Part 1: Your Weight Loss Journey- What to Expect
August 4th, 2021
Feel happy, healthy and vibrant
Many people come to see us to lose weight. Although losing weight is thought to give lot of positive effects, it is actually the changes you make in your diet, activity levels and other lifestyle factors that have a positive impact on your health, fitness, how you feel and your overall life.
As Dietitians our end goal is to give you skills to make changes in your life that will improve your health. And we want you to keep up those changes so that they remain part of your life forever. Opposed to what people believe, Dietitians do not “put you on a diet” or “draw you up a meal plan” simply because this type of eating is not sustainable.
It can be very tempting to fall into the trap of doing various ‘diets’ which cut out a lot of foods. In almost all cases doing this will result in fast weight loss, but what are you are really losing? In most cases it’s muscle and water and not so much fat. A ‘diet’ usually has an end date, so you return to your former eating pattern and eventually all those unhelpful habits that were not addressed properly, creep back in. With less muscle to burn fat, fat stores will keep increasing. It’s why 80-90% of people regain lost weight and put on even more within 5 years after being on a diet.
Another thing you may be surprised to find is that we discourage counting calories and weighing yourself often. Some people even increase weight on calorie restricted diets. Reducing the amount of calories consumed does not always guarantee weight loss as there are many other factors at play like meal timings, food portions, nutrition requirmeents to meet and activity levels. Also weight fluctuates 1-2 kg and sometimes more from day to day due to fluids, gut microbiome and various metabolic processes. A weight loss of 1-4kg a month is a good amount to lose as it means that it is more likely to stay off. Many people who weigh themselves frequently often feel disheartened when they see the number on the scales increase, and may even give up, thinking that their hard work has been for nothing.
The secret is to be patient: it takes time for fat to burn and muscle mass to build. If you have increased your physical activity as part of making healthy changes, you may find that the scale numbers will increase. Muscle weighs more than fat so if muscle mass is increasing with more activity the number on the scales will go up. This is a good thing; your muscles will start burning those fat stores if you keep at it and build on your physical fitness, and soon the numbers on the scale will reduce, indicating your fat stores are declining and making you healthier.
Some things we DO want you to do:
- Change your mindset.
Rather than making it all about the number, make it more about lifestyle change and what you want to achieve. After all, there is a reason why you want to be healthier, what is that reason? Many people want more energy, to stay strong, active and social in their older years, or to go on adventures like bush walks, bike rides or kayaking. Often, they tell us they want to be able to run around after the kids or grandkids. And some people want to feel happier within themselves, manage stress better, be more confident, increase self-esteem or be a good role model for their young family or people around them. Your reason for making positive changes may be similar to these, or something completely different.
- Break the dieting cycle
A lot of people we see have been “dieting” for a long time. Often this long-term dieting actually consists of a cycle of short term diets, and they start the diet and try to be ‘good’, but because these diets are not sustainable, people break the ‘diet,’ feel guilty, over eat, feel more guilty and then start the diet to try to ‘be good’ again and around and around they go.Getting off this diet cycle can be difficult without the right support.
- Realise that there is not only one problem and only one solution to unwanted weight gain
Most people we see have a very long list of eating and other lifestyle habits which have contributed to unwanted weight gain over the years- many years. And if they can change most of them, they will subsequently reach their health goals with an added bonus of losing weight. And like with anything it will take time.
Think of it like a mountain, you cannot leap up a mountain in one quick step. It takes many small steps to get there over a long time. When it comes to mountaineering, you need a guide, someone who knows the track, how to get out of the traps and who has the tools and know how to get you there safely. In this case it is your Dietitian.
Like with anything, the first thing you need to do is be aware of your current situation.Therefore a very detailed chat and assessment with your Dietitian can help you understand why things have not worked in the past, learn about the important details of food, nutrition and health and how to make changes that work for you.
So, the take-home message is that weight loss is more than just a reduction in numbers. It is just another benefit from making positive changes to your lifestyle for the long term. And your Dietitian at Bright Diets will be with you, every step of the way.
Keep posted for Part 2 of Your Weight Loss Journey, What to Expect when we touch on what eating habits could be holding you back, the importance of physical activity, sedentary activity, sleep habits and who else can help you.