Everyone wants the same thing from their dietitian. That magic bullet that will quickly help you lose weight, have more energy and endurance, and look toned and fit.

When it comes to meal planning, as well as any of the other avenue of fitness, the answer is not fad diets or quick fixes. They may work in the short term, but they are not sustainable. They do not take into account your individual circumstances and needs. But what if there is a magic bullet; it just comes with fine print? Interviews with hundreds of dietitians indicate that by providing goals, resources and examples of options to improve their health, people can succeed in their health and fitness journey; but, it “may take years to accomplish, every outcome may look different and provide different measures of success and they may need to find a different perspective in order to receive appropriate joy from results”.

Ciara Ferguson is a dietitian seeing clients virtually from her home in New York. Originally from Dublin, Ireland she has only a hint of an accent left after living and working in England, Kentucky and Philadelphia before settling on Long Island with her husband and 3 boys under age 5.

Some of Ciara’s go to subjects are:

Frequency and quantity

Less and less often

Quality

Family dinner

Trying new foods

Habits and routines.

She counsels clients on the belief that there is no magic food or quick fix to help you lose weight, drop your blood pressure, get your cholesterol under control or feel better. She encourages them to focus their eating goals on “Frequency and Quantity”. Make small changes in those two things and you are on the right course. Don’t deprive yourself of your favorite food, eat it less often or in a smaller quantity, “Less or Less Often”.

Quality is another area to make small changes. There is no such thing as a bad food. Cut back on processed food and eat more whole foods. Look at individual needs, likes, preferences allergies, schedules, work routines and come up with a personalized plan. Add veggies, fruits or fiber to your standby favorites.

Dinner time should be a family affair whenever possible, keeping discussions to positive things not fighting over who will or won’t eat what. Everyone has different tastes; sweet, spicy, crispy, mushy, soft, hard, cooked or raw to name a few. On any given day, someone may just not be in the mood for a particular dish. Continue to introduce foods in various ways because it can take 10 - 15 times of trying something to decide about likes and dislikes.

So many of the things we do are habits or routines developed over a lifetime and aren’t going to change overnight. Evaluate where those habits originated. It could be innately built in. Some things will feel more natural to you so focus on those things and you could naturally evolve into new areas and break through some barriers.

It’s not about the number of calories you burn, it’s about feeling better about yourself after you exercise.

Journal Questions:

Figure out what you personally want to achieve. Where are you and where do you want to be.

If you could change one thing today what would it be.

If you look in your fridge or pantry what is one food you could take away.

Homework:

Goal setting will always be part of your homework. Once a week write down your focus or goals for the week. Every Friday reassess them, tweak them or change them to fit your needs. It’s “Your journey, your way”.

Links:

Direction Not Perfection, Accountability and Coaching from your Wine-loving Dietitian

https://braughlerbooks.com/store/books/direction-not-perfection

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ciaradietitian

Instagram: @ciaradietitian