Beach Season: Weight Management Tips for a Bikini-Ready Bod

With the arrival of beach-season comes the return of shorts, tanks, bathing suits, and the good, old fashioned beach-cool-down! For some, this is never a big deal, but if you feel self-conscious and unhappy in this season's more revealing wardrobe pieces because of a few extra pounds and an un-toned body, here are some useful – and effective – weight management tips. These will help get you ready to step into the sand with confidence!

Firstly, stay away from crash diets! It is the beginning of May, so even though you feel tempted to rush losing those extra pounds by a steady diet of water and broccoli for the next month – this is a horrible idea! No one can realistically maintain a diet of minimal calories and limited food selection for a long period of time, nor does this kind of eating make one super unhealthy. A month-long diet of salad followed by the return of regular meals can only result in inevitable weight-gain.  So trash the meal-skipping, food-eliminating fast route!

Now let's talk about exercise, which always seems like common sense, but SO many dread or avoid it! For starters, a beach-ready body without exercise is going to be pretty tough to obtain.  A regular exercise regimen will not only rev-up the calorie burning process but can boost your metabolism for hours post-workout too.  A simple 30-60 minute evening walk or visits to the  gym a few days a week, can do wonders.  Better still is enlisting the expertise of a fitness trainer to not only totally motivate you but also develop an exercise plan - even one you can do in your own living room! Staying active is a crucial part of weight management – so pump it up.  

Ramp up your H2O intake. Your body needs water to process calories, so being even mildly dehydrated can cause your metabolism to slow right down. Water also helps to flush out your system, which is always a bonus. Try snacking on fruits and veggies which contain a lot of water and can help you stay hydrated as well.  

Visit a registered dietician for nutrition counseling and a dose of motivation. Many know that staying motivated is often one of the hardest parts about weight management, so the support, encouragement and guidance of a registered dietician – one who can help you develop a healthy meal plan and exercise program – can make a world of difference. Watch how a catered program that meets your individual needs, goals and lifestyle, produces results far sooner and for much longer.  

With bikini season here, take these tips to the beach, get back in shape the healthy way and for the long haul! For more about weight management or to speak with our registered dietician, Stefanie Senior, call Athletic Edge Sports Medicine at 1-416-800-0800.

Shedding Winter Weight – Get Your Body Back With a Registered Dietician

AT LAST!! Winter is winding down with the first vestiges of spring peeking through the clouds. Soon enough (well, maybe not "soon enough" for some) we will be back out there enjoying the sunshine and warmer weather. But, yikes, wait!! Warmer weather also means less clothing – meaning no more hiding behind those bulky winter sweaters and snuggling up in track pants. If you want to start shedding some of that comfy winter weight, why not get turbo-charged with the help of a registered dietician? 

Why? Because we all know how difficult it can be to lose weight (it's not even a fraction as easy as putting weight on) and for most of us, typical diets don’t garner long-term results. While a quick fix seems great, what's the point if you just gain the weight back a few months down the road? Not only is that strategy a lot of wasted effort, it's arguably damaging to your metabolism in the long term too. So if a one-size-fits-all approach to weight management doesn’t actually fit anyone, why bother? 

The benefits of working with a registered dietician are vast, but the most significant is the creation of your own individualized program - a collaboration between you and your dietician, factoring in your goals and lifestyle. It also includes establishing a meal plan that doesn’t leave you feeling starved throughout the day, taking into account which foods you prefer around the limits of one's budget. This makes sticking to the regimen far easier. Who wants to live a life of deprivation eating salad for breakfast, lunch and dinner, in pursuit of an unrealistic outcome?  Rare is the person who can maintain a menu that rigid, so a healthy and satisfying meal plan that gives you an extra boost can mean the difference between success and failure. 

A registered dietician will also help you to set fitness goals and work with you to stay motivated. It's a given that any smart weight management plan should include exercise, but a surprising number of "diet strategies" disregard exercise. When your body revs-up to burn calories from physical exertion, staying in shape with reasonable effort is an obtainable result. Be it a gym, yoga classes, or designing a workout routine for home, a registered dietician will work with your lifestyle to make routine exercise easy, fun, and achievable. 

Don’t let winter weight keep you down, not to mention overdressed while hiding behind your winter wardrobe. Work with someone trained and experienced in transforming people through an effective, healthy, long-term weight loss program.  Reach your goals and say hello to a lifestyle makeover!  

For more information about weight management, or to speak to our registered dietician Stefanie Senior, contact Athletic Edge Sports Medicine at 1-416-800-0800.

The Gourmet Food and Wine Expo – A Fantastic Opportunity to Achieve Weight Management Goals

If you are a foodie that loves to try out new dishes, recipes and ingredients, then the Gourmet Food and Wine Expo, taking place from November 15^th to the 18^th at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, might be just the thing to pique your appetite. This extravaganza of edible delights gives you the chance to try out the latest and greatest wines, cheeses and other gourmet foods.

