By Page H. Gifford
Correspondent
On June 21, Cynthia Moore held her monthly Hygeia Wellness program, “Setting the Stage for Successful Weight Wellness,” with a presentation by Rachel Hart, MS, RDN, and owner of Central Virginia Nutrition Counseling. At Central Virginia Nutrition Counseling, Hart works with adults who are taking GLP-1 medications and those who are not, as well as offering individual nutrition consultations and comprehensive, multifaceted weight loss programs. She has over 15 years of experience in the field of weight management. Before starting her practice, she worked at the University of Virginia Health System for 10 years, successfully helping patients with their specific weight and nutrition goals to optimize their health for life-saving transplant surgeries.
“I am passionate about empowering others to be successful with healthy weight management through nutrition and lifestyle practices that are individualized, realistic, sustainable, and evidence-based, while also fostering a positive and inclusive relationship with food,” she said.
“Successful weight wellness is so much more than just reaching a number on the scale. Successful weight wellness is reaching or maintaining a weight that allows you to feel good, thrive in your daily life, do the things you love, enjoy food without guilt, and promote good health and help prevent chronic disease,” she said. “The first part of embarking on weight wellness is determining a healthy weight goal. A healthy weight goal is personal and individualized.” She discussed variables that should not be considered when determining a weight goal, as well as variables that are helpful and important to consider.
“Your weight goal should not be what your friend, spouse, or family member thinks it should be. It should not be influenced by social media, determined solely based on your BMI, be unrealistic, or set solely by a healthcare professional.”
She then discussed how to assess what is a healthy weight and the variables that are helpful to consider in determining your weight goal.
“The stage of life you are in, your body, hormones, and metabolic rate are different across the life span.
She suggests individualized guidance provided by a registered dietitian nutritionist and your doctor. Also, consider your weight history, past medical history, and what medications you use.
“What you feel is healthy and realistic. You know yourself best,” she added.
Exercise is an important component of successful weight management and Hart stresses that knowing your exercise capacity and any restrictions is important.
She adds that when embarking on a weight management journey, it is crucial to choose an approach that is realistic, sustainable, individualized, and multi-faceted.
“An approach that promises to be the “one-stop solution” should be avoided. Achieving successful weight wellness does not mean following a fad diet or avoiding entire food groups,” she said. “Sacrificing a positive relationship with food, giving up feeling joyful about eating, counting everything you eat, avoiding the foods you love, or avoiding or fearing occasions or celebrations where food will be present narrows the solution to weight management down to a diet and is not helpful, healthy, or sustainable.”
