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Top 3 Nutrition Strategies for Weight Loss
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By Andrea Holwegner, Health Stand Nutrition Consulting Inc.

If you are like many folks that have set a New Year’s Resolution to lose some weight here are my top 3 suggestions based on the dozens of clients I have seen over the years.

  1. Understand Portion Distortion
    Food researchers suggest that we underestimate how much we eat by 20-40%. “Calories are king” when it comes to managing a healthy weight. Small shifts in daily quantities add up to be big calorie deficits over the long run. If you are trying to lose weight, think about reducing what you are eating each day by a small fraction. You will be surprised that you don’t necessarily need to drastically change your eating habits to start to see the scale move. Try using smaller plates, bowls and glasses since research supports this can indeed help you eat less. Think about resisting the urge to “clean your plate” when you are already full. Ask yourself “what’s eating you?” Are you eating out of boredom, anger, stress or loneliness? Reflect on some ways you can comfort yourself without food.
  2. Fight the Sumo Wrestlers
    There is plenty that can be learned from observing the way Sumo wrestlers maximize fat storage for their bodies. Sumo wrestlers skip food during the day and gorge with plenty of food in the later parts of the day. If you don’t want to look like a Sumo wrestler, be sure to “light the fire” or kick start your metabolism by eating on time – every 3-5 hours and always eat breakfast daily. If you eat breakfast at 7 am you will need to eat a snack and/or your lunch between 10 am-12 noon. If you consume lunch at noon then somewhere between 3-5 pm you will need a snack to tie you over if supper isn’t until 6 pm or later. This means you will need to eat anywhere between 3-6 times per day. Obviously the more often you eat, the smaller your volumes of food need to be in comparison to someone that chooses to eat a few larger meals per day.
  3. Think in 3’s
    Plan balanced meals to make sure you are both full and satisfied. When you are building breakfast, lunch and supper be sure to include 3 things for balance. These include grains or starches such as rice, bread, cereal, potatoes or pasta; veggies and/or fruit and lastly a source of protein such as meat, poultry, legumes, eggs, dairy or nuts. Carbohydrates found in grains, starches and in lesser amounts in fruits and veggies are essential for keeping your brain feeling satisfied. Carbohydrates provide your brain with energy or sugar and elevate serotonin which is the neurotransmitter that boosts mood. Protein is also important in a meal to make sure you feel full and stabilize your blood sugars. In other words carbohydrates provide your brain satisfaction while protein provides your stomach with fullness. One without the other will run you into trouble. The key to sticking to any weight loss program is to feel both full AND satisfied.

Andrea Holwegner

“The Chocoholic Dietitian”

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Success stories

"I am a psychologist in private practice and it is very important to me that my clients have the best care with other health care professionals. For that reason Health Stand Nutrition is my only source for exceptional Dietitians. Andrea and her team provide highly knowledgeable, compassionate, and real world support to my clients who require assistance with food lifestyle. I trust my clients to them and you would be in excellent hands making them part of your health care team."
Adele Fox, Psychologist
“This is the first time I feel satisfied; my cravings have diminished dramatically and I have a whole new relationship with food. I am eating guilt-free for the first time in my life. My energy has also dramatically increased and I feel great!
Rhonda Jenkins, Nutrition Counseling Client
“The Dieticians at Health Stand Nutrition help you to take action on the science behind eating well by making it practical, understandable, and fun. Their office is cozy and not at all clinical or intimidating. I felt like I was sitting down with a really smart, caring friend who wanted to help me make the best choices for my lifestyle and food preferences. They really are the best in the business.”
Marty Avery, Nutrition Counseling Client
“I have come to think of the program as a one stop shopping excursion for everything one needs to know about creating a joyous relationship with food and our bodies. In a single word, the course has gifted me with freedom from the punishing rigidity of disordered eating, old stories that never were true, and body dysmorphia that did nothing but make me lose sight of a body that has done everything I've asked, despite my careless dismissal of her needs. Now when I look in the mirror I find myself shifting from harsh criticism to gentle gratitude.”
Lynn Haley, Pursuit of Healthiness Online Course Participant
“I spent 3 hours when first diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. I learned more from my Dietitian about food in those 3 hours than I had learned in all the years of my life. I also love the newsletter, there is always something to learn.”
Peter Whitehead, Nutrition Counseling Client
“I didn’t realize how strong my “diet mentality” was, and all the rules I had in my head about food. I was in a cycle of reward/punish/binge/cringe. I booked with your business very reluctantly, on the repeated advice of my doctor, to get my slowly rising cholesterol levels in check. I thought I knew everything about food, and my behaviour with food, but I was definitely re-schooled. My weight is creeping down, I feel good about my diet, exercise, body image, and lifestyle.”
Amy Floyd, Nutrition Counseling Client
“Thanks Andrea for an amazing presentation, I have heard all positive remarks from attendees and the evaluations show the same sentiment. It is really gratifying when a speaker does their “homework” and weaves in our profession’s day to day challenges within their content, you did an awesome job of this! You truly took the “die” out of Dietician! Your information on healthy eating and simplifying how we can work towards this as we are all so busy really hit the mark. Andrea connects very well with her audience; she is energetic, funny, and very approachable.”
Carole Ann LaGrange, Transfusion Medicine Safety Officer

