Nutrition for Weight Management

 The objective of weight management is to create an appropriate balance between “calories in” and “calories out”. When the goal is weight loss, a calorie deficit is required. The role of your Registered Dietitian (RD) is to work with you on the “calories in” side of the equation. Your personal trainer will take the lead on the “calories out” side.

We’ll help you set reasonable goals and make the kind of lifestyle modifications necessary for long-term success. Our recommendation for you will probably be to create an overall energy deficit of 500 to 1000 calories per day, resulting in a weight loss of 1 to 2 pounds per week. Half of this deficit will be from additional exercise and half will be via a reduction in calorie. 

We do not use very low calorie diets (200-800 cal/day). They can produce dramatic short-term weigh loss, but in the long term they are neither healthy nor effective. They lower your Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) which makes it increasingly difficult to maintain the correct caloric balance as time goes on.

We will work with you to create an enjoyable, varied eating plan tailored to your likes, dislikes and general lifestyle. The goal is to create a habit of “healthy eating” of the sort that you can maintain for the rest of your life.

Our primary tools in creating the necessary calorie deficit will be portion control and the generous use of foods such as fresh fruits and vegetables that contain few calories relative to their volume. If done properly, this should not require that you go around feeling hungry, ever. Total fats will be limited to about 25% of calories and most fats will be of the heart-healthy unsaturated variety. The plan will also make use of whole-grain carbohydrates and lean sources of protein such as legumes, fish and low-fat dairy.

With our program there are no special foods or supplements to buy. We only recommend natural, whole foods suitable for the entire family. In fact, other members of the family may benefit from your new focus on healthy eating just as much as you do.

Decreasing calories does not mean giving up taste, satisfaction or even ease of meal preparation. There is no list of foods you can “never” have. For certain calorie dense items the rule may simply be “not as much and not as often”.

Your RD will start the process of working with you by trying to learn as much as she can about your current eating patterns and past history. We’ll talk about the onset of weight gain as an issue; your weight gain/loss patterns, environmental eating triggers, instances of excessive or disordered eating, and so forth. We’ll talk about the incidence of meals eaten away from home, fast foods, and any special needs you may have. Another subject will be your attempts to lose weight in the past, the number and types of programs you’ve tried, and the success you’ve had with these previous efforts.