I know nutritionists and dieticians study hard and they really do help many people lose weight, but my experience hasn’t all been that positive. I remember my mother taking me to a dietician’s office and sitting me down at a table with plastic food, trying to make me guess which rubber chicken breast was the correct portion size. After that, it was on to the rubber eggs and broccoli until I finally left with a chart of what NOT to eat.
Needless to say, I didn’t have the significant weight loss my mother was expecting. In fact, I gained weight because I felt so completely restricted.
I realize there needs to be a standard for portion size and healthy eating, but we’re all different; our sizes, our metabolisms, our activity levels, our likes and dislikes. We can’t all adhere to a “one size fits all” nutrition plan!
By definition, dieticians deal with the problems of obesity and diets for weight loss. A dietitian’s training often focuses on institutional diets and food service management—developing diets for hospital patients, school food service programs, and nursing homes, although they can also provide individualized counseling on diet and disease. And nutritionists work by spreading the knowledge of the healthy foods and diets for healthy bodies. While most dietitians seem to dwell on restrictions, most of us are more successful with a program that is flexible, fun and free of denial and discipline. Because of this, many people are turning to diet “coaches”, much like they would use a coach for training and motivation in a sport.
Diet coaches work to guide you to find the food and lifestyle choices that best support you and help you to make gradual, lifelong changes that enable you to reach your current and future health goals. Since we all know that no one diet works for everyone, a diet coach can provide you with one-on-one personalized support, along with motivation and knowledge to help you achieve your weight loss goals. Hiring a weight loss coach can help you identify what situations trigger your unhealthy behavior and help you identify ways in which you can avoid them. A coach can also assist you to replace "bad" behaviors with "good" behaviors.
Diet and weight loss coaches have many different approaches and many different backgrounds. Generally they can help plan your meals, and provide you with accountability. They can motivate you when you feel like giving up, and they can encourage you when you screw up and help you back on the wagon. Many people feel that the best weight loss coaches are ones that can teach and motivate based on personal experience.
As a fitness trainer, I often take on the role of “diet coach”, working with my clients to find the best way for them complement their exercise plan with healthy eating. From providing lists of healthy breakfast and snack options to providing recipes and exact eating plans, I take into account each client’s specific lifestyle factors, previous food history, and activity levels. We do a lot of trial and error until we find the strategies the work best for each individual. Sometimes I work face to face with a client with weekly weigh-ins and measurements, and with others, we communicate online and by telephone.
Diet coach Kit Kitson, of In Shape Nutrition has his own unique methods. He began by coaching bodybuilding and fitness competitors with their diets. Although about 60% of his clients are currently training for a show competition, he works in a similar way with active clients looking to get to a healthy weight. His nutritional philosophy is cycling the amount of food, starting with more food and lower cardio for maximum energy. Then, he cycles to a reduced input of food and an increased cardio output. He gives his clients a plan of EXACTLY what to eat, and how much to eat based on the client’s body mass, and lists how much cardio to do and when to do it. He explains that the timing of the meals and the way the foods are grouped together are both very important to the weight loss process.
If nothing is working after 3 weeks, he knows they are not following the plan. Often he has to help cheer them on and motivate them because he wants them to “come to a place where being you (his clients) being better is more important than the food..”.
He advises clients that every meal, even 6 times a day, should have a protein, because when you put a protein with a carbohydrate (like a potato), you can change the glycemic index and the protein will slow down the digestion. Also, a cardinal rule he has is not to mix carbohydrates and fats. He says with carbs and fats together, your body has two energy choices. Since the carbs burn faster, you’re left with the fats stored as fat in your body. He encourages his clients to set small goals. Instead of 100 pounds, a goal of 20 pounds, so a client is successful many times!
(Kit was the diet coach for Sandy Noles, the fitness competitor/mom, in the blog posting “Fantastic Voyage…”. Click on “Fitness Competition” to read about her journey)
You can contact Kit at: flexn9@yahoo.com.
Maureen Wielansky of Making It All Fit derived her nutrition coaching philosophy through personal experience, but did extensive training to become a certified holistic health coach. Her approach involves helping her clients develop a food plan that allows them to lose weight while honoring their unique bio-individuality. According to her training, one size does not fit all when it comes to food. What works for her may be harmful to another. She’s studied over 100 different dietary theories and can modify any plan to work for her client. Her personal weight management success helps her to really understand the struggles of her clients.
She also focuses on Primary Foods with her clients which is not so much WHAT they eat but how they live their lives; For example, the relationship with the inner self, relationships with others, careers and physical activity. When these aspects are not flowing, people tend to dip into the secondary foods to try and find balance.
Three aspects that are consistent in educating her clients are: eating more leafy greens, moving towards whole grains, and using hormone-free proteins. Since she is Holistic in nature, she helps her clients design their healthy lifestyle and shows them how to make it work in their lives. According to Maureen, they have lots of fun! They go to the grocery store together, menu plan, organize their kitchens and develop fast, easy and healthy menus.
You can contact Maureen at: www.makingitallfit.com
Most people don’t think twice about hiring a personal trainer to help them learn different exercises, but balk at getting help with their eating patterns. Since weight loss is success is part food, part exercise and part motivation, a diet coach can be just what you need!
