Overwhelmed by Healthy Eating Options? How to Identify the Right Ones for You
Point 1: How will you know a Diet is Healthy and Sustainable?
Should include exercise
Have a variety of foods from all the food groups
Be created by someone who is credentialed and professional about the information they are putting out there
Slow and steady weight loss
Include portion control
Allow snacks in between meals
Not rely heavily on supplements
Include small portions of your favorite foods and beverages
Some sort of science to back it up
Include plenty of water!
Point 2: What to Consider When Looking at Diet Plans
A) Does this Diet Plan Match My Eating Style?
You want to look for a diet that matches the way that you eat
Can accommodate travel or dining out patterns
Has a family-friendly approach that everyone in the household can follow
Does it require special preparation and cooking?
Is this something I can maintain for a long time
B) Does it Match my Exercise Level?
C) Does it include the foods I like and the Foods I can Afford and Prepare?
Diets with new and never-eaten ingredients will probably not allow for sustainability
D) How Quickly will I Lose Weight?
How long has it been since you’ve started picking up weight or been at your current weight? Chances are, it's more than five or six weeks
E) Can you still have your favorite foods on this diet program?
Have a diet program that encourages a balance of healthy foods also including favorite foods
F) Does this program call for small gradual changes or very quick sudden changes?
Small Gradual Changes?
Chances are you will be able to maintain the program long- term
Sudden Changes?
Most likely, you will revert back to old defaults and not maintain this long term
G)Do you want a structured plan or something more flexible?
Most people prefer a more flexible plan as its more long-lasting and more doable for the long term
Some people may need a stricter plan, but typically only for a short period of time until they can get into the flow and make their new lifestyle a part of their routine
Side Note!
Important to consider if you have health issues that need to be addressed related to your food
Don’t want a diet plan that will make health issues worse than they currently are
What plans have you tried in the past?
Why aren't they working anymore?
Why did they fail?
If you are not still on them, that is not a sustainable eating habit for you
Transcript of this Episode
Andrea Heyman 00:00 Low Carb, keto Beachbody Atkins, there are so many diets out there. And today we are going to get down and talk about how to identify the right ones for you. This is Andrea Heyman and I am here with another episode of Adventures and Feeding My Fam. So not only are there all of these trendy diets that you hear all about from your friends, and they tell you try this, don't try that. But there's additional confusing, super confusing information out there that seems to constantly be changing. And it's a barrage of information that can throw anyone into a tailspin when they're trying to figure out how to feed themselves, and figure out how to feed their family. Like I said, Today, I'm going to outline several tips and questions that you can outline and ask yourself when you're trying to determine what the best way to eat is. So what is the best diet? I'm going to give you a big hint, it is not what you think. And here's another hint, this is a really big hit.
The title of my upcoming webinar is the non diet approach to weight loss and improved health. This is a free webinar that I'm going to be offering on February 21, at 11am. That's Eastern Standard Time. That's a Sunday morning. And what better way to spend your morning and get your week started off right is with me and this free webinar and some incredible women. And we can support each other and talk about how we can get off that diet roller coaster, so that you can meet your wellness needs and wellness goals that you can maintain for a lifetime. I'll have the link in my show notes. And again, I'm super excited, and I totally want to have you there. It's gonna be a lot of fun. Adventures In Feeding My Fam is a weekly podcast discussing the challenges and fun around feeding your family healthy meals. I'm Andrea Heyman, and I've been a registered dietician for over 25 years. So I know the importance of good nutrition. But I'm also a mom of three so I understand the challenges and humor that comes along with trying to make this happen. In this podcast, I'll share my tips, tricks and menus, but also share the stories and food prep failures that come along the way to interview guests will discuss family food traditions, how to strengthen bonds around the family table, as well as their favorite family recipes. There isn't one right way to feed your family. But there are countless stories, you can take bits and pieces and learn from all of them.
Clients come to me all the time, expecting me to give them some type of gimmick, the latest weight loss craze or super fast tip to whip them into shape, to lose weight to feel better, and people are so hopeful for that. And they are hoping that okay, I'm talking to a nutritionist a dietician, this person is going to have the magic answer for me. And here's the secret. The answer to everyone's question, what's the best diet, it's the one that you can keep. It doesn't matter how scientifically sound the program is. And just keep in mind that many are not. It doesn't matter how fast they work. And keep in mind that when you do have quick weight loss, you'll regain it as fast as you lost it. And it doesn't matter how many people have tried it before. The key is that if you can maintain a certain eating style long term, I would say forever. That's going to determine whether you have success or not. So just how do you know if a diet is healthy and sustainable. So it should definitely include exercise, have a variety of foods from all the food groups be created by someone who's credentialed and professional about the information they're putting out there. And really, the key is slow and steady weight loss. Include portion control, allow for snacks between meals and not rely heavily on supplements include small portions of your favorite foods and beverages. So there's no food that's not allowed on this diet. And there should be some Sort of science to back it up and include your favorite beverages and plenty of water. As we go through and think about these questions and tips to consider when choosing your eating style, I want you to think, is this something that I can maintain every single day forever? And that's how, you know, it'll be the right way for you.
