"Eat well, live better" class vs. MFP

FibroHiker

Wow, uh. That's a lot to unpack. I don't think I've ever heard anyone report a dietician giving that advice before. Perhaps the dietician was trying to just get people started and wanted them to feel it wasn't as challenging as it seemed.

As some others pointed out in their responses, different methods work for different people. I know that if I don't weigh, measure, do portion control, and make sure that I am in a calorie deficit, I won't make progress on my weight loss goals or worse, gain weight.

I know now that because I have weighed and measured food for a while that I know what 4 Oz. of fish and chicken looks like. I know what 2 Oz. of pasta vs.6 or 8 looks like. I also know how to quickly estimate overall calories for eating out so that I make better choices when I can't weigh and measure.

For some, weighing and measuring food is the only way to really determine why an individual isn't making progress. It's not the only way, but it does help many. But for some people those practices can be really discouraging. She may have been trying to avoid that.

earlybirdlady

Just some thoughts on this...

I worked at a weight loss clinic for a long time. Everything was focused on calories and macros and tracking. And it was EFFECTIVE. But we also had groups and individual coaching that was focused on changing the relationship with food. The patients who took those classes ended up sustaining their progress for much longer than those who did not (don't remember the actual numbers, the hospital did a study).

I think relationship with food has a huge role to play in this, and we now know how toxic "diet culture" is and how much damage it has caused to so many people. I'm not talking necessarily about MFP - I'm obviously here because I think it's a great tool. But diet culture teaches people to rely on numbers and not actually pay attention to their bodies. So I think it's great that the industry is changing to more of a focus on mindful relationship with food, but then again it's starting to neglect tools (like tracking) that can be helpful for people who for whatever reason can't access or rely on those body cues.

All of this to say that I think there is room for both approaches, but as things usually go in our society, professionals tend to stick to one ideology or another. We are all all-or-nothing society (generally) and I wish professionals would just get on the same page with proper approaches to nutrition, relationship with food, and preventative health.