When it comes to food, you've probably heard the saying, "everything in moderation". The definition of moderation is the avoidance of excess or extremes, especially in one's behavior or political opinions. To me, that definition is about as clear as mud because words like "excess" and "extremes" may mean something completely different to you than they do to me.
I talk about moderation a lot in my practice as an oncology dietitian, mostly when it comes to added sugar and processed foods. However, I'm starting to wonder if I'm really reaching my patients when I do so. After all, we all have different diets and there is no "perfect diet". By the way, when I use the word "diet" I mean simply the types of foods a person eats, and not in the sense of restricting certain foods to lose weight. I'm not a fan of the latter definition of the word.
Moderation does NOT mean never eating ice cream or energy-dense foods ever again. Moderation means limiting foods that are energy-dense and not nutrient-dense. Think of ice cream as energy-dense because it is high in energy (or calories) and think of whole grains as nutrient-dense because these are full of fiber, vitamins and minerals. Now, what does it mean to limit certain foods? That depends on your current diet. If you are currently eating ice cream every night, perhaps your version of moderation is eating it every other night, and perhaps eventually you will be eating it once or twice per week. The main point to remember is to make small, reasonable changes that won't drive you crazy. Making massive changes to your diet will only set you up for failure, unfortunately. This means not going from eating only fast food for every meal to eating only salads for every meal overnight. That's not good for your mental or physical health!
Diet culture is confusing, loud, and pretty annoying if you ask me. It seems like there is a new, magic solution to losing weight every day. I'm being sarcastic when I say "magic solution", of course, because that doesn't exist. The thing is, there is not just one way to lose weight, if that's what you really want to do. I always want to make sure my patients want to lose weight for the right reasons. It's important to ask yourself why you want to undertake weight loss and understand that real results take time and do not occur overnight. Research shows that quick weight loss typically does not last. Real, lasting weight loss occurs with lifestyle changes and with a rate of weight loss of 1-2 pounds per week for most people.
Some people have a goal weight in mind when they decide to lose weight, while others want to lose a certain percentage of body weight. According to the National Diabetes Prevention Program, a body weight loss of just 5-7% of your starting body weight can decrease your risk of type 2 diabetes by 58-71%! That's some good data and good motivation to lose weight, especially if you are at risk of developing diabetes. Reducing your risk of developing certain diseases linked to obesity is always good motivation for weight loss. Maybe your reason for wanting to lose weight isn't related to your physical health, but your mental health. Making improvements for your mental health is certainly an admiral reason to set weight loss goals. Understanding why you want to change your diet and lose some weight as a result is important to your overall success. Side note: I get concerned when a person wants to lose 10 pounds in a week or two for a big event or trip. That's not healthy.
Some people prefer to work one-on-one with an RD during their weight loss journey, and this is something I hope to bring to the community in the future. Others prefer to do it on their own, and there are lots of good tools and tips available to help you reach your goals. Here are a few resources:
ChooseMyPlate.gov: This website is from the USDA and contains good, factual nutrition information. If you are looking to just make a few swaps to your usual diet, this website can give you some good ideas. There are even helpful tips for eating on a budget. You can also learn about something called the plate method, a helpful tool when creating a meal. The method recommends 1/2 your plate be filled with non-starchy vegetables, 1/4 your plate filled with lean protein, and 1/4 of your plate filled with starch, preferably whole grains at least 50% of the time. Below is one image of a balanced plate.
MyFitnessPal app: If you find tracking your food and water then this is a great app to do so. You can also recommend physical activity here. I don't always recommend calorie counting, as it can cause stress, overthinking and potentially lead to disordered eating patterns. However, some patients find calorie counting and fitness tracking to be beneficial to reaching their goals. The most important thing to remember if you are calorie counting is that restricting entire food groups is not recommended for sustainable weight loss.
EatRight.org: This website comes from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, the professional organization for Registered Dietitians in the United States. Here you will find meal prep tips, recipes, articles from RDs on all sorts of topics, information on supplements, exercise tips, and information regarding various disease states. Like this blog, the website from AND is filled with only evidence-based nutrition information, which is always important to your health but especially so when trying to make changes to your diet.
Many of the popular diets out there these days restrict lots of foods, and this makes me sad. Making positive changes in your life doesn't have to be sad! You may go through a range of emotions during the process but making realistic goals and small changes will help you see results and feel good!
-Brittany
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