ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dr Kellie Bilinski is an Accredited Practising Dietitian.
Accredited Practising Dietitians are university qualified
health professionals who are able to individually assess
your diet and develop an eating plan that will allow you
to lose weight, without risking your health.Visit the ‘Find
an APD’ section of the Dietitians Association of Australia
e at http://www.daa.asn.au to find an APD in your area.CHOOSE
WISELY
When starting out with your
“Diet Buddy”, think about
entering a contract with them.
That way you’ll be less inclined
to break your side of the
agreement or let them down.
Establish a few guidelines that
each of you must abide by, and
include consequences if either
of you break them. For instance,
you might include a guideline
on how many servings of
vegetables you should eat
during the day, a limit on the
number of alcoholic drinks you
have, a ban on snacking on fatty
foods and ordering rich desserts
atarestaurant.It’salsogood
tohaveafewclausesinyour
contract that allow a few treats,
this helps prevent the feeling
of being too restricted. Some
exambreaking the rules might be that
you have a money jar, where
you put $1 in for each rule break- you might use the money to
see a movie or go to a day spa
together.
It’s important that we focus
on a healthy eating pattern
rather than follow a particular
“weight loss diet”. If it’s weight
loss you’re trying to achieve,
it’s important to look at your
lifestyle and eating habits.
Weight-loss diets are only a
temporary solution as they’re
usually difficult to maintain in
the long-term and don’t address
the habits that got you to that
weight in the first place. An
Accredited Practising Dietitian
is able to look at your lifestyle
and eating habits and offer
the support you need to make
improvements that are more
likely to become a lifestyle
choice.
anAPD
website
It’s important
that we focus on
a healthy eating
pattern rather
than follow a
particular “weight
loss diet”.
PHOTO CREDIT:SHUTTERSTOCK.COM68 | JULY/AUG 2015 | oxygenmag.com.au
Health