A conundrum many face during an exciting event like this how to balance enjoying the event without impacting healthy eating plans.  Here's where the help of a registered dietician can ensure that your foray into the world of wine and cheese doesn't overthrow your diet.

What can a registered dietician do for you? A lot! This person offers a wealth of nutritional counselling, either in a group or on your own, weight management programs, workshops to deal with cravings, grocery shopping tours and customized nutrition education seminars that rev up your journey on the path to healthy and effective weight loss.

No cookie cutter approaches here. But you have to be sure to seek a registered dietician who offers individualized service to meet your needs. By identifying your goals, desires and needs, a registered dietician can establish a unique meal plan for weight loss that takes into account your tastes, food preferences and budget. This makes following the plan easy for you, and this is essential to your success.

A registered dietician will set out a meal plan for weight loss that accomplishes a number of different things. The strategy may include attaining and maintaining your target weight, without sacrificing those necessary nutritional components that keep you healthy. Their assistance may also involve managing health conditions (allergies, food intolerances, etc) and controlling appetite and cravings.  You can also learn how to eat healthy at home and on-the-go by reading labels properly (a must at the Expo).

Are you tired of continually trying to get the weight off – or keep it off – on your own but never sticking to the plan? Or reaching a plateau that never ends? Get motivated - and stay that way - with the help of someone who knows what you need. A registered dietician can help you enjoy those foods you love, including all of the tasty treats at the Gourmet Food and Wine Expo, and help you establish and maintain a weight management plan that works for you.

For more information about weight management, or to speak with our registered dietician Stefanie Senior, contact Athletic Edge Sports Medicine at 416- 800-0800.

Need Weight Management after Summer Splurging – A Registered Dietician is the Answer

The summer, for most people, often involves a higher level of physical activity than the winter months. Sports such as volleyball or baseball, marathons and triathlons for the avid runner, or annual cycling events are all ways to stay in shape during the summer season. However, the summer also represents a time of indulgence in the form of food festivals like Summerlicious, Taste of the Danforth, or various Ribfests taking place all across the city.  Add - for good measure - cultural festivals like Caribana, Brazilfest or the Festival of South Asia, all of which offer up delicacies from around the world, and you've got a recipe for a load of over-eating.

So if you find yourself enjoying some worthwhile summer splurging, what better way to get back in shape and eating healthy again than with a registered dietician? Proper weight management involves far more than just adding in some random vegetables on days that you're not frequenting a special food-related event.  A registered dietician can help you get things back under control.

How? Chances are pretty good that at least once in your life you’ve tried to lose weight and get fit on your own, right? We all know how tough it can be to get the ball rolling and shed unwanted pounds – but with the support and guidance of a professional registered dietician, (trained and experienced with helping people get fit and healthy), this task becomes a whole lot more manageable.

Do cookie-cutter approaches hold little appeal for you? A weight management system catered to your own individual wants, needs and goals will be far more effective than one meant to work for everyone (thereby working for very few). By taking into account your own schedule, budget, exercise and food preferences, a registered dietician will give you the tools you need for long-term success, avoiding unrealistic targets and advice.

What other kind of support is available from a registered dietician? Services such as nutrition counselling, weight management, grocery shopping tours, and nutrition education seminars are all important parts of any weight management plan. Having someone by your side every step of the way for motivation and support is a strategic way to achieve your weight-loss goal.

Don’t settle for "lettuce-only" type fad diets or unnecessarily rigorous exercise routines that make you a begrudging slave to the gym - these are impossible to stick to, and inevitably will mean nothing lost except your money. Get the right support and weight management guidance from a registered dietician and watch your goals materialize.

To find out more about weight management or to make an appointment with our registered dietician Stefanie Senior, contact Athletic Edge Sports Medicine by calling 416-800-0800.

LIVE LEAN Weight Management Program

Starts MAY 15th


Simple, Powerful, Sustainable Lifestyle Change

LIVE LEAN helps you step-by-step establish a realistic, easy-to-follow, satisfying weight loss plan that reflects your individual needs, food and exercise preferences, abilities and lifestyle. Developed and led by Stefanie Senior, Registered Dietitian, and Trina Lambe, Certified Fitness Trainer, this 12-week GROUP program provides you with the accountability, motivation and support you need to:

Achieve your nutrition, fitness & health goals
Overcome the barriers to a healthy lifestyle
Build habits that will last a lifetime!

Check your HEALTH BENEFITS plan for REGISTERED DIETITIAN coverage.

Includes: 12 weight management classes, 24 fitness classes (optional), personalized meal plan, grocery shopping tour, recipes & much more!

Cost: $585 (or $440 for weight management classes only)

* One-on-one WEIGHT LOSS COACHING also available *

See program description for more details!

Call 416 800 0800 ext. 0 to book your free consultation to learn how LIVE LEAN can help you!

More information & registration:

Stefanie Senior, Registered Dietitian
Athletic Edge Sports Medicine Clinic
121 King Street W, Suite 1100, Toronto, ON, M5H 3T9
T: 416 800 0800 ext. 0 E: info@live-lean.ca W: www.live-lean.ca