‘Stay consistent’ – success story: Simone de Pinho

Chat Leave a comment March 18, 2019 nutritionadsa

We chatted to Simone de Pinho about her journey with registered dietitian Michelle McDermott.

Why did you decide to see a dietitian? (the before story)

I have been a yo-yo dieter all my life. I struggled with my weight from the time that I became aware that weight means something in the world. I have lost a considerable amount of weight often but always put it back on as I failed to stay consistent.

The reason that I went to Michelle, which is the reason that I always start, is because I became so uncomfortably large that my only option was to lose weight. Sometimes I wished that I had a medical reason to lose weight (it might have pushed me to be more motivated) but my health has generally not been a factor.

Tell us about your journey with the dietitian?

Michelle is not like other dietitians. Her approach is one of realism, when all I strived for was perfection.

Michelle helped me realise that my excess weight was a result of emotional eating – although this could sound obvious to someone else, I only realised this when I would go to weekly sessions, see weight gain on the scale and then cry while Michelle tried to console me and give me the motivation I needed. How Michelle didn’t fire me during those weeks, months, years, I have no idea!

I think Michelle now knows me so well that she can see when I am motivated and when I am slipping. Michelle also gives the most amazing advice just when I need it. 

I also want to mention that my boyfriend and I see Michelle together. I can see how Michelle’s approach to a man differs to that of a woman and that is a testament to her experience and the wealth of knowledge that she holds! Our sessions are always fun (especially when we know we have stuck to our plan) and Michelle always gives us great feedback and measures all sorts of other things (such as body fat, water retention and metabolic calorie rate).

Tell us about your results / successes?

Most (if not all) of my over eating stems from emotional eating. This is something that I have researched over and over in an effort to understand it. I am successful with my plan when I remember to focus on eating healthily and within my plan. I am unsuccessful when I let me emotions overwhelm me and my brain literally doesn’t engage. Binge eating cannot be stopped no matter how much my brain tries to see the logic!!

I first started seeing Michelle in October 2014 and lost about 30kg’s from October 2014 to September 2015. I then started falling off the wagon and during 2016 and 2017 put all the weight that I had lost (plus an additional 10 kg) back on. In January 2018 Michelle put me on a strict medical weight loss program using meal replacements and I have lost 18.4kg’s in approximately 3 months. 

What was the hardest part of the journey?

Definitely maintaining the weight loss! The hardest part of the weight loss journey is not losing the weight, it’s about maintaining a healthy lifestyle and being consistent, after you have reached your “goal weight”.

The other difficult part is to actually start – for me it’s all about getting my mind right. Learning how to self-motivate has been a journey and is still a journey.

What are the top three tips you can share?

• Stay consistent

• Have treats but make sure you get back on your plan immediately afterwards

• Exercise is key to ensuring that your mindset is correct

What the dietitian says

Simone has been a dedicated patient and is a true example of how you can do things when your mind is in the right place. We have worked together to find a plan that works for her and all I did was provide the tools and the guidance – Simone did all the hard work after that and is achieving wonderful results. Starting on any new plan needs clear guidance,  goal setting and tools to make it work within your lifestyle so that the changes made can be sustained long term.

This is what a dietitian would aim to achieve with a patient as well as offer encouragement and  ways to make easy sustained changes to reach the health and nutrition goals of the patient.

Congratulations and well done to Simone – a few more steps to go!

 

To find a registered dietitian in your area, visit the ADSA website.

‘Notice and appreciate the smallest changes in yourself and body’ – success Story: Kim Gunnell

Chat Leave a comment March 11, 2019 nutritionadsa

Kim Gunnell struggled with her weight her entire life. Her gran’s passing was her turning point, which resulted in her meeting registered dietitian Jade Seeliger and kicking off her weight loss journey and a whole new way of seeing herself:

Why did you decide to see a dietitian? (the before story)

I’ve struggled with my weight throughout my life. No matter what I tried, things didn’t work and neither did my motivation to stick it out when the going got tough.

After my gran past away in March 2017, I decided to get rid of my comfort blanket (my hair) and I donated over 35cm to CANSA. This was the surprising start of my journey and the start of the investment in myself. 

Tell us about your journey with the dietitian?

Jade has become a part of my life, from when I stand in the queue at Woolworths and am tempted by sweets to when I am having a bad day and am not wanting to go to the gym. 

It’s so important to have a honest relationship with your dietitian, you can only BS your way to a certain extent as they honestly become a part of your life as you cover everything from bowel movements to menstrual cycles.  

