight loss is the number one reason why clients come to see us at Metro Dietetics.
However, since there is more than one reason for weight loss, there needs to be more than one approach.
Over the years, we have heard clients come in saying that they have tried many things to lose weight in the past, but nothing has worked long term. We have also heard clients come in saying that they need to lose X kgs in body fat and improve energy levels and performance, and hopefully gain some lean mass in time for footy pre-season.
Should these two types of clients receive the same advice? Should they even be advised using the same approach? Of course not.
That is why at Metro Dietetics we think it is so important to recognise that even though someone’s reason for booking in is “weight loss”, how we go about it, and who is best for the job (so to speak) will be different.
At Metro Dietetics, we help our clients for weight loss utilising two distinctly different approaches. Let’s have a look at the two approaches we use side-by-side to see what differentiating traits they have:
There is no right or wrong approach – however, there is always an approach that is more or less suited to you and your needs. If you are unsure which approach best suits you, consult with a Metro Dietetics dietitian or nutritionist and we can help you figure that out.
The Biggest Loser – A Critique
The Biggest Loser is a show that most people have watched and come to form strong views and opinions about.
Some people are fans and find the show “motivating”, “encouraging”, “successful” whilst others say that it is “unrealistic”, “unsafe”, “outrageous”.
For those who haven’t watched it – The Biggest Loser is a competition to see who can lose the most weight in a set time frame. The weight loss is calculated as a percentage weight loss based on the contestants’ starting weight.
Achieving high quality, client-centred outcomes is one of my passions. I recognise that in today’s society, there are many barriers to achieving good health and nutrition whether it relates to disease, lifestyle, work, financial or personal circumstances – and most importantly that everyone is different!
As a dietitian, I get asked all the time–
- “how does someone lose so much weight in a week?”,
- “is it safe to lose so much weight so quickly?”,
- “they don’t show a lot of their diet – what does it consist of, do you know?”,
- “they seem to be exercising a LOT – is that good for them?”
Since I had only seen bits and pieces of the show, I couldn’t really give a satisfactory answer.
So, I decided to sit and watch an entire episode – which turned into two episodes, and the finale as well.
Here are some of my thoughts on the show.
Pros:
A strong circle of support
A good and sturdy support network is important when making lifestyle changes of any calibre. On The Biggest Loser, each contestant had their trainers, team mates and fellow contestants to lean on when the going got tough. With the constant encouragement and push (and not-so-occasional kick up the backside), each contestant was well supported throughout their journey to lose weight.
Race to the finish line – $$$
Most people are, to varying degrees, competitive by nature. So, setting the show up as a competition, with such a large, beefy carrot dangled in front of the contestants, made the pain of the whip so worth the while! Of course, we cannot all be rewarded in tens of thousands of dollars in prize money for losing weight, but a reward based system definitely gives great incentive for us to do something that is fundamentally so difficult and mundane.
Cons:
Unrealistic expectations making the reality show not a reality at all
The sheer amount of weight contestants were losing was impressive, but outraging at the same time (especially when we are forever stressing to clients that a safe and realistic rate of weight loss is between 0.5 to 1kg a week).
Also, the focus became so centred on absolute weight loss that it lost sight of more important things like – a balance between diet, exercise and REST, quality of life, “weight” loss versus “fat” loss and so much more.
Needless to say, we don’t all have the luxury of being whipped into shape by a personal trainer all day every day, not needing to work, cook or do any housework. When taken out of the context of The Biggest Loser, the “lifestyle” that it portrays is simply not one that 99.9% of the population can mirror – yet, it is what a lot of people who watch the show would take as a fine example of “successful” weight loss.
Exercise, more exercise… what about the food?
Of course, the dietitian part of me is protesting that there was not a big focus on nutrition – but there really wasn’t! I have never been one to attribute successful long term weight loss to diet only, but The Biggest Loser made it seem like as long as you trained REALLY hard (to the point where most contestants were over trained and risking injury), you would be able to lose the weight and keep the weight off.
Whilst I am sure they had their diets taken care of, it would have been nice to see a bit more focus go into the importance of healthy eating and what it entails when it comes to weight loss, fuel for training, recovery and maintaining good energy levels throughout the day.
Finally the finale – but then what?
One of the biggest issues I found was that throughout the show, contestants were not taught real-life strategies to cope with the barriers that can pop up day-to-day, such as: emotional barriers (stress, for example), mechanical barriers (work, appointments, taking the kids to swimming) and knowledge barriers (not knowing the nutritional value of foods in order to make informed choices with meals and snacks). This meant that, when the contestants returned to the real world, they would likely revert back to their old ways and their old weight.
Welcome to Nutrition Digest – Food for Thought. Thoughts to Digest.
Hi and thank you for stopping by Nutrition Digest! Here, you will find a little bit about “everything food and nutrition”.
But to start, I wanted to do a little meet and greet and give you an insight into me. You can find all of my professional qualifications and experiences in the Our Dietitians section of my website www.metrodietetics.com.au, but here is a little bit about my personal experiences and what got me to where I am today:
I didn’t always want to be a dietitian or a nutritionist…I had no idea that there was even such a profession! (That was how naïve I was). Coming from an Asian family background I was brought up thinking that the only way to be “successful” in life is to become a doctor, or a lawyer, or an accountant…
I personally had no idea what I wanted to do…I knew I wanted to work WITH people…I knew I was passionate about health…but that was as far as I got.
So, when university offers came out and I was accepted into Law School, something didn’t seem to fit. In a long epic saga, I managed to switch out of Law and into Nutrition and Dietetics.
Four years came and went.
I learnt a lot, but felt that I had no idea where all of that was taking me. I knew I wanted to help people (Yes, I AM aware how cliché that sounds…but I do actually mean it).
I wanted to ACTUALLY make a difference.
I wanted to see each person as a person, not a bed number in so-and-so ward. I wanted to watch their transformation physically, psychologically and emotionally as they made breakthroughs in their health, fitness and psyche. I wanted to be a part of it. I wanted to be involved in it, or perhaps even responsible for it.
This hunger for helping people drove me to start my own private practice “Metro Dietetics”.
I have not looked back since.
People often wonder why I would give up a secure full time job to work on something that has no security whatsoever. They would doubt whether or not I had the experience and maturity required to establish a successful practice all by myself. For a long time I shared the same doubts. But the answer did, over time, achieve a level of clarity.
Having my own private practice gave me the starting block, the blank canvas, the empty platform I desperately needed to make the difference I have always wanted to make. I engaged in a LOT of self-learning and reflection to constantly better myself, my knowledge base and my skill set.
Now, 5 years later, I am STILL learning, and I don’t think that will stop any time soon. I strive to apply new research, new methods and new approaches to helping each and every individual that comes to me for assistance. I am not afraid of bending the rules, or challenging the status quo, especially if this means I can help my clients advance in ways that others could not.
So there you go – a bit about me.
Happy Digesting!
