BS, Dietetics and Nutrition
Whether it’s in your new year’s resolution to lose weight or planning it due to a specific health reason, you must first consider several factors. Losing weight takes a lot of effort and time. Hence, consider researching about it or asking your doctor before jumping into it. You don’t want to waste your money on a gym subscription or trying out a fad diet just to put your efforts in vain.
Weight loss occurs when you consistently employ calorie deficit daily. This means you consume fewer calories than you burn. Weight gain happens when you eat more calories than your body uses and store them as fat. Your nutritionist can be your partner in navigating your weight loss journey as long as you ask the right questions.
Although there’s overwhelming information out there on the internet, only your nutritionist can tell what’s best for your specific needs. Besides, a nutritionist has undergone training in dietetics, so you can b rest assured they’re reliable because they need to avoid penalties. Ask these questions right away to streamline your weight loss plans:
1. What Should Be The Weight Goal?
Every weight loss journey is different for everyone. Many factors affect this, including age, genetics, etc. Comparing your weight loss goals to others could only stress you out. Hence. it’s best to ask a certified nutritionist to determine the weight you’re aiming for.
In most cases, they’ll employ body mass index as a guide to gauge whether you’re underweight, average weight, or overweight. You must note that setting a weight goal will depend on your current body condition, so have an open mind when discussing it with your nutritionist. For instance, a middle-aged person aiming to attain their weight in their teenage years might be unrealistic. It will only cause unnecessary stress, or worse, injure or harm your body due to complications.
2. What Is The Best Diet For Losing Weight?
The best diet is for losing weight is the diet you can stick to. People should stop perceiving diet as something they need to start or stop to attain a certain weight. Doing so isn’t a rigid diet plan. This kind of mindset will only stress you out because it’s highly restrictive. On the other hand, it should be a diet plan that works for your preferences and lifestyle. Usually, fad diets are like this as they promise you dramatic results. These can be dangerous to your well-being in the long run.
One of these popular diets is the ketogenic diet. This diet requires you to obtain 70% of your calories from fat sources. This diet will force your body to undergo ketogenesis which uses up the ketones from fatty acids instead of glucose that comes from carbohydrates. However, this is only recommended as diet therapy for children who have epilepsy. There’s still lacking evidence regarding if this could be applied to healthy people.
Instead of jumping into different fad diets, a nutritionist will recommend you make healthier food choices that you need to incorporate into your lifestyle permanently. Ask them what’s best for your health conditions and weight goals.
3. Could There Be A Health Concern Influencing Weight Loss?
Many people aren’t aware that health conditions could interfere with their efforts to lose weight. Thyroid disorders, prediabetic, and certain medications can affect your weight loss journey. A nutritionist can determine this, especially if you tell them the history of your medical records accurately. Therefore, you might want to mention your family’s history of certain metabolic diseases to pinpoint what exactly you need to alter in your lifestyle.
As for medications, such as anti-depressants, antihistamines, and steroids have specific effects that might be counterproductive to your weight loss plan. You can discuss this with your nutritionist so they can refer you to a doctor to switch or lower the dose of certain medications.
4. Do Supplements Help?
Many supplements that can help in weight loss are available in the market nowadays. Before taking these supplements, it won’t hurt to consult with your doctor or your nutritionist first. Besides, it will only add to your expenses, so might as well confirm if they’re effective before investing in them.
Final Thoughts
Your plan to lose weight might be motivated by personal reasons like getting your toned body for summer, or just feeling confident about yourself. Some people do it for improving the health conditions that made them chronically ill at some point.
Whatever your reasons are, consulting with a doctor and a nutritionist will make it easier to navigate this journey. Having a nutritionist you can refer to means you don’t have to blindly follow certain diet trends. Thus, you can streamline your weight loss journey based on your needs and your lifestyle.
