My Weight Loss Philosophy

The diet industry has really changed over the last five years. While "diet culture" still very much so exists, for the first time in history there are some pretty loud voices against it. Don't get me wrong, we still have a long ways to go, but I do think we are moving in the right direction where we are collectively prioritizing health over a particular body size. In fact, some of the voices in the anti-diet movement have become so loud that people are starting to feel ashamed or guilty for having the desire to lose weight. It really doesn't have to be one or the other. My philosophy falls somewhere in the middle. I am absolutely against the idea that thinness equates to health and moral virtue as well as the constant cycle of demonizing foods. On the other hand, you are still absolutely allowed to want to lose weight, and it's possible to do so in a way that is respectful to your body while also addressing your relationship with food and to yourself.

You have to start by asking yourself why. Why do I really want to lose weight? Here are some examples of reasons why you maybe should or shouldn't want to lose weight (remember this is just my opinion):

Valid Reasons To Lose Weight

• To improve your overall health (general) and boost self-esteem by adopting healthier habits and therefore weight loss may come as a result

• To improve or prevent a specific health concern (alongside other health behaviors) - sleep apnea, heart disease, diabetes, inflammatory conditions, etc.

• To feel more confident

• To improve mobility and reduce joint pain

• To achieve fitness goals or keep up with your kids

Non-valid Reasons To Lose Weight

These are instances where you might want to address the deeper underlying issue and work on your relationship with yourself (there are professionals that can help too)!

• You want to look a certain way or get to a weight that would not be healthy for your body

• You think you're supposed to weigh what you weighed in high school, on your wedding day, etc.

• All of your friends are on a diet

• You think you'll finally accept yourself if you lose X pounds

• Someone told you to

• Your doctor told you to lose weight without any evidence of suboptimal health markers

• You feel you are only worthy of certain treatment by your peers if you are a certain size

Finding your why can take a few steps of peeling back the layers until you get to your "core" why. Often times, what you think might be a valid reason to lose weight is actually rooted in beliefs that aren't even your own!

Let's say you decide you do want to lose weight, and now you're wondering if I might be the right dietitian for you. Here are some key points of my approach to weight loss:

1.) Finding Your Happy Weight

I believe everyone has a "happy weight." In the absence of certain diseases/imbalances, this is a weight or weight range where your body naturally wants to sit at when engaging in healthy practices and without micromanaging.

Dr. Sharma puts it best, "A patient’s best weight is whatever weight they achieve while living the healthiest lifestyle they can truly enjoy."

What can be a hard pill to swallow is accepting that your happy weight might not fit society's standards. This is where the inner work comes in. Trust me, your "dream body" is not a dream if it's a nightmare to maintain. It is not worth giving up your physical and mental health and 95% of your life to be smaller.

2.) My Ethical Duty As A Dietitian

Ethically, I will not help someone lose weight in a way that harms their health. As a nutrition and health professional, it is my duty to prioritize your physical and mental health over the scale. It's because I actually care about you. All those people trying to sell you another diet or laxative tea do not. In my work, I've seen these types of clients too many times. They want to lose weight at any cost. I will not participate in that kind of plan. Sorry to be harsh, but that is my boundary. There are plenty of other people that will take your money and help you ruin your health 🙂.

3. ) That Being Said, Not All Health Promoting Behaviors Are Diet Culture

Choosing to eat a certain way that makes you feel good isn't diet culture. It's all about the intention behind your choices. Are you eating a meal because it makes feel good or are you eating a meal because you hate the way you look? Hear me out, it only matters what YOU think of YOUR choices. If your friend thinks it's diet culture that you ordered a salad, that has nothing to do with you and more to do with his/her own relationship with food.

4.) Two Hard Truths: It's Going To Take Longer Than You Think. Your Ideal Body Is Probably A Lot Heavier Than You Think.

Permanent weight loss takes a lot longer than you think. Don't shoot the messenger. If you want to lose weight quick, you certainly can, but you'll most likely regain that weight and more and have to start over. Ask yourself, if I knew I could have permanent results, but it would take me double the time to get there, would I do it? Because the time is going to pass anyway, so you might as well go slower, enjoy the process, and make it permanent instead of starting over and over.

You are building a lifestyle. What you do to lose the weight, needs to stay to maintain the weight loss. So if you're not willing to go keto for the rest of your life (and I don't advise this), then let's think of changes that you are willing to keep long-term.

Second, your ideal body is heavier than you think. It's time to stop focusing on the scale. It's the absolute worst way to measure progress. I assume what most people are interested in is losing fat, not muscle. One of the most effective tools for fat loss is gaining muscle. So if you were losing fat and gaining muscle, the scale might stay the same or it might even increase. You might get upset when in reality your body composition is changing. Let's measure your body composition instead! Remember, women can easily fluctuate 5+ lbs just from fluid retention, menstrual cycles, bowel movements, food intake, etc. - all the more reason the scale needs to go.

5.) Weight Loss Resistance Is Real

If you are eating a very low calorie diet and your weight isn't budging, you are probably experiencing weight loss resistance. I see this more often than I'd like. Usually I see this in clients who have a history of yo-yo dieting and long-term caloric deprivation. After years of muscle loss and metabolic damage, your body is running on empty. Our bodies are adaptive, and when we take away fuel, it learns to run on less energy by slowing down other metabolic processes. You can't keep dropping your calories lower and lower. There is no losing weight from this state because your body does not feel safe anymore. You'll have to implement some reverse dieting, in other words, eating more for a significant period of time before attempting weight loss again. Not everyone is ready for that step and that is okay!

6.) You Need To Respect Yourself

You don't have to "love your body" today, but you do need to respect yourself. You can't hate and shame your way into health or weight loss. Try changing your mindset from, "I love myself/my body" to "I can be loving towards myself/my body." We can all learn to be kinder to ourselves with our words and actions. The truth is you probably don't actually dislike your body, you hate the way you've learned to think and feel about your body. When you realize that those thoughts and feelings are not actually your own, you get to release them!

7.) You Are More Than Your Appearance

Weight loss should not be your only goal in life. Your obituary won't have your weight listed. Instead, you'll be remembered for what you contributed to the world and how you made people feel. The purpose of your body is not to aesthetically please anyone else. Our bodies are a vehicle for us to experience life. If you take one thing from this blog post, I hope it's this.

Should We Work Together?

I'm not the dietitian for you if....

• If you're looking to hand your power over to someone else to create you meals plans and have you track every morsel of food

• If you still think there is some secret magic bullet out there because you can't accept that weight loss takes work (I can make it easier for you, but I can't do the work for you)

• If weight loss is your ONLY goal

• If you want to lose a dramatic about of weight in a short period of time

• If you're interested in extreme diets - keto, carnivore, Optavia, Weight Watchers, etc

• If you think you have might weight loss resistance, but you're not ready or willing to increase your intake

I'm OKAY with losing out on money if I can protect my peace and not contribute to the harmful effects of diet culture. However, if my philosophy resonates with you and you are ready to work on your relationship with yourself and lose weight in a respectful and healthful way, let's do it!