Your Body’s Talking, Are You Listening?
Update (6/07): What’s happening with our Skinny Gene Diabetes Prevention Program in San Antonio
EVERYONE IS DIFFERENT AND SPECIAL IN THEIR OWN WAY
At the Skinny Gene Project, we provide a personalized approach to helping others live a healthier lifestyle. Each person in our program is special to us. We pride ourselves in getting to know each person (from stay at home moms to successful businesswomen), understanding their needs, and giving them the individualized attention needed to live a healthier life.
Our personalized approach to positive lifestyle change is particularly important when it comes to the wonderful group of people we’re serving in San Antonio.
Here’s a glimpse into the work we are doing in Texas.
Every two weeks, I meet up with my patients for about an hour to talk to them about how to make little changes in their diet that can really make a BIG difference. This particular time, I began to teach each person how to listen and understand their body’s needs.
LESSON 1: LISTEN TO YOUR BODY
Previously, I had given each patient a task of completing a 7-day food log, to see what, when, where, and how much food they ate on a daily basis. I then compared their food diary to what their body REALLY needed. We generally refer to process as a nutrition analysis.
Now… knowing what a person needs to change, and explaining it to them are two completely different things. Some my next step was to give each person a personalized presentation on “Understanding And Listening To Your Body.”
As the presentation began, I started explaining different metaphors on how the body works. For example, comparing our bodies to a car. Much like how a car requires fuel to run, our bodies need food to function. Our body sends us signals when its fuel source is running too low or too full. We also talked about the body’s “fuel gauge”. So when our body is hungry, or may be close to (E) empty, we begin to experience symptoms such as dizziness, headaches, or grouchiness. When the body can no longer take any food, just like when cars have reached (F) full, we may begin to feel symptoms such as being bloated, gassy, or tired. These metaphors make it easier to understand how the body works when compared to everyday life.
What we need to learn TODAY to have a healthier TOMMORROW
After discussing how our metabolism works, I began showing each person (individually) their total nutrition needs (calories, fat, sodium, carbohydrates, etc). Every patient was in SHOCK when they realized that what they had been eating was so harmful to their body, in comparison to what their body truly needs! They were surprised about what they had learned, but they were also pumped up and knew they wanted to make some serious CHANGES in their lives.
APPLICATION: EATING BREAKFAST
After the presentation, each patient was weighed. They were given a diet that contained their specific caloric intake needs and their weight loss goal! Their main objective for the week was to concentrate on eating BREAKFAST— I taught them that it is the MOST important meal of the day! I showed them examples of healthy breakfast options, whether they had time to cook or were on the go. I also had the opportunity to go through a shopping list, which ranked foods from levels 1- 4; level 1 being foods you could eat several times a day, and level 4 foods you should eat very infrequently and with extreme caution.
Each patient was asked to bring any additional nutritional labels that they would like to be included in their special Skinny Gene grocery list for the next appointment. I really stressed the importance of drinking more water and trying to make exercise a daily habit. They left the clinic motivated and excited to start using the information that we provided to them.
Each of them wants to become a new person; they want to look good and feel good, on the inside and out. To make this transformation, they’re ready to start living a better and healthier life!
By doing this I am helping them have a better understanding on what they need to do TODAY to have a healthier TOMMORROW.
I am really excited to see my patients next week!
Stay tuned for more updates….
By: Nancy Juarez-Skinny Gene Bilingual Nutritionist
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