A Matter of Style

What’s your diet-style?


There are lots of eating plans and diets out there and some people have tried them all:

Adkins, South Beach, Weight Watchers, TOPS, Nutri-system, Jenny Craig, cabbage soup, sugar-busters, Best Life, and of course, the “Mayo Clinic” diet, which the real Mayo Clinic is quick to point out, is not their diet at all.


Some people are respond to counting and keeping track and some just want to be told what and how much to eat. Some people want all the meals prepared, pre-measured and pre-packaged for them, and some enjoy planning their menus and trying “lite” cooking techniques. As I mentioned before, what works best for you long-tem – while still being healthy and nutritious! - is the best choice for you. If only we could all be Oprah and have Bob Green preparing our meals and training alongside us! Of course, even Oprah gets off-track.



I can tell you that many people who are successful long-term “losers” have a couple things in common: first, they learn to love simple, high-nutritious foods and second, they tend to choose the same – or very similar foods most of the time. I think of those as “Go-to” meals. And although that might sound boring, it doesn’t have to be. Many of you know Jill Dailer, who directed the Randolph-Elkins County Health Department for years and was a very successful Weight Watchers participant who kept the weight off. I attended many lunch meetings with Jill over the years, and I don’t think she would mind my sharing with you one of her success habits: she almost always packed her lunch. So she was always in control of her hunger, her calories, and her portion sizes.

Jim Severino, our registered dietician at Davis Memorial Hospital, strongly recommends food diaries, writing down everything you eat – portions and calories – for as long as it takes for you to just “know” what 1400 – 1600 calories a day looks like, and to learn where you can cut fats and sugar. Something else food diaries help with is figuring out “why” we are eating, because let’s be honest, we aren’t always really hungry when we get that second helping or visit the vending machines or pop the top on a Coke.


So contemplating your “style” is an important aspect of deciding what and how you are willing to change.