by Lucy | Aug 9, 2017 | Well Balanced Wisdom
“I’m going to do better,” you say. “I need to lose this weight and I’m starting today.” “I’m so out of shape, I’m going to join the gym.”
How many times have you said something like this to yourself without following through? Or maybe you did, but it only lasted a day, because things like this happen….
We all want to do better. It’s just not always easy getting there.
When clients come to see us at Well-balanced Nutrition it’s often not about what they need to do. They show up knowing what to do. They just can’t make it happen on their own. Maybe, just maybe, they think to themselves, there is a secret solution they can share with me so I can finally do this. That’s true, we have a few secrets to making healthy changes, but they might not be what you think.
Why is it so hard to follow through with our goals?
Because they come from within and nobody else knows about them. Many people respond to outside expectations and make them a priority, while their inner expectations fall quickly to the wayside. For example, you may want to meal prep on Sunday, but then you get asked to help someone move or your boss gives you a new assignment you want to get ahead start on. So you choose the activity that involves others’ expectations over fixing your meals for the week. Gretchen Rubin, the author of Better Than Before, classifies people like this as obligers. She says, “for Obligers, accountability is crucial. Key. Necessary! If you’re an Obliger, external accountability is the element that will allow you to follow through.” There you have it. One of our secrets to successful change.
So, are you an obliger?
If you could relate to the above scenario or if you are a person who really needs deadlines and late fees to keep you on top of things, there is a good chance that you also need similar accountability with your health habits. When people learn that they are an obliger, many are relieved. They realize it’s not their fault for letting themselves down, putting others first, nor lacking “willpower” to make a change. It’s just the way they are wired. So if you would call yourself an Obliger, instead of blaming yourself for not following through… again, this time set up some outside accountability that will ensure you make the change you desire.
Accountability: The obligation of an individual to account for their activities, accept responsibility for them, and to disclose the results in a transparent manner.
Which types of accountability will you try?
Here are some ideas:
The scale (regular weighing), your Well Balanced dietitian, your coworkers, your BFFs, your doctor, your food journal, your weight loss group, your fitness buddies, clothes you want to fit into…
There’s an app for that:
It’s never been easier to get accountability from your favorite dietitians here at Well Balanced Nutrition. 😉 We just launched an upgraded version of our
Healthy Habit Tracker and Obligers are going to love it! It allows you to track and share with us your:
- food journal
- exercise
- steps (syncs up with your fitbit)
- weight
- measurements
- Healthy Selfies or before and after shots
The best part is you can try using the Tracker for one month at no cost when you sign up in August (no tricks, contracts, or obligations – we promise!).
So, start today because we know how much you want to make that change and how hard it can be to do it on your own. Let us encourage you along the way. We bet you finally follow through with those goals!!
by Lucy | Jul 31, 2017 | Motivational Mondays
Revised: Monday, July 31, 2017
“You cannot manage that which you do not measure.”
Peter Drucker
As dietitians, Kristen and I are big advocates of food journals. I know, I know… Oh, here it comes. This request is often scoffed at when brought up; however, a recent literature review suggests that self-monitoring is the cornerstone of behavioral weight-loss treatment. What’s more, is recognizing that keeping a food journal does not guarantee change; however, having a coach that is also keeping track of your progress can improve outcomes dramatically.
I sometimes ask clients to keep track of everything that’s going in – including food and beverages – before an initial assessment or follow-up. Similar to the doctor asking for blood samples, it is essential for a dietitian to know about your food habits. In reviewing our top posts about tracking, I discovered that every one of our #TransformationTuesday stories, such as “It’s a Journey, Latoyia’s Baby Steps are Paying off,” include some form of self-monitoring.
The good news is, keeping a food journal is not only easy and one of the most effective means of behavior change. It’s also a great way to keep yourself on track. You don’t have to be precise. Just be consistent. Try it! You might like it :-).
And MORE good news! We are now offering the Healthy Habit Tracker for a FREE 1-month trial when you sign-up in August. This handy tool is powered by Healthie, offering:
- EASY: No calories or points to worry about here. Simply snap a photo of your meals and snacks.
- ACCOUNTABILITY: Both you and your dietitian can see your entries which can keep you accountable.