Jade has shown me that my relationship with food was they way it was because of my home environment, no concept of portions and a lack exposure to variety. This was all that I knew for 25 years of my life. However the past 365 days have opened my mind and mouth up to new foods, recipes and cooking methods. 

Our relationship has well surpassed that of client and patient as she has not only guided me throughout the process but when I had stumbling blocks, she was able to recommend the next steps that were beyond her expertise. 

Tell us about your results / successes? 

To date, I have lost just short of 20kg’s in less than a year – with ups and downs along the way and with Jade being on maternity leave. 

I hated running since I was a child. I used to dread having do it from both a physical and mental perspective and was never been able to wrapped my head around it. In 2016 I attempted the 10km Soweto Marathon race and it was one of the most eye opening experiences of my life at nearly 130kg (I cried all the way to the finish). However, this has changed since I decided to start running at gym and to enter the Spar Series, JP Morgan and my nemesis Soweto again. Needless to say, I finished my 10km in 1h19min which was 2 minutes faster than the time I set myself as a goal and I am now hooked. I’m participating in Park Runs every weekend and clocking a minimum of 10km a week at gym. Further to this, I have a goal of doing at least 10 x 10km races before the end of the year.

I’ve always put off things which have a predetermined weight restriction or will make me look ‘silly’ for trying, but I have now gone for a wake boarding lesson and learnt to ride a scooter. To some this may seem like small, but for me those were a big deal and something I’d always put off. 

What was the hardest part of the journey? 

There were two parts of my journey that were really hard and I still work on them daily: 

1 – Loving the Scale (well trying to) – The scale was avoided for years prior to my choice to confront it. I had to learn to love and understand it far beyond the numbers that are displayed. 

2 – Self Love – I’ve had to learn to love myself and recognize the change that I have undergone, past the numbers on the scale. This has been my biggest challenge as I have always done everything for everyone else, except myself and have been the size that I am for as long as I can remember. It has affected me from clothes shopping to getting in a aeroplane and feeling as if there is now more space. I am a work in progress as 25 years of negativity cannot be undone overnight or in a few months. 

This is still a challenge for me, as I have to completely adapt my mindset and way I perceive myself and the world around me on a daily basis. 

What are the top three tips you can share?

• You aren’t going to lose weight every time you get on the scale – make peace with it 
• Notice and appreciate the smallest changes in yourself and body
• Stick to it, but don’t be too hard on yourself – even wheels fall of wagons

What the dietitian says

Some clients have the ability to not only to motivate themselves in their health journey, but in fact everyone they come into contact with.  Kim was such an inspiration to me, to see someone turn their entire life around through the lessons they learnt in health made the journey a deeply fulfilling one for me as a dietitian. 

To find a dietitian in  your area, visit www.adsa.org.za

 

‘Be dedicated and committed to your journey’ – success story: Bongi Ncube

Chat 1 Comment March 4, 2019 nutritionadsa

We chatted to Bongi Ncube, who has been seeing registered dietitian Monique Piederit, to find out more about her health and fitness journey:

Why did you decide to see a dietitian? (The before story)

In January 2017 I started on the fitness journey – due to work pressure and the amount of stress I endured, I needed an outlet to release the pressure; gym became that outlet. The initial intent was to keep fit, but I soon realised that I was not happy with how I looked and thus wanted to lose weight.

I procured the services of a personal trainer who later recommended that I consider consulting with a dietitian as diet plays a key role in weight loss. 

 Tell us about your journey with the dietitian?

The first consultation was an eye-opener! I realised that approximately 50% of my weight comprised body fat – the task at hand was to work on reducing the body fat %.

The first week was very tough as the portions I had to eat were far smaller than what I used to eat, but with time I got used to the eating plan.

What I appreciated the most is that the eating plan that was recommended for me was easy to follow – no food types were cut out, instead the portions were reduced.

My dietitian was been very supportive and encouraged me on this weight-loss journey and the eating plan complemented the training schedule I had with my personal trainer.

Tell us about your results / successes? 

I have successfully managed to loose 17.5kg (from 88.6kg in July 2017 to 71.1kg in September 2018). This has been a consistent gradual reduction of my weight over the months.

What was the hardest part of the journey? 

Taking the first step to consult with a dietitian was certainly not easy. I was not sure of what to expect and was very nervous at my first consultation.

Getting used to the smaller portions was not easy. It took me at least 1.5weeks to get used to the eating plan. Over the period October 2017 to January 2018, my weight remained stagnant at 81.6kg – this was very difficult to accept as I was doing everything that was recommended and still there was no change. It took a lot of courage to press on through this period.

