Diets Don't Work

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Diets Don't Work. Stop wasting your time following someone else's plan for you. Make your own plan based on realistic changes because if you can't follow your chosen diet for the rest of your life, you're wasting precious time.

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Most people who go on diets gain back any of the weight that they've lost. This is because it is very difficult to maintain a strict eating regiment and because dieting often disrupts our bodies' natural metabolism.

We often start diets with the thought that we will suffer through some type of unnatural eating plan for a set period of time and then we will go back to our old habits after losing the weight and finishing the diet. In these cases, we haven't really addressed our underlying reasons for why we eat and how we view food and self-care.

In terms of metabolism, when we follow strict diets that don't meet all of our body's needs, our body makes metabolic adjustments that make it increasingly difficult for us to lose weight. Our body becomes very efficient, and we then have to eat less and less and less in order to continue to lose weight. The fact that the same diet becomes less effective over time, makes it nearly impossible to stick with.

So, if diets don't work, what is the answer? The key lies in making lifestyle changes (not temporary quick fixes) that honor your body. This is not an easy process, but it is fulfilling and life-altering.

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Whenever I say that diets don't work, I worry that people will interpret that to mean that they should just eat whatever they want and hope for the best. That is not the case at all. I have simply found that scripted diet plans rarely ever result in permanent weight loss. I've witnessed the disappointment and embarrassment that typically accompany failed weight loss attempts, and I've also seen the wonderful life changes that result in self-care and making peace with food.


About Cafe Physique:
The mission of Café Physique is to help clients reach and exceed their personal fitness and nutrition goals. If you’re in need of an a nutritionist in Atlanta or an Atlanta personal trainer – Café Physique is the perfect solution. We offer Atlanta yoga instruction, Atlanta prenatal workouts, and Atlanta personal training. We also have private sessions of pilates that Atlanta residents are raving about. We invite you to let a member of our Atlanta registered dietitian staff or personal training team develop and implement a realistic and healthy lifestyle plan to meet your personal goals.

Chinese Takeout to the Rescue

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Q: How can I make healthy choices when ordering Chinese takeout?
A: Order MORE foods that you can actually recognize.

Sounds simple enough, right? One of the easiest ways to avoid hidden calories in Chinese food is to stay away from foods that are covered with lots of sauce or meats that are unidentifiable due to being breaded and fried. This means no more Sesame Chicken or Sweet & Sour Pork...both of these popular dishes are fried AND served in a rich, calorie-laden sauce.

Steamed dishes are healthy, but try to go for steamed chicken, shrimp or pork over steamed dumplings or white rice. White sauces are generally better than dark, but there are a few exceptions..Black-bean sauce, for instance, is great because of the added protein and nutrients.

If you're going to eat Chinese food, you should eat Chinese-style: a little of this, a little of that, lots of vegetables, spread out over a long time. Why? Because your tummy will let you know you've had enough before you've demolished the entire carton

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Here are some more general tips for you:
1) Sauces: Order the sauce on the side -- you won't put on as much as the restaurant will, so you'll cut your fat and sodium intakes.
2) Noodles: Noodle dishes are never a healthful alternative. They're made with lots of oil to keep the strands from sticking.
3) Fried rice: Don't confuse fried rice with more healthful brown rice. Fried rice is just white rice that's turned brown from soy sauce and oil. It's high in sodium and fat.
4) Mystery meat: If you can't recognize the meat, it means there's too much fat-soaked breading on it. Best bet: steamed entrees.
5) Fortune cookie: It's nutritionally harmless. In fact, skip the table noodles -- which are as healthful as french fries -- and ask for the cookie early if you need to nibble.
6) Soy sauce: Ask if they have low-sodium soy. Each tablespoon of the regular stuff has up to four times the recommended daily allowance of salt.

Source: Bonnie Taub-Dix, an American Dietetic Association spokeswoman and nutritionist in New York City

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OK, for those of you who know me, this will not come as any major surprise. I LOVE CHINESE FOOD! I actually really like any kind of Asian cuisine, but Chinese food is usually the most readily available for delivery, so that's what I usually go with. I like it so much because it's convenient (DELIVERY ROCKS!), inexpensive (I can get 3 meals out of a $10 order), tasty (mmmmmmm....), and healthy - for all of the reasons that I gave above.



My typical order is a quart of steamed chicken and mixed vegetables with white sauce and steamed rice on the side. If I'm in a pinch for time, I have a bit of the steamed rice with my meat and veggies, but usually I'll fix some steamed brown rice at home b/c the complex carbs are much more filling and better for us.

If you haven't jumped on the Chinese takeout bandwagon, please catch up soon! This is probably your best bet for "fast food" that won't leave you feeling guilt-ridden the next day.

About Cafe Physique:
The mission of Café Physique is to help clients reach and exceed their personal fitness and nutrition goals. If you’re in need of an a nutritionist in Atlanta or an Atlanta personal trainer – Café Physique is the perfect solution. We offer Atlanta yoga instruction, Atlanta prenatal workouts, and Atlanta personal training. We also have private sessions of pilates that Atlanta residents are raving about. We invite you to let a member of our Atlanta registered dietitian staff or personal training team develop and implement a realistic and healthy lifestyle plan to meet your personal goals.

High-Powered Meal Planning

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Pre-plan your meals MORE often. When you wait until you're hungry to start thinking of what to eat, chances are high that you'll end up just grabbing whatever is readily available - chips, cookies, and other high-calorie snacks.

By planning ahead, you can take the time to prepare meals (or at least think about them) before you actually get hungry.

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Many of you are wondering what a day of healthy meals looks like. While I don't subscribe to rigid meal plans, here's an example of a great day of eating for the average person:


Breakfast: Oatmeal (sweetened with Splenda) and scrambled egg whites mixed with one egg
Snack: Low-fat yogurt
Lunch: One cup of rice with a spinach-based salad or baked fish & grilled veggies
Snack: A medium apple, two rice cakes, and 2 tablespoons of nuts or natural peanut butter
Dinner: Large salad with grilled veggies and protein (grilled chicken, tofu, turkey, etc.)
Dessert: 1/2 cup of sliced strawberries with a tablespoon of Cool Whip

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How do you feel about the meal plan above? If you're already eating similarly, you are probably only in the need of minor changes. If you're way off and thinking that I've lost my mind, you might need to start making some major dietary changes.

Stick with me, and I'll show you how...

About Cafe Physique:
The mission of Café Physique is to help clients reach and exceed their personal fitness and nutrition goals. If you’re in need of an a nutritionist in Atlanta or an Atlanta personal trainer – Café Physique is the perfect solution. We offer Atlanta yoga instruction, Atlanta prenatal workouts, and Atlanta personal training. We also have private sessions of pilates that Atlanta residents are raving about. We invite you to let a member of our Atlanta registered dietitian staff or personal training team develop and implement a realistic and healthy lifestyle plan to meet your personal goals.