Lafayette Today by The Editors, Inc

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Your Personal Nutritionist

IntroducingYour Personal Weight LossApp: Me By Linda Michaelis RD,MS

Wherever you turn these days there seems to be an app to help you lose weight. New clients often tell me they have been using these apps to track their food and calorie intake and are not finding success. They say they were getting interesting information but still could not get motivated to follow the prescribed food plan. I tell my clients that I am their best app and can help them achieve their weight loss goals with consistency. Here are a few of the ways my “app” helps them out.

Lafayette Today ~ March 2014 - Page 19

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I have been in private practice for 25 years, and I know the syndrome - we do well the first few weeks but then fall off the wagon. Either our workload increases, we get sick, or family matters prevent us from going to the gym. Quickly, the weight comes back on, and we get frustrated. My job is to help prevent this relapse and show you how to move ahead, even if your weight stays the same for a week. You need to first make sure your cupboards and refrigerator are organized to meet your goals. There must be foods available for healthy dinners and snacks. I recommend having on hand sufficient protein items such as precooked chicken or shrimp, sliced meats such as turkey, roast beef, or ham, hardboiled eggs, tuna salad, cottage cheese, and Greek yogurt, which are all available at our wonderful grocery stores. Have sweet potatoes, precooked brown rice, and kidney, garbanzo, or black beans kept in the refrigerator for salads, or quickcook quinoa, whole wheat couscous, or whole pasta that can be cooked up instantly for tasty meals. For veggies, keep in the freezer steam-in-the-bag broccoli, string beans, or petite brussel sprouts which taste great. Of course I recommend buying fresh veggies, but people tell me during the busy times they do not get cooked. I’d say in that case steam them the day you buy them, and snack on them with salsa or dressing dips.

Meals that Keep You Happy and Full

Losing weight does not mean that meals should be tasteless and boring. When new clients come in and I look at their food diary, I often say, “No wonder you have not been successful. These meals look like you are on a diet, and you cannot eat this way forever.” I always find that people need to have a better understanding of how to balance meals with protein, fiber, whole grains, and fat to provide a fullness that will last for hours. This knowledge cannot be learned through apps. I strive to make sure my clients are enjoying food and not feeling like they are on a diet. If you are a dessert person, I can help you set up days which include two desserts that make you happy - one after lunch and one after dinner, but not in between meals. If my clients like salty snacks, then I make sure that they have the “crunch” at lunch, such as by having a serving of chips along with tuna salad made with lite mayo, celery, relish, and onions along with some cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, and even a tomato soup.

Dining Out in Restaurants and Social Eating

One of the things I love to do is work with clients to plan out what to eat at restaurants or party meals. We look at the restaurant websites together and come up with an appetizer or two and/or an entree they would enjoy. Clients have told me that they walk into the restaurant and do not even look at the menu and just order what we had decided. Social eating requires lots of skill, and I take time role playing with my clients on how to handle the events.

How to Read Food Labels

In my first meeting with a client I make sure that they know how to read the food labels accurately. As I have written in past articles the food label is upside down and very misleading. They use grams instead of ounces, and I see many people that are confused and thus have purchased items that they thought were good food choices and weren’t.

Handling Emotions and Food

As I tell my clients, we all have slip-ups and wind up feeling guilty. That can start a vicious cycle of overeating and just plain feeling worse. I am a non-judgmental coach who has seen this scenario many times, and I teach my client to learn from their mishaps and actually become better for it. Often I will say to a client that I have been working with for awhile, “Remember you overate when there were struggles with the kids, but now you reach for a cup of tea and try to calm yourself and go take a hot shower and hop into bed.” Please feel free to contact me if you are struggling with weight loss and need the support, education, and motivation to keep you on track and finally reach your goal. I am glad to inform you that insurance can cover nutritional counseling. Please refer to my website www.LindaRD.com for a listing as well past articles and services. Email me at lifeweight1@yahoo.com or call (925) 855-0150 and tell me about your nutrition concerns. Advertorial

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Preparedness continued from front page

yet to experience a disaster,” says EPC chair Fred Lothrop, a retired industrial safety expert at the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory. “Most of what we plan for will not occur in our lifetimes, but we on the commission try to persuade those in our community to know what is liable to happen, and to be ready.” The seven commissioners of the EPC are appointed by, and are advisory to, the Lafayette City Council; two are in the medical field and one is a retired firefighter. All volunteer their time in helping to make sure that Lafayette and its residents are ready when disaster strikes. In addition to encouraging all residents to have disaster plans and home emergency supplies, the EPC strongly encourages all residents to participate in CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) training. While Lamorinda’s first responders are well prepared to handle everyday emergencies, the scope and number of incidents during a disaster requires additional assistance. There are seven active fire engines and two ambulances on duty in Lamorinda at any given time - one first responder vehicle per 4,000 residents. CERT-trained volunteers are generally prepared to carry on during first responder delays. The CERT program is an all-risk, all-hazard training course designed to help citizens take care of themselves, their families, and their neighborhoods in emergency situations. CERT uses a positive and realistic approach to emergency and disaster preparedness. Training sessions are held throughout the year in various Lamorinda venues and include six, three-hour, one night per week classes. There is no charge for training. Emergency preparedness commissioners are available to speak to community groups about preparedness issues. “The rules of emergency preparedness are fairly straightforward,” says Lothrop. “Any Google search will reveal a ‘what to do’ list for any number of hazards - earthquake, structure and vegetation fires, mud slides, blocked roads, power outages, etc. What we try to do is reach people on a personal level – to really instill the need for planning. Our motto is ‘Be Aware, Plan, Prepare.’” The EPC lists ten things everyone should do to protect themselves, their families, and their homes: 1) Be aware that the unthinkable can and has happened. Take the time to imagine, ‘What would I do if?’ 2) Take first aid

See Preparedness continued on page 20