Last week, I had a conversation that I’ve probably had hundreds of times in my career. A new client came in for weight loss counseling and, as I was taking his diet history, I asked my usual first question – “when do you first start eating, and what do you typically eat and drink in a day?” Like most people, he assumed that I was asking about a weekday, so he had little trouble providing a quick rundown of his usual meals and snacks on a typical Monday through Friday. But when I asked, “do you eat differently on the weekends?” he responded with a groan. Read more »

Every time I have a new client scheduled to see me for weight loss, I have a pretty good idea of how our first conversation will go.  The first thing they usually want to know is how much I think they should weigh.  The answer is usually less than straightforward (see my post of October 7) and that question is inevitably followed up by a similar, and equally vexing query:  “how long will it take?”.  I’ve had this same conversation countless times over the years, and my answer is always the same – “it depends”. Read more »

Another Monday is coming around, and you’re gearing up for another round of dieting.  Checklist in hand, you’re feeling in charge.  Tempting foods out of the house?  Check.  Bowl of fresh fruit on the counter?  Check.  Cut veggies placed front and center in the ‘frig?  Check.  But as you stride into work with your healthy homemade lunch, you’re faced with cinnamon rolls in the breakroom, a vending machine full of junk food, and a co-worker with a jar of chocolate candies on her desk.  Check, check and check.   Read more »

Most of the time, I would never argue with someone who wanted to eat as well as possible.  After all, part of a dietitian’s job is to encourage people to eat healthy foods and to help them find ways to nudge their current eating habits in the right direction.   But sometimes I run across people who carry proper nutrition to the extreme; they have an unhealthy obsession with eating healthy food. Read more »