What happens when the scale doesn’t greet you with a victory every week? Each day is nearly the same – denying yourself the treats you long to eat but with no quantifiable progress. Does anyone mention that you are looking so much better at this point? When you try on new clothes, are you excited for those ever smaller sizes?
You may counter that there is a victory in maintenance, but it does not provide that same positive reinforcement we get from weight loss. What are some tools we can use to still get that great feedback that we may have been depending upon? How can we continue with the day -to-day sameness of maintenance?
Besides the physiological hindrances to maintenance, which will be subjects of future blog posts, there are considerable psychological obstacles to overcome. How can we best address the challenges that might hold us back from maintaining our healthy weight? My suggestion today is to seek professional help – and that help can be found by working with a professional dietician.
A registered dietician is a well educated medical practitioner who has specialized food and nutrition. Their goals are the same as ours – to improve our lives through healthier eating.
I have been meeting with a registered dietician for the past six months. It’s a great relationship that feels like a collaboration. She is there to support and guide me towards a healthier weight. I am able to ask questions and get feedback. She is able to show me her insight about what things might work best for me. I try to adopt her suggestions, but I know that if they don’t all work, she will have new ideas at our next appointment. She is an integral part of my success. So I will continue to see her for as long I feel the need for support…likely permanently.
Would you consider seeing a dietician? You may find one locally through your physician’s office, or perhaps at a nearby hospital that has a bariatrics program. A dietician can help with more than weight control – they can also work on planning a healthy eating program to address any medical conditions you may be facing.
Studies have shown that working with a dietician is more effective than going it on your own (1). The Cleveland Clinic suggests that beyond weight control and medical conditions, you also may want to see a dietician if you want to improve the quality of your food, help family members to eat healthier, or transition to a plant based diet (2).
If you’re facing challenges that are hard to meet on your own, why not give it a try?
(1). https://www.healthline.com/health-news/registered-dietitian-may-be-best-for-weight-loss
(2). https://health.clevelandclinic.org/8-reasons-to-see-a-dietitian/
Maintain Weight Loss 