Guilt and self-loathing, be gone!
Have you ever wondered exactly what a dietitian does?
I thought it would be useful to give you an idea of how I work with clients when they come to me with problems.
Below is a recent case study about a client who had been caught in a cycle of dieting, bingeing, guilt and self-loathing for years.
As you will know by now, one of my passions is working with people to break cycles such as these. An unhealthy approach to food really can ruin lives, and I strive to help my clients feel happier about themselves and their bodies – and to feel like they have choices over what is best for them.
*Please note that names have been changed for anonymity.*
Introducing Clare
Clare is 39, lives alone and travels 40 minutes to work each day. She has always struggled with her weight and has tried every diet under the sun. Nothing works.
Clare’s weight is even higher than what it was 5 years ago. She feels like she is in a battle with her body. She tries to ‘be good’ and take lunches to work from home each day. She has been good in the past where she would cook ahead and freeze her meals.
But then, as many of us do, she has a weekend of over-indulging. There was a work function and a wedding over the one weekend. Then Clare had a takeaway on the Sunday night because she was too tired to cook.In her mind, she had stuffed it up. She thought – ‘I’ve failed. I was being so good, and now I’ve ruined it.” The dieting cycle continued.
It wasn’t until someone from work mentioned that they were on a health kick, that feelings of ‘I should be better at this’ came flooding back. Feeling guilty, Clare thought she would give it another try and be healthy. This is when she came to see me.
We identified a number of areas that could be improved
Clare’s situation is incredibly common. We are all “guilty” of having overindulgent weekends and beating ourselves up afterwards, but some people find it really hard to move on from times like this. This is known as being trapped in a “dieting cycle”.
During my initial consultation with Clare, several “problems” were revealed.
- Poor body confidence and a poor relationship with food. Clare felt shame and guilt after eating pretty much anything.
- IBS-like symptoms. Clare mentioned that she felt bloated, pain, experienced loose bowel motions, and had brain fog most days
- Always feeling tired. Clare knew that she needed to be eating more fruit and vegetables but because she was tired all the time, and after a long day at work and driving home, she, in her own words, “couldn’t be bothered.”
We decided to break things down and look at some specific goals that Clare wanted to achieve:
- Increase confidence in making the best food choice for her body and not feel the need to look at another diet – ever again!
- Improve bowel issues. She knew this affected her mood on days when she was particularly bloated and in lots of pain.
- Improve energy levels. With this, Clare wanted to be able to go for her long walks along the beach again.
What we did to break the dieting cycle
Clare decided she wanted to work on her energy levels first. Together, we came up with a plan that was realistic and achievable. It included structure and guidance on where to start, all broken up into small steps so it didn’t feel too daunting. Clare was really happy with this approach – it was just what she needed! She also felt she needed accountability.
By the end of our session, Clare felt so relieved that she didn’t have to endure another terrible, restrictive diet – something that she knew from the bottom of her heart just wouldn’t work for her.
She felt excited to be on a new path which she knew would be a lot more sustainable for years to come. Sure, she knew things wouldn’t always be perfect, but nobody should expect perfection. In fact, she has learnt that it’s normal to come across a few speed bumps in the road that may try to steer her off track. With regular follow up sessions across a number of months, we have slowly moved through each of Clare’s problem areas and broken the dieting cycle.
“I feel so much happier!”
After some time (as behavioural changes do take some time!), Clare feels so much more happiness in how she feels about her body. She no longer weighs herself – heck, she threw the scales out a long time ago!
She knows how to carefully listen to her body more and responds appropriately, knowing every day is different. She no longer feels guilty for having some birthday cake at special events, like her mum’s 60th. She manages her work lunches most of the time, she still buys a Friday lunch out and has a meal out with friends every weekend or so, but that’s OK. With continued practice, practice, and more practice, Clare has learnt the right balance for her body, and nobody else’s.
If YOU feel caught in a dieting cycle, please don’t stress – I can help you. Contact me to book in a consultation.
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