What are the top three tips you can share?

• You need to have a good relationship with food – do not be scared to eat, but eat right.
• Don’t view the eating plan as a diet, view it as an eating plan (a guide to follow to ensure that you consume the right amount of micronutrients).
• Be dedicated and committed to your journey; it pays off. It does not matter how long it takes, as long as the weight keeps coming down.  

I never thought that I would ever be able to reach my 2012 pre-baby body weight, but through the help of both my dietitian and personal trainer, I have been able to achieve this goal. My family’s support has been a huge contributor and enabler to my weight loss.

My fitness level have reached new heights – over and above the 10kms runs, I have managed to run 7 X 21.1kms with PB of 2:46. I am now working on toning my body and maintaining the weight.

What the dietitian says

Bongi is the perfect example of how you can do anything you put your mind to. She started seeing another dietitian, Kezia Kent, after a wellness challenge at work inspired the start of her journey, starting at 88kg and moving down to 81kg. When Kezia immigrated, I continued working with Bongi who in total has lost over 20kg. Apart from making daily and sustained changes to her diet, Bongi’s new found love of running has supported her weight loss even further where she regularly challenges herself to 21km half marathons.

Weight loss – a journey, not a destination

Chat 2 Comments August 13, 2018 nutritionadsa

Today we meet Debbie de Coning who after many years of trying to improve her health and loose weight unsuccessfully, reached out to registered dietitian Monique Piderit.

She shares her journey with us, as well as some great tips for anyone embarking on a journey to better health:

Why did you decide to see a dietitian?

I had been on a quest to improve my overall health for many years and as a result had developed an interest in nutrition and healthy eating. I had already eliminated several food groups in my efforts to reduce inflammation, sinus and increase my energy levels. I had cut out sugar and refined carbs; wheat; as well as dairy – and while I did feel some benefits from significantly reducing all these – my energy levels remained low and the weight refused to move.

I had got to the point where I felt there must be a missing link somewhere and that if I could find out what it was, I was sure that I would be able to lose weight. I had tried so many approaches – and even although my health improved – the weight did not budge. Quite simply, I was tired of all the guesswork.

I kept researching, and after reading about DNAlysis, decided that I was going to invest in my health and get my weight sorted out once and for all.

Tell us about your journey with the dietitian?

I put a request out on Facebook asking for recommendations of dietitians who worked with DNAlysis. Someone tagged Monique in that post, and Monique reached out and offered to assist me on my weight loss journey.

What I really loved about working with Monique was the holistic way in which she approached this ‘project’. While we waited for the DNAlysis results, we had an in-depth consultation about relationships with food, family and friends. We also spoke about lifestyle. She found out which foods I liked and which I didn’t. We did a comprehensive set of blood tests and adjusted my supplement intake. By the time we had the DNAlysis results, we had a sound scientific platform from which to work.

The test showed that my body does not metabolize fat well. So, I went onto a low-fat eating plan. When I received my eating plan from Monique, it was scientifically worked out. There was nothing on it that I didn’t like and so it all felt pretty normal and do-able.

I now knew, that if I put something fat (good or bad) into my mouth, it wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon! I drastically reduced my red meat and chicken intake. I had to learn to use different sources of protein that were lower in fat, and had to make decisions to cut back on foods though they were healthy fats, such as peanut butter, almonds and avocados, and watch portions. No more guesswork: we had an informed strategy. Having the scientific knowledge has really helped me to rationalise making the right choices.

I really recommend working with a dietitian. Healthy living and good nutrition is a science. You need someone with the knowledge and skills to assist you, and it’s a real plus to find someone who is your champion as well.

 Tell us about your results / successes? 

In a relatively short time (8 months) and with what felt like minimal effort I lost 20kg. My waist and hips reduced by 14cm each. I also reduced my insulin by half and reduced my cholesterol count. My energy levels have also increased.

I went to see a biokineticist to get the appropriate exercises to tone and strengthen my muscles. My fitness is the next leg of the journey that I need to work on. Before losing weight, I wouldn’t have been able to complete even half of the exercises, but after the weight loss, I was able to complete all the sets of repetitions, albeit slowly.

When I first picked up the 2 x 2kg weights, I could hardly lift the 4kg. It was a shock to realise that I had been carrying five times that weight all day and every day. No wonder I had no energy!

What was the hardest part of the journey? 

