AboutLaurie Beebe, MS, RD, LD Expertise As a registered dietitian I am fully qualified to accurately answer questions regarding weight loss, including those from people with health conditions requiring dietary restrictions (diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, etc) who want to lose weight, or who have been advised to do so by their physician.
Experience I have been a registered dietitian for over 25 years and am certified in Adult Weight Management through the commission on dietetic registration. I also have training in coaching through Coach U and currently work as a diet coach to help people lose weight the healthy way.
Organizations American Dietetic Association, Weight Management Dietetic Practice Group, Nutrition Entreprenuers, St.Louis International Coach Federation, Toastmasters
Education/Credentials Bachelor of Health Science from the University of Florida, 1983; Master of Science in Clinical Nutrition from Case Western Reserve Universitiy 1985; Certification in Adult Weight Management 2006; CoachU core essentials grad 2007.
Question I am 21 years old and i am almost 300 pounds and i feel like i am going down a hill with no happy ending... i feel very unhealthy but according to my doctors i am ok for now but i need to smarten while im young... how should i start?
Answer Dear Marie,
I'm glad to hear you have a clean bill of health :)
This would be a good time to start attending to your eating habits so you'll be in good shape for the rest of your life!
A good place to start would be to figure out what some of the prominent problems are in your diet, and then work on them one at a time. You don't have to "go on a diet" especially because on most diets people feel deprived and miserable and can't stay on them for long.
Do you drink soda? That's a major contributor for extra calories, and you aren't getting any nutrition from it. I always recommend anyone reduce or eliminate soda and try drinking no-calorie beverages in place of them.
Some people snack too much, some have large portions, and some merely don't plan out their day, so they ending up eating whatever they may come across when they're hungry.
Which of these is something you can start working on: choosing a healthier snack one time a day, bringing your lunch to work/school, becoming aware of eating mindlessly while watching TV?
Write down one or two goals for each week, such as "I will only eat in the kitchen and I will enjoy my food while I eat it", or "I will bring granola bars to leave in my desk so I don't go get a candy bar when I start getting bored", or "I'll have fruit for dessert on 3 days this week".
Keeping a food diary helps, too, by making you aware of everything you eat and giving you a moment to pause and decide if this is really worth the calories!
