I’ve begun following the daily diet of a Registered Dietitian over at SELF Magazine. Yesterday I tracked everything she and I consumed. I’m going to track a few more days for a more detailed comparison. However, one thing I find quite interesting when comparing our consumption for yesterday is this:
RD total calories: 1860 Total solid food volume: 1.7 lbs.
My total calories: 1680 Total solid food volume: 4 lbs!
I had LESS calories and MORE FOOD! Maybe you should eat like me and not like her?
How often have you been hungry while on a reduced calorie diet? Food volume has been shown to have an effect on satiety (how hungry you feel)! Would you rather eat 4 lbs of food a day or 1.7 lbs of food a day? Could you even EAT 4 lbs of food a day? I bet many of you can’t - even if you are overweight!
How many times have you gone off your diet because you were just too hungry? How many times have you eaten more calories than you needed simply because you were starving? Food volume can help you feel satisfied, therefore not hungry, and so you will be more likely to stick with it and therefore LOSE MORE WEIGHT!
I’m not familiar with the rules & regulations for RDs (guess I should be!). It just seems to me that Registered Dietitians might perhaps be limited in what they can actually recommend - whether or not that recommendation is consistent with the latest research - which translates into not being allowed to recommend what actually works in the real world of weight loss.
Now, that’s not to say that RD is doing things wrong. RD is doing what works for HER. She’s actually quite thin, (and trying to lose weight by the way!) She has not ever struggled with real weight issues or over-eating and very well probably doesn’t require the volume of food I and many typical dieters do. (PS that’s because she’s not a typical dieter!) I like to eat and eat and eat. And I do! She even states on her blog that her diet is not for everyone. So, kudos to her for that!
Why am i doing this? Well, these folks are often the ones giving advice to those who need to lose weight. One of my goals for this blog is to determine the effectiveness of mainstream diet and weight loss tips, how-tos and advice.
While there is no doubt that an RD would (OK should!) have useful nutrition information to teach us, my own personal experience suggests a lack (on the part of some RDs) of the ability to effectively apply that knowledge to weight loss. That and they worship the US Government Food Pyramid. The Pyramid recommendations have changed over the years and will change again in the future.
Oh, and if you want to find some interesting meals, RD certainly has that to offer. I have a list of about 20-30 foods I eat. Cooking and creativity in the kitchen isn’t my thing. My typical daily diet is pretty boring - though not as boring as others I’ve followed. Some body builder/figure competitors, and dieters trying to be “good” and eat “healthy” eat plain old chicken breasts. Great - if that’s your thing!
I never, not once, have eaten a chicken breast all by its lonesome. I won’t. I can’t stand it. It tastes gross. If you are trying to lose weight I would suggest never EVER eat something you don’t like just because it’s “healthy”. There are always other options or low calorie ways to make things taste good!! Eating yucky stuff just leaves a bad taste in your mouth in terms of what a “diet” is. There’s no quicker way to kill motivation than to associate diet with suffering! And, suffering my friends, is NOT healthy!
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
The concept about more food less calories really works. And it is more likely to lose motivation very quickly when you see how little food you have
Your tips are so helpful. Would you be so kind as to share them with my readers.
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