- FEEDBACK: Get frequent feedback and non-judgemental advice from Well Balanced Nutrition dietitians
- FUN: take a healthy selfie (aka a Healthie!), track your workouts, rate your hunger and track your metrics so you can see how far you’ve come.
by Lucy | Jul 30, 2017 | Well Balanced Wisdom
Lucy always says she was put on this earth to spread the good news about fruits and vegetables. I feel the same calling. To us, it’s an important mission because many people often forget or downplay the power of produce. If fruits and vegetables had labels they would boast all kinds of health benefits. If you want to prevent disease, protect your body from cancer, and fight off fatigue then fruits and vegetables are your friends. But because no one can make big bucks off nature’s bounty, there isn’t a multimillion-dollar marketing campaign helping us fall in love with them in their natural form.
Even though they don’t get enough publicity, there is no denying that fruits and vegetables can help us THRIVE. And yeah, we know this is not new or sexy advice, and we might even remind you of your mother saying “Eat your vegetables. They’re good for you!” but hear us out. There are 4 things you need to know about fruits and vegetables.
- Well Balanced Eating means half your plate should be full of non-starchy vegetables (and sometimes fruit, too). That means nothing else on your plate should take up more room than your veggies. We love this guideline because it’s much easier to fill half your plate than to get out measuring cups and/or count calories. Hooray for simple rules!
- Many colors = many micronutrients. The more colors you have on your plate the greater variety of benefits you will reap. Although we all know fruits and vegetables contain fiber, vitamins, and minerals, scientists are also discovering thousands of plant super-powers called phytochemicals (like the ones listed below) that provide even more health-boosting benefits.
- Vegetables will volumize your meals. This means you can eat a larger portion of food without consuming excessive calories. By having generous servings of fruits and vegetables in our meals, we can literally fill our bellies to the brim. This is important because when our stomach reaches its compacity, stretch receptors send signals to the brain telling us we feel full. To give you an example, a measly handful of potato chips provides 100 calories, whereas you can eat a bowlful of blueberries for the same amount. It would cost a lot of extra calories to fill our bellies with potato chips than it would if we were to fill up on blueberries.
4. Fruits and veggies can add variety to your diet. If you find yourself eating the same thing over and over, tap into the world of produce to expand your palate. There are countless varieties and types of produce to choose from, so eat “outside the box” and try something new.
I leave you with some color inspiration from one of my favorites, Jamie Oliver.
Want help getting more color on your plate? Click here to start working with Well Balanced Nutrition.
by Lucy | Jul 25, 2017 | Transformation Tuesday
Latoyia is a successful and busy professional in Durham. She started working with Well Balanced Nutrition back in the Spring. Like many others, she had dieted in the past without a ton of lasting success. When we first met, I could tell she was ready to try something different, something more realistic and long lasting. I am blown away by her progress to date and I’m excited to share a little bit about her journey with you.
I really want the tribe to know…”I’ve learned that weight loss and fitness is a journey and about changing your lifestyle for the better. It’s not about following a fad to quickly lose weight and then reverting back to old habits. I’ve learned to be patient and realistic with my weight loss goals and that has been yielding success.” -LB
Being patient and realistic has paid off. To date she has lost 13 pounds. How? Partly because of her new habit of walking 3-5 times a week for 30 to 60 minutes fairly consistently. In the past, she had trouble sticking to an exercise routine but now she is being careful not to get too carried away with unrealistic exercise routines only to burn out. This time it needed to be something simple and fun.
Walking is something she really enjoys for a few reasons: it’s a way to socialize with other walkers in her neighborhood, her husband or sister. It can also be a time to listen to music and clear her mind. Another plus? She notices that she has more energy now. She has even started to include bouts of jogging into her walking routine.
She also found that starting her day with a simple, healthy breakfast and making her lunch on the weekends was helpful. Last but not least, she is keeping her trigger foods out of the house and staying hydrated with refreshing citrus water.
Even when she does less exercise or doesn’t prep her lunch in advance for a week or two, she’s learned to make the most of her choices and ends up getting right back into the game when she can. Here’s what Latoyia wants to share with you about her journey.
I started working with Well-balanced Nutrition because …
I was struggling to reach my weight loss and fitness goal on my own. I felt I needed more guidance and support.