Being a people pleaser, it was often hard for me to say no when being offered well-intentioned albeit wrong food choices. I had to become firm in making decisions to decline food without being apologetic and feeling the need to explain myself to others. Drinking enough water is always a challenge. And of course, who wants to offend a Lindt chocolate on offer?

What are the top three tips you can share?

1. Be pedantic about portion sizes. Have a good food scale and measuring cups to make sure you stick to your portion sizes. If it’s 80g of chicken, then it’s 80g and not 95 or 100g. Also, split portions to allow for variety and texture. Instead of a full starch portion of mealies, have half mealies and half couscous. This helps to make food interesting with a variety of colour and texture. The minute food becomes boring, you are sabotaging yourself and feel hard done by.
2. Embrace the new normal. I only told a few people about my weight loss journey while I was in the trenches, those I knew would support me. I did not want people watching me, watching what I was eating and passing judgement. There will always be pessimists and naysayers. Limit your exposure to them. It was a personal journey and I just wanted to get on with it. Sometimes the downside of setting a goal is thinking that when you’ve reached it the journey is over. Embracing the new normal means exactly that. When you’ve reach your goal weight, your healthy lifestyle continues.
3. Celebrate a range of milestones. It’s not just about the weight. Celebrate reducing your insulin or centimetres lost. I celebrated cleansing my wardrobe and adopting a minimalistic capsule wardrobe approach. It’s not about buying things to reward yourself necessarily. You are making a conscious lifestyle change, so why do you need to be rewarded for that? Celebrate mindshifts and lifestyle choices. They are rewards in themselves.

What the dietitian says 

Monique says: “A key lesson is how Debbie approached this change in her life as a journey and not a destination. Right from the beginning, she chose to embrace the process of change by eating healthier, controlling portions, and making better food choices every day and at every meal, consciously avoiding dieting and the deprivation that it entails. Debbie’s dedication to her health is a great inspiration to other women. I am so proud of you, Debbie!”

To find a registered dietitian in your area, visit the ADSA website!

Be Kind to Yourself!

Chat Leave a comment April 24, 2018 nutritionadsa

We are sharing success stories to find out why people decide to see a dietitian, what happens on the journey, what the hardest part of that journey is and what results are achieved. This week we chatted to Bianca Dorp who worked with registered dietitian Alex Royal to improve her health and diet.

Why did you decide to see a dietitian? (The before story)

I was training about 5 to 6 times a week in the gym, and seeing a personal trainer twice a week during those sessions. The results I was seeing were not correlating to the amount of activity I was doing, so I decided to enlist the help of Alex to see where my nutrition could be improved in order to reap the rewards for the amount of effort I was putting into training.

Tell us about your journey with the dietitian?

The main surprise for me was that the amount of food that I was eating was far too much, albeit healthy. Alex gave me the tools to live a healthy lifestyle that was designed for my body and physical activity level. Since I love cooking I’ve found this extremely helpful because now I know what portions I’m allowed to eat, and I can invent meals that stick to this ratio, while still being very tasty.

I loved my journey with Alex! It is very rewarding to see those centimetres drop off month by month after the hard work I put in. It was great to have a sounding board to talk about food, any difficulties I was facing, and simply learning about my body and how to feed it well.

I felt like I was treating my body with the utmost respect and felt amazing during the whole process. 

Tell us about your results / successes?

The results were incredible, but like anything came with hard work and dedication. Alex was an expert in making me pick up muscle mass, but reducing fat at the same time, which is a rare combination I believe. My monthly measurements showed a good reduction in fat percentage and a good pick up in muscle mass, which showed off all the muscles I wanted to from training. I not only physically looked better and felt stronger, I’ve never felt more energetic in my life. My body felt so healthy and well nourished. Another benefit was that my skin became very clear and radiant, which is always appreciated!

What was the hardest part of the journey?

The hardest part in the beginning was dealing with the amount of food I was allowed to eat, mainly on the protein side. During the journey I decided to lessen my alcohol intake significantly, which sped up my results even more. This was initially hard to do as I do love a good glass of wine. Throughout the journey I would say staying motivated is definitely a important factor. It’s very easy (for me) to rather stay at home instead of exercising, but you just have to keep at it. And to also be kind to yourself if something does slip through the cracks and you take a tiny step backwards. Alex taught me that in the big picture of life, gaining 1cm back is not a big deal. It’s your overall well-being that is important.

What are the top three tips you can share?

