The Dish

Thanks to Ljudmila Petrovic for including my quote in the below article.

http://www.the-peak.ca/2012/05/you-are-what-you-eat-the-most-bizarre-diets/

Health At Every Size

I switched on the TV yesterday and a CTV talk show was discussing fitness facts and myths. The portion I watched featured a personal trainer who dispelled the myth of muscle turning to fat if you don’t work out. The next topic was protein shakes and it reminded me that at this time of year many of us make resolutions related to fitness and nutrition. Making “SMART” goals is of course key when we think about active living. In addition, health does not equate to being thin. A concept I am familiar with as a dietitian and one which I hope will grow is, “Health at Every Size” (HAES). It is an evolving movement working to promote size-acceptance, to end weight discrimination, and to lessen the cultural obsession with weight loss and thinness. HAES promotes balanced eating, life-enhancing physical activity, and respect for the diversity of body shapes and sizes. What do you think when you see an overweight person or how do you feel about your own size or shape? Check out the site dedicated to HAES and let me know what you think. http://www.haescommunity.org/about.php

Thanks for your question. Unfortunately it is not something I can answer for you through this blog. I would recommend seeing a doctor, at SFU you can do so at Health & Counselling Services. I wonder if the hunger may be linked to your thyroid but again a doctor is in the best position to assess this as well as your concerns about your breath. If you are feeling like you want to discuss your concerns somewhat anonymously at first, call 8-1-1 to speak to a nurse. This is a free service for all British Columbians. Hope you find some relief soon, take care.

Thanks for your question, this site is meant for more general questions. Your question requires an in-depth nutrition assessment and unfortunately I don’t offer individual nutrition counselling appointments any more. That being said, I can share a general resource for athletes and weight loss by SportMedBC: 12 tips to maintain your energy and lose weight safely. I highly recommend their Performance Nutrition articles. I’m also glad you are working on this well in advance, aim to lose no more than 1.5lbs per week, this should work with your goal and timeline.  You can also speak with a dietitian for free by calling 8-1-1, HealthLinkBC’s Dietitian Services.

On track for the semester

With the start of the semester you may be thinking about our goals as they relate to school or work. I know I am, I’ve just started a Master’s program in Education. Some of you may also be thinking about nutrition and active living goals. We sometimes forget that eating well and being active can help us achieve those academic goals. My plan is to go to include yoga (I’ve signed up for a class through SFU Rec) and to cook in big batches and stock my freezer so I can just grab and go for those long days. A great resource that can help you with your nutrition and active living goals is the newly re-launched Eatracker through Dietitians of Canada. After you sign up (http://www.eatracker.ca/), you can track your food and activity choices, analyze your recipes, plan your meals and set goals for healthy eating and physical activity. Have a great semester!

My diet plan is:

Breakfast
1 cup raisin bran w/ skim milk
1 med. banana

Snack
10 almonds
Blueberries

Lunch
1.5 cup mixed raw veggies
2 tbsp hummus

Snack
Apple

Dinner
Salmon
Veggie-kabobs

This is an outline of my diet plan, the breakfast and snacks are constant but the dinner changes, sometimes whole wheat pasta, vegetarian chili veggie curry etc. trying to eat vegetarian dinners at least 2x a week. I am mostly concerned about what may be missing from my lunch and about dinner. Any tips or suggestions about this plan would be awesome! Thank you!

Based on the information you have given me and assuming some of your portion sizes, when I compare what you are eating to Canada’s Food Guide you are getting the following:

7-8 servings vegetables and fruit which is great! Keep up the good work.

~2 servings from the meat and alternatives group, also good.

1 serving from milk and alternatives. Try to add another cup of milk to your day.

And only 1 serving of grains. (Please refer to the food guide for your recommended number of servings, this is different depending on your age and sex.)

You are making some very great choices but you are missing out on grains. Grains have a bad reputation when it comes to weight loss but they are not “bad”. People tend to go overboard in terms of portions and what they put on their grain choices (ex. creamy sauces). For example, a serving of pasta is ½ cup of cooked pasta. You could choose whole wheat pasta or brown rice and add 1 or 2 servings to your dinner. Adding grains to your lunch is also important. Ideally you want your lunch and dinner to have a source of protein, some carbohydrate and also vegetables.  You could even try some whole grain choices such as quinoa, couscous or bulgur.

Also make sure that you are getting enough energy from food. How are you feeling when you eat like this? Are you still hungry? I would love to give you more personal advice but it is difficult through this forum. Try to connect with a dietitian through HealthLinkBC’s Dietitian Services by calling 8-1-1 or making an appointment with a dietitian in your community, find one through dietitians.ca

Lastly, for more on why avoiding carbs is not an effective weight loss strategy check out this link from Dietitians of Canada.
http://www.dietitians.ca/Nutrition-Resources-A-Z/Fact-Sheet-Pages(HTML)/Weight-Loss-and-Control/Should-I-try-a-low-carb-diet.aspx

 As far as I know the Dr. Bernstein diet is based on a very low calorie diet. After reviewing the website I found the following quote:

“We use a unique combination of a low calorie diet of regular grocery store foods, behavior modification counseling, education, medical supervision, and vitamin and mineral supplements to achieve rapid success in our patients. You will lose the weight quickly and safely on the diet alone. We never use diet pills, appetite suppressants or surgery.”

Although I am glad to see they are not using products such as diet pills, appetite suppressants or surgery, a very low calorie diet requires medical supervision and it can be hard to get your nutrient needs met. Although the program uses supplements, it is best to try to get your nutrient needs met through food sources alone.

In addition, I don’t believe that Dr. Bernstein clinics employ dietitians. Yes they have nurses and doctors but Registered Dietitians are a trusted source for nutrition information. In terms of evaluating diets, check out “How do I Know a Weight Loss Program is Safe” from Dietitians of Canada.

There isn’t a lot of detailed information on the website for me to make a judgment about whether it is “healthy”. If you feel motivated, I would recommend some other tools (that are free or almost free) that can assist you in your weight loss goals.

-          Nutrition Counselling with me! See http://blogs.sfu.ca/services/thedish/?page_id=1110

-          Losing Weight without Going on a Diet

-          www.yourhealthyweight.ca

There are many risks to your health if you are “dieting and bingeing”. The quote you included is from the Framingham Heart Study, a large scale study looking at heart health. It is difficult for me to comment on your weight and to be honest it is not your weight that is the issue. I am very concerned about your relationship with food and your dieting and bingeing behaviours and would recommend you see a doctor or counsellor at SFU Health and Counselling Services.

Also see the information here, What is Wrong with Dieting.

See the response to a similar question here:  http://blogs.sfu.ca/services/thedish/?p=462

My husband is also quite short and stocky, and has the same concerns… When we have been 155 and 200 lbs respectively, we are at the top end or just outside the healthy BMI, and relatively thin.

BMI (Body Mass Index) is one way of measuring nutritional status or categorizing your weight/height as it relates to health risks. It is only one measure of your health but unfortunately there isn’t anything else that is widely used and comparable. Historically, tables from the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company were used to categorize desirable weight but there were many pitfalls with these.

It is still possible to be outside of the “normal” BMI range of 18.5-24.9 and still be “healthy”. If being in the normal range requires strenuous activity and was at a time when you were a teenager then this might not be “normal” for you. Remember it is not all about the number on the scale, think health not thin. I also would recommend talking to your doctor about your weight if you are concerned about it and the associated health risks.

Waist circumference is another measure that helps categorize health risks. See the information from Heart & Stroke Foundation: Why a Healthy Waist?