Alright, so number one, does this diet or eating plan match my eating style. So if the plan encourages six meals a day, and you struggle just to eat too, chances are, you're not going to last on the diet, no matter how healthy it is, you want to look for a diet that matches the way you like to eat. And you can ask yourself, again, can this accommodate my travel or dining out patterns? Does it have a family friendly approach that everyone in the household can follow? And does it require special preparation and cooking? And finally, is this something that I can maintain for a long time? Okay? Does it match my exercise level? So some diet plans encouraged tons of exercise. And in fact, there was this, I would say, during COVID Oh, I was getting a little bit lazy because I used to go to the CrossFit gym a couple times a week. And then I would also practice yoga. And then during COVID, I started running, and I sprained my ankle. So anyway, there were all these factors that were preventing me from exercising regularly the way I like to. So my daughter and I, my daughter suggested that I try this. I don't know this challenge. And I think it was like for 45 days or something like that. But it included 2-45 minute workouts a day. Okay. So for me to fit this in my day, I had to do a workout first thing in the morning, and then also later in the day. And let me tell you, I did really well on it. However, by Friday of that week, I think I started over the weekend, maybe on Sunday, by Friday, I was sick, I had a terrible headache. And I think because I wasn't getting enough rest, and I was pushing so hard. So that program did not match my exercise level so that it was not something that I could maintain long term. And clearly, I lasted six days, and then I quit it. So that was not a good match for me. All right. Another thing to consider when you're looking at diet plans, does it include all the foods I like, and foods that you can prepare and afford? So if it is telling you to purchase kind of crazy ingredients that you've never really eaten before, and you're not sure if you like, you're probably going to stay on that plan for a very short time. And that's not going to be sustainable for you. Another question to ask yourself is how quickly Will I lose weight? All right, he This is so critical, I know that you want a diet that is going to result in really, really quick weight loss, you want to lose that weight so fast, because you want a really quick transformation. However, let's think about it. How long has it been, since you started either picking up weight, or that you've been at your current weight? Chances are, it's more than five or six weeks. So we do not want you to lose weight. In five or six weeks. We're really thinking, a wit, you know, getting away from that mentality of weight loss in general. And that's a whole nother podcast episode. Because I like folks not to focus on the number on a scale, but rather the behaviors and healthy lifestyle that they're establishing. So if you find a weight loss program or a diet program that you think is very appealing, and they're promising that you can lose 20 pounds in one month, chances are this is not a program that you are going to be able to sustain long term. And if you do lose weight that quickly Yeah, that feels nice for the short time. But because it's not a program that you can sustain, you will most likely unfortunately, sorry to break this to you. But I think you know it's true, you will probably gain that weight back very quickly. Another question to consider is if you can still have your favorite foods while on this diet program. I mentioned that before. Little bit, but it's super important to consider because remember what happens if you start a diet program and it says up, you cannot ever eat any sugar or you can never eat any ice cream. You might have a lot of willpower for a short period of time. But remember, your energy and your your focus, if you're telling yourself No, no, no, I can't do something. That's exactly where your focus goes. So you want to have a diet program that can really encourage a balance of healthy foods, that also includes your favorite foods. Another question to ask yourself is, does this program that you're considering called for small gradual changes, or very quick, sudden, kind of entire makeover of your current eating habits? If it is the first option, the small gradual changes, then chances are you're going to be able to maintain that program long term. And that is our key component, key question that we are coming back to over and over and over. If it is a sudden diet program that changes so many things in your eating habits, most likely, you're going to revert back to old defaults, and you're not going to be able to maintain that long term. Another question to consider is, do you want a really structured plan, or one that is more flexible, I find that most people prefer one that is more flexible, because that is more long lasting and more doable for the long term. However, I do find that there are some people that do need a structured plan. But typically, they only need that structured plan for a short period of time until they can get into the flow and make their new lifestyle. One that is part of their new routine, and they are comfortable maintaining. Alright, this is a side note. And what I want you to know, note is that it's really important to consider if you have health issues that need to be addressed, related to your food, you don't want to be following a diet plan that is going to counter act or make your current health issues worse than they currently are. And again, that just kind of falls into the same question. Can you maintain this long term? Okay, so you're getting a theme here? And I want you to really consider that, hey, maybe some of these diet plans are really not for me. Last question to really think about is what plans have you tried in the past? Why aren't they working anymore? Why did they fail? Because if you're not still on them, that wasn't a sustainable eating pattern for you. You weren't able to maintain that long term, because now you're thinking of something else. And kind of the next best thing and the next option. So what I really encourage you is to think about, yep, there it is, again, is this diet plan, something that you can maintain long term, chances are, you need to ditch that diet mentality. And think about how your eating habits can be maintained long term. Typically that is going to be through general healthy eating a variety of foods from each of the food groups with lean protein sources, lots of fruits and vegetables, good sources of dietary fiber, and a good balance. If you liked this episode, please rate review and subscribe to the podcast and don't forget the webinar is on February 21 at 11am. The link to sign up is in the show notes. And if you should want additional one on one help because some of my folks that are listening know that they need extra support in order to meet their wellness goals. I am always available for you. And you can sign up for a discovery call free discovery call and we can start to map out and talk about how you can meet your wellness goals. Until next time, take care