• Meal prep and plan! This was a huge help since I then couldn’t stray from the plan, because all the meals were already measured out and prepped.
• Carry healthy snacks with you. If I was feeling very hungry during the day I’d make sure to have an apple or some nuts on me so that I could snack on something healthy rather than resorting to buying something.
• Be kind to yourself. I would beat myself up a lot if my results weren’t consistent every month. But as Alex said, it’s a journey so try to not be too hard on yourself if one month is ‘worse’ than the rest

What the dietitian says

I loved every minute of the journey with Bianca. She was so enthusiastic and committed to improving her health and diet, which showed in her beautiful, well deserved results. I think she was also motivated as she picked up speed and saw that the results were actually tangible. To be honest she inspired me and reminded me why I truly love what I do. Thank you Bianca!

 

To find a dietitian in your area, please visit the ADSA website

‘I feel healthier, fitter and more energetic!’

Chat Leave a comment July 26, 2017 nutritionadsa

We are sharing success stories to find out why people decide to see a dietitian, what happens on the journey, what the hardest part of that journey is and what results are achieved. This week we chat to Adrienne Bewsher, who started seeing Registered Dietitian Monique Piderit following a general health check-up which highlighted concerns around her weight and fitness. Here is her story ….

Tell us about your journey with the dietitian

Just before my 45^th birthday late last year, as part of a Women’s Development programme at work, I had a general health check-up and the results highlighted that I was both overweight and totally unfit! I knew I had to do something about that, so, in November 2016, I decided to visit a dietitian, Monique Piderit at Nutritional Solutions, and have a DNA Diet test done. I received the results of my DNA Diet test and the best eating plan for my body was a low-fat diet. Monique put together a very practical eating plan for me which was so easy to follow and apply to my lifestyle. I also had full range of blood tests done to understand my overall health – my overall Cholesterol and LDL-Cholesterol were high, whilst my Vitamin D levels were low.

Working with Monique, we set realistic weight loss goals which are achievable and keep me motivated.

Tell us about your results

Since November 2016 I continue to have regular “weigh-ins” with Monique which help to keep me on track and teach me more about healthy nutrition. I am so thrilled that I have lost over 10% (8kgs) of my body weight in 8 months, plus my Cholesterol levels have dropped to low risk levels.

To improve my fitness, I decided to take up running. As a full-time working Mom of 5 year old twins, I needed to find a form of exercise that would fit into my time constraints

and my lifestyle. I started off using an App that taught me to run 5kms in 8 weeks (although it took me more like 12 weeks to complete the programme!). Then in May this year I discovered “Catch Me If You Can” (CMIYC) – a running community exclusively for women in South Africa. CMIYC motivates women at various stages of their running journeys to get out and run together. They have various locations throughout the country, with Team Leaders in different areas who setup running dates throughout the week. Apart from getting fit, there are the added benefits of safety in numbers, tremendous support, motivation and friendship from the other women. I am proud to say that I have completed several 5km and 10km races and have entered my first half-marathon in November this year!

At 45, I now feel healthier, fitter and more energetic than I have for at least the past 10 years.

What was the hardest part of the journey?

My biggest challenge has been sticking to eating healthy during holidays like Christmas and Easter. When I do “de-rail” I am gentle but firm on myself and get back to healthy eating as quickly as possible. Just because I had a “cheat” meal doesn’t mean that I write off the entire day or weekend, but rather get back on track again the very next meal.

What are the top three tips you can share?

Banish the word “diet” from your vocabulary. For me, it comes with such negative connotations and makes me feel immediately hungry! Rather think of yourself as following a healthy lifestyle, as it will benefit so much more than just your weight.

Find a form of exercise that works for you. I do not have the time to drive to gym to do a workout, but road running works for me. If you can, persuade a buddy to join you for your workouts – you will feel far more guilty cancelling on them.

Set yourself goals. I am extremely target driven and by implementing achievable goals, both from a weight-loss and exercise point of view, I am getting there one step at a time. Celebrate when you achieve those goals – you deserve it!

What the dietitian says

I met Adrienne just before her 45^th birthday. From day one, her motivation levels were high and her energy to make a change for her health and wellbeing was so strong. I think that’s why Adrienne has done so well (and continues to do so) – it became less about weight and more about health.

Adrienne joined a social running team called Catch Me if You Can which consists of like-minded ladies. She started with short 5km runs, progressing up to doing 10km running events. Running is a great way to boost energy levels, improve sleep, and help with weight loss, and Adrienne soon got addicted to that well-known runners high. Last I saw her, she told me she signed up for her first half-marathon in November. I am so proud of her for being so steadfast in her decision to be health. Who knows, maybe next we’ll be talking running nutrition as she trains for Comrades. Adrienne is a great example of how weight loss is just a by-product of choosing a healthy lifestyle first and foremost.

