Explain the Diet Counseling for a successful weight reduction programme?

As discussed above diet counseling is a very important aspect of a successful weight reduction programme. The person who attempts weight loss should be suitably motivated and should be armed with facts related to the whole exercise. Individual counseling is of prime importance because that is required to establish realistic goals for the treatment so that you can relate to the diet and comply with the same. It is also important to take the dietary history of the patient and to know about his food habits and pattern of living for prescribing the diet schedule. Group sessions have an importance of their own in the sense that they provide a platform to people having similar problems to share their experiences and exchange ways and means to bring about changes in their diets.

The individuals are also likely to be motivated better when they compare their progress with others in the group. Both individual and group counseling are associated with motivation and psychological support. There is no point in handing over a diet schedule to the patient unless he has some motivation for losing weight. To bring about a change in dietary habits is not easy because their foundation is laid in early infancy and childhood. You are not likely to change unless you are strongly motivated to do so. Improvement or maintenance of health is a very strong factor which the physician or dietician can use for motivating the patient to bring about the necessary changes.

With their guidance at initial and follow up visits, this motivation can come from within the individual himself which will see him/her through the programme successfully. The patient should be very clear about the fact that excess calorie intake has to be brought down to effect weight reduction. He/she also needs to understand the reasons of overeating and how to control the factors leading to the same. The counseling sessions help in increasing knowledge regarding food facts. The obese may feel disheartened after a few weeks when they realize that the rate of weight loss has decreased. The individual must understand that there is a reduction in metabolic rate after some weight is lost. Despite careful adherence to the prescribed schedule, the rate of weight loss will decrease. For weight loss to progress further calorie restriction or increase in activity will be required, the latter is a better alternative. Knowledge about calorie values of foods is another area which requires emphasis. Food exchange lists which group different food items having approximately the same calorie values are helpful in this regard. The individuals should know about portion control to enable them to stick to the prescribed diet. Many foods have low calories but when eaten in large portions contribute substantial calories in the diet. So how much should the patient eat is also important. Instructions about eating out are important. An obese must select judiciously from options available. For example any recipe that says cream of, creamy, buttered or fried is bound to be high in calories. A clear soup, broiled or roasted non-vegetarian dish or vegetables without sauces or thick gravies, salads without oily dressings and hit instead of a rich dessert are better options for them. Excess socialization hinders the weight reduction programme. Eating light meals at home may be a good idea so that the obese could minimize on extra calories.