Event Planner for Laboratory Diagnostic Imaging Annual Event

I am a family physician who sees patients with a myriad of eating concerns – from wanting to know how to plan healthy meals for active families, to weight loss, to eating disorders, and so on. I cannot recommend the Health Stand team highly enough. I have worked with (and been to!) other Dieticians in the past and too often find that they just ask for food logs and make suggestions that are easily obtained online or in books. The Dieticians at Health Stand offer much more than just telling clients what they “should be eating.” In contrast, the team really does more of a counselling practice, and they work hard to help their clients learn more about why their eating habits may be off track and not optimal for them, as well as helping people to effect change at a deep level that, most importantly, is sustainable for lifetime health.”
Dr. Deb Putnam, Family Physician

Nutrition Counseling Client & Referring Physician

“I am a busy mom, with kids in high level sports, working full-time downtown, and running our home acreage outside the City. I now have the knowledge and tools I need to plan for and manage the chaos of meal planning.”
Gillian Gray, Pursuit of Healthiness Online Course Participant
“As a construction company, we select speakers who can relate to our industry and its employees. Andrea’s message was delivered with humor and empathy. She makes people feel as though they can make changes without leaving behind every favorite food. Andrea focused her presentation on healthy eating as a way to keep energy high throughout the day. This message and the way it was delivered resonated with our predominantly male, blue collar culture. I would highly recommend Andrea as a speaker for groups such as ours. She will get your message across without alienating anyone in your audience – which is a huge hurdle when trying to introduce a wellness program in the workplace!”
Stephanie Wood, HR and Safety Manager

Fisher Construction Group, Burlington, WA

I found my Dietitian warm, funny, and skilled at teaching nutrition concepts without the overwhelm. The general approach of each session was to mix science with emotion, which was exceedingly effective in helping me shift my perspective on food from one of anxiety to one of joy and curiosity.”
Erin Kronstedt, Nutrition Counseling Client
“Excellent presentation! What a refreshing change to have a speaker inspire rather than “lecture” about nutrition. Your captivating stories, tips and overall approach to healthy eating uplifts and puts people at ease. It was great to hear we don’t need to strive to be perfect eaters, and that small changes really can make a difference in how we feel and in our health. Thanks to Andrea, we have solutions to our everyday nutrition challenges that can actually work in real life!”
Tina Tamagi, Human Resources

ARC Resources Ltd.

“Had I not joined this course I would have struggled with no focus, low energy, and mindless eating. Excellent teaching and motivation. This is not just a course, it is a nutrition club with mentorship, support, and connections with other people with similar situations.”
Lorri Lawrence, Pursuit of Healthiness online course participant

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