Healthy Nutrition during Pregnancy

Chat 1 Comment June 9, 2016 nutritionadsa

We are sharing success stories to find out why people decide to see a dietitian, what happens on the journey, what the hardest part of that journey is and what results are achieved. This week we chat to Bonnie Classen, who started seeing Registered Dietitian Alex Royal when she fell pregnant:

Tell us about your journey with the dietician? 

Over the past few years I have strived to lead a healthy lifestyle, with my food choices being based around eating as many real foods as possible, and minimal processed and refined foods. Despite my diet being healthy for the most part, I still  found that I still struggled in a few areas – such as afternoon slumps, sugar cravings, and low energy during certain times of the day.

After falling pregnant, I felt it would be a good idea to visit Alex Royal for a dietetics consultation, to help guide me on the optimum food choices during my pregnancy. As the majority of my food choices were already healthy, I was very curious to see the assessment of my current diet, as I couldn’t imagine what possible improvements could be made.

Wow did I have a lot to learn !!

 While on the whole my food choices had been good, Alex highlighted so many interesting points regarding my current diet. From the excessive amount of fat I was eating each morning (I was shocked to hear how much fat I was consuming with my breakfast each morning, I had no idea), my very low calcium intake, and so much more.

Using my existing food choices and lifestyle – Alex helped adjust my current eating regime. Adjustments were made to my meals. From distributing my fat intake more evenly throughout the day, increasing of calcium, including protein & vegetables during certain times and so much more.

 As Alex worked with my current eating style and diet when making these adjustments, these changes weren’t very challenging to implement into my daily routine, which made them far more manageable to achieve.

What a difference these seemingly simple changes made to my life !

She also helped highlight some really important information to me regarding my dietary needs during pregnancy, such as the importance of calcium intake during pregnancy and the daily recommended dosage, as well as information on all the other essential nutrients required during pregnancy.

During our second consultation Alex also suggested I bring in all my vitamins, and assessed my vitamins dosages, giving fantastic suggestions on inclusions and improvements here too.

 Tell us about your results? 

The results I achieved after implementing the dietary changes were nothing short of fantastic! My afternoon slumps diminished, and I realized that my previous afternoon ‘sugar’ cravings was simply hunger – I was eating lunch far too early in the day and then only eating dinner after 7pm. So without an afternoon snack, was starving by 5pm!

By adjusting my food quantities, including protein into my breakfast each morning, and spreading out my fat intake –  I also felt far more sustained throughout the day.

Alex also gave me tips on how to ‘give in’ to my pregnancy craving, but ensuring that this was done with the right food choices, so that the extra calories I was consuming weren’t empty calories. She took my pregnancy experiences into consideration when creating my customized eating plan. Despite being starving, I was also struggling with severe nausea (a combination I didn’t know was possible prior to pregnancy!) After most meals, I then also suffered from heartburn and indigestion, making eating full-size meals very unpleasant.

One of Alex suggestions was to eat a healthy snack a few hours after dinner, which ensured I still got my extra calories required despite eating a small dinner. By also eating this healthy snack before the hunger & cravings hit, I felt satisfied and managed to avoid the late night “pregnancy” sugar binges I found myself giving into prior to my consultations.

During my consultations Alex tracked my pregnancy weight gain, ensuring this was on track, while still increasing my muscle mass. I have now managed to maintain an extremely healthy weight gain throughout my pregnancy. I have not only loved my pregnancy body, but also feel such a great sense of confidence that I have given my baby the best head start in life, by ensuring she has had the optimal nutrition needed 🙂

 What was the hardest part of the journey? 

The hardest part was to be more disciplined in preparing lunches and snacks for my work day. While packing lunch was easy (as we generally made a generous healthy dinner the night before – and took leftovers to work), I never prepared any snacks for work.

So it took some time to adjust to having to be slightly more disciplined in my preparation each morning, but the results were worth it! By simply taking those 15 minutes each morning to pack for the day, I now am completely able to avoid the 5pm ‘binge’ I found myself falling into each afternoon.  

What are the top 3 tips you can share? 

