Over the many years I have been counseling clients, I have come across those who simply want me to give them a menu to follow, be it a 7 day, 14 day or a month of menus.  Or when I am giving a presentation, someone will raise their hand and ask, “how many calories should I be eating”.  These people want answers, but the point they are missing is that nutrition is not one size fits all.

 

When you have an ailment, you go to the doctor and the doctor gives you an examination to help diagnosis what is wrong.  He hears about your specific symptoms and reviews your past medical history.  From there, you set up a course of action for how you will treat and hopefully cure the problem.  Your treatment plan is unique to you, your history, and your symptoms.  Just like you wouldn’t want a doctor to streamline your specific case to be like everyone else, why would you want to do that for your nutrition needs?

 

This concept is the reason why the diet books out there can be so dangerous and can also be so depressing.  Many times people who create these fad diets aren’t remembering that no two people are the same.  They write out a diet plan and make nutrition recommendations without regard to any one person’s specific needs, and expect you to follow it in order to lose weight, or achieve a certain body type.  Meanwhile you could be depriving yourself of so many calories that you’ll actually hinder weight loss, or perhaps the plan has eliminated an entire food group that results in you missing out on important nutrients such as vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber.  These diet gurus don’t know your schedule, your activity level, your medical history, and all the things that can affect your nutrition and how much you should be eating.  That is why it is so important to pay attention to how you feel before and after eating meals.  It is why you need to be sensitive to how certain foods affect you so that you can determine which foods make you feel your best, and which ones you would prefer to avoid.

 

Throughout these blogs I am constantly reminding you that you are on your own journey.  There is no need for you to rely on some celebrity health professional to tell you what is going to help you along your path to wellness.  The more ownership you take over your journey to health and a body you love, the more likely you are to succeed.  You will become more in tune to the things that work and don’t work, and because you know what helps you succeed, it won’t be as difficult as the struggles you may have felt trying to follow a generalized diet.

 

You are the master of your own body!

 

And remember, I am always here for you to help guide you in your journey!

 

Your turn to take action: If you’ve been struggling on this journey, take advantage of a my offer for a Break Free of Dieting Strategy Session so you can get clear on your path to making peace with food in 2014.   Just click here and I’ll get you set up for your free session.