Learning How to Make Good Choices, Accept Those Changes for Healthier Living

It’s about making a healthy lifestyle change and maintaining that, while not necessarily thinking you are depriving yourself—and that makes for a decision to stay healthy.

As just another step in my newest healthy initiative to find the best exercise to fit my life, I decided to find out what I can do outside of those classes to keep myself healthy for the future.

To take this step, I spoke to registered dietician and nutritionist—and Bridgewater resident—Maureen Suplee about what it takes to live a healthy lifestyle.

I spoke to Suplee about my personal plan, explaining that I had lost 40 pounds on my own, and managed to maintain that for more than a year, and wanted to know how I could keep it going without having to deny myself the [granted unhealthy] foods I love by always saying, “I’m on a diet.”

And what she said surprised [and pleased] me.

“You are not on a diet, you have made lifestyle changes,” she said. “When you say the word denying, that raises a red flag for me as a nutritionist. If you are feeling denied, then we’d have to look at that together.”

Instead, after congratulating me on achieving my goal [which I appreciated because I’m pretty proud of myself as well], she said what she would do would be to find out what I want to add to my lifestyle that I don’t already have.

Fortunately, I have been able to have the things I crave—ice cream, chocolate, pretzels—without feeling overly guilty afterward, but I don’t want to ever feel I have to cut those items out of my diet.

“One general piece of advice I can give is for you to look at where you can add things in,” Suplee said. “Can you add more vegetables? More water or other non-calorie drinks? Fun activities?”

“This is a commitment that you made to you,” she added. “Lifestyle choices are made every day, sometimes every hour by all of us. If we decide to make a choice that is not the healthiest for us, then make another choice next time.”

Personally, I have added in much more water and non-calorie drinks, but the additional vegetables can’t hurt. And my goal out of this column is to find that fun activity so I can take Suplee’s advice and keep up my regimen for the future.

For those who might be looking to make their own healthy choices, Suplee spoke about how she, as a nutritionist, would design a plan for someone who came to her for help.

“I ask what their personal goals are for a couple of reasons,” she said. “I find out if they are realistic and if I’m the right person to help them achieve their goals.”

From there, Suplee said, she has to collect data to determine how they can best work together, and what will work for the person’s lifestyle and personality.

“I try to determine their tolerance for change, level of commitment to change,” she said. “Change is a given since whatever they have been doing up until now has not worked or has gotten them to where they are now.”

Suplee said she also collects details about family life, work schedules and if the client likes to cook, among other questions.

“Typically we have to work through some misconceptions, which I handle gently as I don’t want my clients to feel insulted,” she said. “Very often I am able to give people good news, such as it’s OK to eat foods with carbohydrates.”

The main way for maintaining a healthy weight and diet, Suplee said, takes controlling portion sizes and staying active.

“It’s an equation,” she said. “Calories in versus calories out.”

“And of course choose your foods wisely, for example choose white meat, poultry, fish and beans for protein, versus red meat or cheeses,” she added. “And choose your cooking methods wisely, frying and sautéing add unneeded calories from fat.”

As for exercise itself, Suplee said that that has to be part of the lifestyle, not an aspect of a diet. Although she focuses more on nutrition than exercise itself, she said she would recommend starting with a little bit of exercise, then building up.

“In every aspect of my work with clients, I am encouraging and look for the positive, and celebrate accomplishments,” she said. “There is no value in beating oneself up or looking back.”

In this day and age of swimsuits, diets and everyone trying to be thin and in shape, Suplee said she suggests that clients include both strength or weight training, or even aerobic exercises.

“I don’t give specific advice on exercise as that is not my area of knowledge, but I will refer folks if they need someone to guide or train them,” she said. “Exercise is what tones. My job is to make sure that my clients are taking in the right amount of calories to match their goals.”

And in terms of differences between men and women looking to maintain healthy lifestyles, Suplee said that in terms of nutrition, she focuses on weight issues, and the general population of men have more lean body mass so they consequently burn calories at a higher level than women.

“They can consume more calories and can often lose weight faster than women,” she said. “The ideal body weight ranges for men and women differ.”

Still, even with all the tips, there are some pitfalls, and Suplee said she recognizes them, but only in the vein of making lifestyle choices and changes.

“A pitfall I often see is that if someone embarks on a change and they ‘fall off’ or make a bad choice, they give up and totally revert to old habits,” she said. “It’s not necessary. Life is not always a straight line or an all or nothing journey.”

“Be gentle with yourself and simply choose again,” she added.

For my own sanity, I think I can manage her tips, and I like the concept of focusing on the lifestyle change rather than the concept of a diet. It makes it seem like just another part of who I am.