• From the 2nd trimester you should increase your daily calorie, but the extra food you eat shouldn’t just be empty calories, as it should provide the nutrients for your growing baby needs. It is also easier than you think to get these extra calories!
• You can get creative with your eating schedule during pregnancy. As mentioned, I suffered from extreme nausea, heartburn and indigestion when eating full-size meals, often making meals unpleasant. By splitting up your meals and eating smaller meals and snacks at different times within the day, it helped ensure I still consumed the calories and nutritional intake during pregnancy, while avoiding the excessive pregnancy heartburn & indigestion i experienced with larger meals.
• Be prepared !! When you have a busy work schedule, it is very easy to get caught up in your day and go for long stretches without food, then give in to the ‘convenient’ foods that are in reach (these usually being unprocessed, sugar filled snacks) By simply making time to prepare your lunches & snacks for your day ahead, you can maintain your healthy diet habits and continue to feel sustained throughout the day.

Feedback from the Alex Royal

It was an absolute pleasure to help Bonnie along this path. She made excellent dietary and lifestyle changes which benefited both her and her little one. Her body composition improved during her pregnancy with her body fat decreasing while her muscle mass improved. She managed her cravings and followed the meal plan to the letter, including the nutrients that we needed to focus on to help her baby develop and grow well.  Her motivation and commitment to her health and to her baby’s well being was inspiring.

Making the healthy choice is for yourself

Chat Leave a comment November 18, 2015 nutritionadsa

This week we chat to Bruce Burgess, as part of the series of success stories we have and will be sharing over the next couple of months. Bruce started seeing Registered Dietitian, Alex Royal, when he was training for his second Half Iron Man and felt that he had hit a weight loss plateau:

Tell us about your journey with the dietitian?

I met Alex through mutual training partners while preparing for my second Half Iron Man. Of my own volition I had been on the Banting diet for a few months by then and had lost a few kilos, but after some time had started to feel like I was slowing down physically and I just wasn’t getting lean. One day I eventually realised how silly it was that I had been strictly following a diet that I had only read about in a single book, when I actually had access to Alex, a professional who had several years’ experience in the field, who could personally assess and guide me. In our first appointment she took the time to understand my goals, eating habits, professional and social lifestyle, and exercise regime before building a meal plan that genuinely suited me. Throughout our interactions and follow-ups she has been an absolute professional. Her input has always been realistic and honest and I knew from the outset that anything personal that we discussed in her office was going to remain confidential, which was a critical part of our success so far. I look forward to our check-ins, even when I suspect that I might not have achieved all my goals in-between, because she understands that I’m a real person and that this is a journey.

Tell us about your results?

From literally the first week on the eating plan that Alex put together for me, I started to feel more energetic throughout more of the day and could notice my body becoming more lean. I also felt more agile on my surfboard, which really put a smile on my face! At my first check in, it was clear that it was genuinely working. I was lighter, my metabolism was faster and I had reduced my body fat. Running has always been my weakest discipline, but a few weeks ago, I completed a 21km in 1h43min, which is a full 17 minutes faster than what I was expecting – and close to 45 mins faster than my personal best. My friends have noticed my results too and I have had a lot of compliments on my leaner appearance and questions about what my secret was – to which my answer has always been a sincere recommendation of Alex’s services.

What was the hardest part of the journey?

The hardest part of the journey for me has been trying to maintain my eating plan during my week-long work trips into Africa. Exactly the right food options can be quite hard to come by and mealtimes when you are on the road can be quite irregular. However, having an understanding of what I am supposed to be eating and avoiding, has meant that for the most part I’ve been able to make healthier decisions while travelling instead of just eating whatever is easiest.

What are the top three tips you can share?

Making the healthy choice is for yourself. You’re going to run into resistance from the world around you, but at the end of the day, your health needs to come first.

Don’t forget your protein shake when you travel. There’s always water around, so at least you can get something healthy in when you’re feeling hungry between irregular meals.

Just because the perfect meal isn’t available, doesn’t mean you have to go all bad. If the only thing you recognise on a menu is the burger, you can still order it with a salad or baked veg (if you’re concerned about raw foods in whatever far flung corner of the content you are) rather than eating deep fried chips.

And just because you got breakfast and lunch wrong, doesn’t mean that a healthy dinner isn’t going to make a positive difference. One or two naughty treats aren’t going to ruin your diet, but I know just how quickly a cheat day can turn into a cheat week.

A word from the dietitian

When Bruce came to see me he was training for his second Half Iron Man and was determined to get his eating habits on track. But like most people he was bombarded with weird and wonderful tips from blogs and the internet. So we kicked off by discussing all the myths and outlined a good way forward. The diet plan was aimed to suit his busy work schedule and social lifestyle while meeting his body composition goals. His overall aim was to drop body fat and gain muscle, all while eating adequate calories to tweak his athletic performance…in other words to become a machine!

