Reasons for Not Losing Weight include
1. Eating on the run
Women lead very hectic lives, and often find themselves eating on the run. When you eat fast, you do not truly appreciate the food in front of you and risk eating more than you aware of eating or more than your body needs. In addition, women often rely on energy bars and drinks but then they end up eating full meals in addition to these supplemental snacks.
What can you do when you’re too busy to sit down for a leisurely lunch?
Pack a nutritious snack before heading out the door or keep some in your purse/car/desk drawer, which combine protein and carbohydrate. Some good choices include:
- Crackers and cheese
- Apple slices with peanut butter
- Sugar-free instant breakfast drink
- Snack mix (light on the M&Ms®)
Take a moment to really taste the food that you are eating, even if you are eating in your car, and become more mindful of what you are eating.
2. Preparing multiple meals
You know the drill. Your husband wants a meat and potato dinner. Your children hate meat and potatoes, but love macaroni and cheese. And you feel like salmon tonight.
What is a woman to do?
- Hold a family meeting and try to find compromising meals that everyone can eat all or part of—studies have shown that the more variety of food items individuals are confronted with, the more they will eat
- Decide what you want to eat for your meal before you begin to prepare the food; while preparing dinner, think of your meal and look forward to eating it
3. Eating out
Many couples find themselves going out to eat as their main social event. It gets us out of the kitchen, allows us to spend time talking to each other, and it certainly tastes good. Most restaurants offer healthy options so look for items marked as such on the menu.
What can you do about eating out?
- Get the restaurant’s menu before going out to eat, if possible try look over the menu choices on-line after eating breakfast or lunch, when you are full and pick a meal that is both appealing and a wise choice from a nutritional standpoint
- Ask your server to bring a take-home container to the table with your meal, and promptly put half of your meal in the container
- Split one entrée with your date – it’s a great way to keep in mind portion control and experience the same meal together.
4. Emotional eating
Sure, men do it too – but this is a common thing that we see with our female clients. Women are, by nature, amazingly resilient, but we also have a tendency to hold our feelings inside. Often times, we look for a way to comfort ourselves, and if we do not seek an appropriate avenue, food becomes the easy cure. However, food will not give us what are seeking.
What can you do about emotional eating?
- Try to figure out what feelings usually cause you to eat more than you are physically hungry for
- Try Keeping a record of what you eat and how you feel when you eat for a few days, looking for patterns
- Brainstorm other things that could help you recover from the emotions
- Keep healthful alternatives in your house; different foods seem soothing to different people
5. Weekday vs. weekend reasons not losing weight
We can be so nutrition-minded during the week. Then the weekend comes, and it all falls apart. Drinks with the girls, big dinners with our family, the Sunday morning brunch tradition, and before you know it, it is Monday morning, and we are upset with ourselves.
What can you do to keep weekends healthful and prevent not losing weight?
- Stop defining foods as “good” or “bad”—the only “bad” food is food that is spoiled and could make you physically ill
- Nothing is “bad” in moderation
- “Better” is an acceptable term—a slice of plain cheese pizza is better than the one loaded with sausage, pepperoni, and extra cheese
- Imagine a stoplight in your mind—green means go (aim to eat many green light foods) and yellow means caution (allow yourself one or two yellow foods/week to celebrate life)
- Make food the sidebar in your life, not the main article; during the weekend, do what is important, such as-doing things with the people you care about, relaxing, planning activities that everyone enjoys and that do not entail consuming large quantities of food
Make an appointment today to discuss this barriers to healthy weight loss with one of our experienced Registered Dietitians!
Whether you are a novice in the kitchen, or a seasoned chef, Dietitian Klara will work with you to help you reach your nutrition goals. Co-author of Nourished: 10 Ingredients to Happy, Healthy Eating, Cooking with Diabetes and Cooking with Food Sensitivities Guide.
