Eating Healthy but Not Losing Weight? Here’s Why
by Healthy Nest marketing director Kerri Hebert
I thought I was eating super healthy until I had my diet evaluated by a nutritionist
Two months ago, I would have told you with confidence that I definitely know how to eat healthy. And not only do I know how to eat healthy, but I actually do eat healthy. I love to cook, and salads & veggies are among my favorite foods. I don’t have a sweet tooth at all, and I only indulge in my cravings for salty, crunchy food (usually via chips & salsa) occasionally. My husband enjoys cooking and is on board with preparing healthy recipes. I work from home and thus can easily avoid eating out for lunch. My 4-year-old’s favorite dinner is grilled salmon and asparagus.
Considering all of the above, I am well aware that I have it much easier than most when it comes to sticking to a healthy diet.
Yet, 9 months after my daughter was born, my baby weight still wasn’t budging. I tried to be patient and keep in mind the effects of hormones, stress, etc., but the truth is that I was frustrated.
turning to the experts
I’ve professionally known Robin at Healthy Nest for several years, but we had never worked together on my diet. However, I had a special event coming up and desperately wanted to fit into a certain dress. So, Robin suggested that Maria, Healthy Nest’s newest nutritionist, take a look at what I was eating and help me pinpoint what was holding back my weight loss.
Maria and Robin considered my age, gender, lifestyle, activity level, etc. and gave me some macros to aim for — 50% healthy fats, 30% protein and 20% carbs — along with plenty of doable tips on how to reach those goals.
Like all Healthy Nest Natural Weight Loss Program clients, I would track everything I ate with a mobile app. Maria would monitor my diet and provide helpful feedback and encouragement along the way.
the process
Remember 30 seconds ago when I bragged about how knowledgeable and well-equipped I was for eating healthy? Yeah, well, as soon as I had instructions tailored to my body and became accountable to someone else for what I ate, I realized I was not giving my body what it needed. Not eating at all until 1pm was common (terrible for blood-sugar balance). My go-to easy lunch was microwave lentils that had 3x more carbs than protein or fat. I was also not drinking nearly as much water as I had thought.
Knowing Maria would see my food choices and daily macro totals made me really stop and think about every single thing I put in my body. I’ve always been a label-reader, but being accountable really upped my game. I was rewarded with supportive comments and feedback from Maria throughout the week. Via the mobile app, she gave me helpful tips that were super-specific to my body, nutritional needs and lifestyle.
the results
Following the nutrition plan that Robin and Maria created specifically for my body worked better than any other diet I’ve tried in the past. I had no idea that I needed so much healthy fat (bring on the avocados!). It changed so much about what I thought I knew about eating “healthy.” Now I know what my body needs and am much more mindful about what, when and how I am eating every day. Being accountable to Maria was a huge factor in making that happen.
My experience was only a taste of Healthy Nest Nutrition’s Natural Weight Loss Program, which is normally 6 weeks long. Of course most people are not going to get to their goal weight in that short of time, but that’s the point of the program! It’s not a diet that you do until you reach your goal weight (and then usually gain it back). Instead, it is designed to find the ideal diet for YOUR body and then give you the tools and support you need to change the way you eat forever.
You’ll meet with your Healthy Nest nutritionist in-person every week, and she will track your diet the whole time, providing feedback, support and that super-important accountability. You’ll get weekly meal plans to follow with delicious recipes and be able to work through cravings and other challenges with your nutritionist along the way. At the end of 6 weeks, as a “graduate” of the program you’ll have re-learned how to eat for your bio-individual body and be rewarded with continued weight loss and lifelong healthy-eating habits!
