Weight Loss Q&A
by Dara Bergen, MPH, RD, CDNHow does a dietitian help with weight loss?
Perhaps the best thing a dietitian does for clients is helping them navigate through the maze of good and bad nutrition information. There are good and bad diets out there, as well as appropriate and inappropriate diets for certain states of health. Dietitians often work together with primary care physicians, providing custom, client-based care. A dietitian considers how medical conditions affect each client’s weight loss meal plans. Often, a doctor’s advice can be vague or unclear to a patient. A dietitian converts the doctor’s message into practical terms, explaining and educating the client about appropriate foods, recipes, preparation tips, and portions.
What can I expect at my first appointment?
Your first appointment with a dietitian at Forest Hills Wellness lasts about an hour. You’ll discuss your nutrition, exercise, and overall health history. Your consultant learns about your food preferences and eating patterns and starts to create an individual plan to achieve fitness and weight-loss goals. Finally, your nutritionist helps with shopping lists, recipes, menu plans, food diaries, and other resources that help you make the necessary changes.
Does a dietitian guide a weight loss patient through the process?
A registered dietitian like Dara Bergen acts as both an educator and a coach for clients who are sincere about weight loss. Creating a customized eating plan, while an important part of the dietitian’s role, doesn’t work unless the client agrees to follow the plan. So, following up is vital to the success of any plan. During progress monitoring, the dietitian becomes a coach for the client, building the patient’s ownership of the meal plan process. Since weight loss may be a matter of adjustment rather than lifestyle change, Dara Bergen helps the client through the process. If you’re interested in a nutrition and health assessment, call or schedule your next appointment online at Forest Hills Wellness.