My Conversation With A Friend Who Asked Me About Weight Loss
This isn't a quick fix or a 5-step program, it's real talk about losing weight.
In today’s newsletter:
Recap of a conversation I had with a friend about weight loss
Additional points about weight loss, and my thoughts on GLP-1s (for paid subscribers)
Recently, a friend asked me, hypothetically, if I were her client, what advice would I give her to help her lose weight? While I don’t work with clients whose exclusive goal is weight loss, I do discuss the realities of weight loss with many, if not most, of my clients. As you might imagine, with a multi-billion-dollar weight-loss industry, losing weight—and keeping it off—is not so straightforward.
Here’s a synopsis of what we discussed:
I first asked her how she decides what to eat and when to eat. With this question, I’m trying to get at:
How much of her eating is motivated by actual hunger?
How much of her eating is hormonally driven? I’m thinking about insulin resistance.
How much of her eating is emotional?
I talked about the importance of avoiding extremes. Unfortunately, we learned a great deal from the contestants on The Biggest Loser. Extreme weight loss often leads to weight regain, leaving the individual with a lower metabolic rate and increasing their risk of weight regain. I warn clients—and I cautioned this friend—that, based on my experience, the more extreme a diet someone follows, the less likely they are to stick to it for longer than a few months.
Protein is very important, but what I’m seeing friends, clients, and even strangers do is focus on protein at the expense of everything else. I noticed a lady at the airport dressed in fitness attire (making me assume she was health-conscious) had a meat stick and a string cheese. I realize this is a literal snapshot of her life, but it illustrates a common theme I've noticed in people’s “health-centric” eating: a heavy focus on protein. Someone’s “meal” might be only a chicken breast or several eggs. We’re forgetting the importance of fiber and phytonutrients, which are only found in plant foods and serve as good sources of vitamins and minerals, as well as fuel for our gut microbiota. Remember, our microbiota isn’t just about healthy digestion; it also influences our metabolism. If you’re curious about gut health, read more here.
Maintaining a healthy weight is just as important as losing weight, but it’s not easy.
Weight loss should be slow if you want to burn mostly fat (not just burn up your muscle): I’m often reminding clients who are frustrated at their slow weight loss pace that I feel more confident someone is actually losing fat (and not just muscle or water weight) when the pace is slow and steady (0.5-1.0 pound per week). If someone tells me they’ve lost 15 pounds in 3 weeks, that’s actually a red flag to me. Rapid weight loss is more likely to mean they’ve lost water and muscle weight, rather than fat. This has an additional adverse effect because the muscle loss will lower their metabolic rate. [Nuance on the 15-pound weight loss: my level of concern would be influenced by the person’s starting weight: if the person starts at a weight of 325 pounds and loses 15, that is different than someone starting at 150 pounds.]
Identify your most vulnerable moments of the day or week: Late afternoon after work and before dinner is often a time when clients (and this friend) mindlessly snack while preparing dinner. One strategy could be to plan a snack rather than fall into the habit of grabbing the bag of chips or eating a mini meal before your actual dinner. Another vulnerable spot is eating in social settings with large spreads of chips and other snacks, which makes it more difficult to gauge your level of hunger, fullness, or how much you have eaten.
A few additional points about weight loss, and my thoughts on GLP-1s: