7 Ways a Weight-Inclusive Dietitian Can Help You
“Many people think if it’s healthy, you can eat as much as you want, but it’s important to limit ‘recreational’ eating, no matter how healthy the snack.”
—Fiola Sowemimo, MD, Board-Certified in Internal and Bariatric Medicine, Freehold, New Jersey.
Maintaining a healthy weight makes it possible for you to improve your physical performance and lowers the likelihood that you will acquire chronic illnesses, including your mental health.
Reaching or maintaining a healthy weight for the highest possible quality of life is essential. A consultation with a weight-inclusive dietitian for weight reduction will assist people who live with chronic medical conditions in achieving more independence and their desired levels of health and functionality. Individuals with chronic medical conditions often confront extra obstacles while attempting to engage in healthy lifestyle behaviors.
Dietitians are trained to use weight reduction methods supported by scientific evidence. They can also give the assistance you want to shed your unwanted pounds in a healthy and sustainable manner. This article will give you information on seven ways a weight-inclusive dietitian can help you.
Ways a Weight-Inclusive Dietitian Can Help You
1. Proper diet
Eating the right foods may play a significant role in facilitating healthy weight reduction. Forget about fad diets, dietary restrictions, and weight-loss pills; in the long term, you will be better off not engaging in these practices since they are likely to do more harm than good. Instead, arrange a consultation with a licensed nutritionist who can design individualized diet plans and suggest alternatives to unhealthy foods that you consume. They can instruct you on how to cook and how to prepare your meals in a variety of different methods. Assist you in reducing the calories you consume or speeding up your metabolism.
2. Managing your servings
A weight-inclusive dietitian will not only explain why it is essential to consume nutritious meals but also how to achieve balanced nutrition without focusing on weight loss. They emphasize the principles of Health at Every Size, promoting overall health rather than a specific weight goal. A dietitian can help you develop mindful eating habits, allowing you to listen to your body’s hunger and fullness cues. They will provide personalized nutrition care tailored to your unique health needs and preferences. Additionally, they can support you in fostering a positive relationship with food and your body, aligning with the body positivity movement. Nutritionists can educate you on how to achieve your ideal body weight without dieting, focusing instead on sustainable and enjoyable eating practices.
3. Engaging in physical activity
Exercise and other forms of physical activity will help you maintain your reduced weight and reduce the likelihood of gaining it back. Eating nutrient-dense food and controlling your consumption will significantly contribute to your weight loss. In this aspect, nutritionists can recommend a variety of kinds of physical activity depending on the client’s desired level of weight reduction and the client’s specific profile.
It is advised that adults between the ages of 18 and 64 participate in moderate physical activity for 150 minutes per week and intense physical activity for 75 minutes per week. Physical exercise strengthens muscles and bones, boosts metabolism, and increases energy levels, helping you reach your objective of losing weight more quickly.
4. Adjustments to your lifestyle
Making a few adjustments to your lifestyle can do wonders. You will be amazed if you think back on how you spent your day and how you can modify each activity in a way that helps you achieve your target weight. Eating a healthy diet and increasing the amount of physical activity you get each day will favor your health and will lead to significant weight reduction. It may hamper your efforts to reach your objective of having a fit and healthy body if you continue to engage in destructive behaviors and unhealthy routines incompatible with your lifestyle changes.
Not only are nutritionists equipped to assist you with ideas for adjustments to your lifestyle that are appropriate and sustainable, but they can also provide support and encouragement to prevent you from reverting to your previous behaviors.
5. Dealing with food allergies
It is not uncommon for a dietitian to be able to assist you with losing weight to help you work around particular sensitivities you may have. Suppose you have lately tried to lose weight by following a program, but it has not worked (mostly because you continuously feel bloated). In that case, this might be the result of an allergy that is impacting your body. Dietitians are trained to deal with these problems that might arise in weight reduction programs, and they can provide appropriate meal alternatives to help you lose weight.
6. Improving energy levels
Your energy stores will gradually deplete with exertion from participating in a weight reduction program, which is likely one of the negative impacts of the program. In most cases, this results from a significant reduction in the number of calories you eat, which may cause your mind to feel cloudy and your muscles to feel feeble. Suppose your food is making you feel fatigued throughout the day. In that case, you may consider consulting with a nutritionist to get more information on improving your energy levels.
7. Enhancing physical fitness and body composition
Even though you exercise to lose weight, it is of utmost importance to eat adequately to keep on exercising, or else it will lead to hypoglycemia and can have dire effects on health. Your workouts are an essential component of weight reduction. Many individuals who go to the gym regularly consult with a dietician for assistance in enhancing their physical fitness and body composition and for guidance on raising their overall energy levels. Some have a myth that losing weight means getting healthy, which is not entirely true.
Conclusion
A registered weight-inclusive dietitian is a practitioner trained in the art of increasing one’s overall well-being by adjusting one’s dietary habits. In light of the above seven ways a weight-inclusive dietitian can help you, dietitians are employed in various settings, including hospitals, healthcare facilities, and weight reduction clinics. Because following a diet without proper guidance may be one of the most challenging components of leading a healthy lifestyle, many individuals might benefit from seeking the advice of a dietician. Seeking assistance of a weight reduction specialist will unquestionably improve the quality of your healthy living. Schedule your session with weight-inclusive registered dietitian nutritionist, Tradena N. Rayner, MS, RDN, CDN today.
References
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- Health of people with disability. (2022, July 7). Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/australias-health/health-of-people-with-disability Accessed 4.2.2024
- Jacobs, M., Harris, J., Craven, K., & Sastre, L. (2020). Sharing the ‘weight’ of obesity management in primary care: integration of registered dietitian nutritionists to provide intensive behavioural therapy for obesity for Medicare patients. Family Practice, 38(1), 18–24. https://doi.org/10.1093/fampra/cmaa006
- People with disability in Australia, Chronic conditions and disability. (2024, April 23). Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/disability/people-with-disability-in-australia/contents/health/chronic-conditions-and-disability. Accessed 4.2.2024
- Rajan, T., & Menon, V. (2017). Psychiatric disorders and obesity. Journal of Postgraduate Medicine/Journal of Postgraduate Medicine, 63(3), 182–190. https://doi.org/10.4103/jpgm.jpgm_712_16