I knew I was on track when…
I started to see my weight going down on the scale. It wasn’t a rapid decline, but even the incremental decrease was helpful in motivating me to continue.
I’m still human and learned that when I get off track …
I’m never completely derailed. I just have to pause, refocus, and start fresh the next day. I realized even in my “bad” weeks there were things I did right. I may not have met my exercise goal, for example, but I ate breakfast every day and had healthy lunches.
The best strategy, tool, tip, or technique I have learned on my well-balanced journey is…to keep foods that I tend to overeat out of my house and serve my meals on smaller plates instead of dinner plates.
Are you ready to make a transformation like Latoyia? Contact us today to set up your own personal wellness adventure. It’s your first baby step toward success.
by Lucy | Jul 17, 2017 | Motivational Mondays
Monday, July 17, 2017
Last week while hanging out by the pool, a new friend, Katie, and I got to talking about body image, how we grew up, and our own habits. Katie is beautiful and full-figured. She exudes confidence in her body. Katie told me she enjoys her lifestyle – especially eating and drinking (and not much cooking). She does CrossFit a few times a week and works at a local pub bartending most nights. She explained that she recognizes her way of life prevents her from losing weight and states “I’m not worried about it because I’m comfortably chubby.” She has seen the diet and lifestyle of some CrossFit enthusiasts and decided that does not interest her. She is happily married and states, “my husband doesn’t like skinny girls anyway.”
Katie understands that we are all more than just a number on the scale or image in the mirror. How can you feel confident and comfortable regardless of your size or shape?
Find your body confidence through body kindness
There is so much conflicting information about how to live a healthy life. For instance, body mass index is the standard metric for determining who is normal-weight, overweight and obese, yet it can be argued that it is actually a poor tool for measuring health. Some argue Paleo is the best way to eat while others fight for a vegetarian lifestyle. The WHO recommends we exercise at least 150 minutes of exercise per week and The Washington Postpublished an article that 30 minutes of daily exercise is not enough.
Instead of worrying what the outside world says you should do or what you should look like, it’s time to listen to your body and treat yourself with kindness.
For our most recent book club adventure, Kristen and I read Body Kindness by Rebecca Scritchfield, a book about changing the way we talk to and treat ourselves. Instead of shaming and blaming our bodies, Scritchfield provides practical ways to start loving, connecting and caring for ourselves. She explains it as an upward spiral – each body kindness action will help you spiral up into making more healthy decisions.
Have you said something kind to yourself lately?
One of my mentors, Amy E. Smith of The Joy Junkie, explains that we all have an inner dialogue happening in our minds. This inner dialogue is how we identify and it makes up what we believe about ourselves and our world. In other words, we are always telling ourselves stories and regardless of whether they are true, we believe them and internalize them. Because this all happens quietly in our mind, we can often go without realizing the terrible things we think, believe and say about ourselves.
Ready to be kinder to yourself?
Here are 3 steps to improving your body image through kindness and compassion:
- Notice the voice or internal story – What does that little voice say when you look in the mirror? Does it exclaim how beautiful your eyes look today or is it nitpicking on a double chin or muffin top? The first step is to notice what that little voice says and recognize you are more than those thoughts.
- Identify the triggers – For some of us, the simple act of looking in the mirror can trigger our inner bully to come out and play. Others get a story in their mind when they step on the scale. For many of us, including myself, it’s all too easy to get caught up with the “compare and despair” of social media where someone is always fitter, stronger, happier, richer, more successful, and so on.
- Create a nicer way to speak to your body. Make one change – for example, if you’re constantly exclaiming about your fat thighs next time that voice comes up change direction. I like the simple “cancel, cancel, cancel” method to stop negative thoughts and I like to take advantage of the power of words by using mantras. I share healthy mantras for my clients to use, such as “every healthy change I make creates a healthier body.”
Food for thought:
What’s the story in your mind? Studies suggest that 91% of women are unhappy with their bodies. We don’t have to live with the hurt of striving for an unrealistic image. Let us know in the comments below what you will do to improve your body image this week :-). We’d love to cheer you on!
Are you ready to feel confident in your body? Contact us today to set up your own personal wellness adventure.