I was so thrilled when I saw Bruce for his first follow-up. He was well on track and following my guidelines to the Tee. We had subtly changed his eating patterns and lifestyle and he was seeing the results. He has continued to impress and peaked his athletic performance by logging his personal best at the Knysna half marathon.

Well done Bruce!

Making sustainable lifestyle changes and creating new habits – Michael’s success story

Leave a comment June 9, 2015 nutritionadsa

This week we chat to Michael North, as part of the series of success stories we will be sharing over the next couple of months. Michael started seeing Registered Dietitian, Elienne Horwitz, when he started gaining weight and feeling unhealthy:

Why did you decide to see a dietitian? (Michael’s before story)

The short answer is I was getting fat and feeling and unhealthy and all my attempts at watching what I ate and drank were short lived and unsuccessful. I was exercising a bit, mountain biking on the weekend and playing the odd game of squash, but these were usually followed by reward lunches with my friends.

Combined with this was that some friends who I would generally beat up the hills and round the trails started beating me! I also started noticing how slow I was getting and how steep and more difficult the hills were becoming. I guess when the lunches were getting longer and more taxing than the mountain biking, I knew I needed some help.

Tell us about your journey with the dietitian?

My first visit to Elienne was for a Discovery Vitality assessment that a friend from work said I should do to get points on my card to qualify for the discounts. After doing this and realising that the dietitian was not a scary food nazi intent on making me feel useless unless I weighed the same as I did in primary school and only ate salad and tofu, I knew that I needed to step up if I wanted to make any changes. Elienne was really friendly, honestly wanted to help and also had a nice, but slightly strict way about her.

She made me aware of what I ate but also explained why things were good or bad. If I didn’t like some of the food items she suggested, she always had several alternative options and by explaining why I needed those food choices I was, over time and with some practice, quite easily able to choose my own alternatives.

Elienne started out by giving me a breakdown of the number of carb, protein, dairy and fat portions I should eat a day and when and how I should eat them; breakfast, mid-morning snack, lunch, mid-afternoon and dinner.

I started swimming with a group at my local gym and was still mountain biking a bit so she showed me how I should adjust my diet during exercise and for recovery after.

The basic principle was not a quick weight loss scheme but more of a healthier living choice, which facilitated weight loss until reaching a weight appropriate for my height and age, etc. So my journey was not a very quick one but my weight loss and fitness levels gradually but consistently went in the right direction.

Tell us about your results / successes?

I think it took me about a year but I lost 18 kg and quite a few centimeters. I also started cycling more, doing events like the Argus and several open water swims. Most importantly, I just felt better.

After a while I started looking for other challenges to help keep me active and on track with my plan instead of back to the pub everyday! I joined a group called Embark, in Sea Point to train for the Ironman 70.3 event in East London and not only completed the triathalon, but also won the Embark “Most Improved Over All” award at the club after party. I was quite proud of that, considering that I had sworn to never run more than 5km in my life!

The following year I joined another triathlon group (My Training Day) and in April 2014 completed the full Ironman. Now the bug has bitten and this year I improved by time by about 30 minutes.

I still keep pretty much to the same eating plan that Elienne put me on in the beginning but am able to eat a bit more now with all the training I am doing. What is great though is that I now know that when I go off track a bit and maybe pick up a kilo or two and it doesn’t take much to fall back into the routine of eating properly and losing the excess again.

What was the hardest part of the journey?

Avoiding beer, red wine and pizza!

In the beginning, the hardest part was eating 5 times a day. Generally in the past I would not eat breakfast or eat very little, then be so hungry by lunch that I would eat a big, junk food lunch and would justify it by saying that I hadn’t eaten all day “so it was ok”. Then I did the same for dinner.

What are the top three tips you can share?

• If you want to eat more, exercise more and substitute some of the bad stuff for good stuff.
• If you want to lose weight, don’t make excuses, you know that pies and chips are not going to help.
• If you can, go to a dietitian or someone like that to help get you started on your way and explain the ins and outs of the process. Being held responsible for your progress with regular weigh-ins can be a real help and motivation to say no to the extra beer or second helpings.

What the dietitian says

Michael lost 18kg, 13% body fat and 15cm around the waist over 16 months. He slowly changed his habits and started putting more energy into planning and preparing his meals and increasing his levels of exercise. He maintained his weight even a year later.

The most important reason Michael managed to lose the weight and keep it off was because because he did not diet – he made sustainable lifestyle changes and slowly created new habits.