What can an Accredited Practising Dietitian (APD) do for me?
Accredited Practising Dietitians (APDs) are recognised professionals with the qualifications and skills to provide expert nutrition and dietary advice. They know about food and health and can help you sort through the maze of nutrition information. APDs translate scientific information about nutrition into practical advice about what to eat.
Below are two case studies which show how APDs have helped two people change their lifestyles to eat and feel better.
Success story: Jim
Jim is 52 years of age and employed as an Administration Officer in the Australian Defence Force. He is married to Donna and has 1 son Daniel. His interests are reading, bushwalking, motorcycle touring and is an avid follower of motorcycle racing. Jim visited APD Laura Sutherland.
What prompted you to seek the advice of an Accredited Practising Dietitian (APD)?
I was referred to an APD by my Doctor after being diagnosed as having diabetes.
What did you hope to achieve by seeing an APD?
I hoped that the APD would assist with gaining knowledge to change my eating habits and lifestyle, with a view toward better controlling my blood glucose levels. In doing this I hoped it would help with the management of diabetes.
What are the biggest changes you have made since seeing an APD?
Healthy eating habits, portion control and regular exercise.
What did your APD help you with the most?
My APD provided an overview of how diet and in particular portion control, affected blood glucose levels and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. She also provided positive suggestions regarding serving sizes and timings for meals and snacks.
How has your overall life changed since making changes to your lifestyle? (For example, are you feeling or looking different?)
I have lost around 15 kg, feel quite fit and thus far I am managing diabetes without the need for medication.
What were the biggest challenges you faced in making changes to your lifestyle?
Portion control - because I love to eat! However, the consequences of not following through with a change in lifestyle to control my diabetes could have resulted in being medically unfit to be employed in Australian Defence Force. This was enough incentive to give me the willpower to follow through with the changes.
Was seeing an APD different to what you were expecting? If so, how was it different?
Not really. My APD made me feel comfortable at the initial consultation and provided easy to understand and clear guidance for the path ahead to achieve my goals.
Have you tried other weight loss methods or diets before? If so, what have you found to be the biggest difference between these and seeing an APD?
No.
Do you have any advice or tips for other people who would like to achieve a healthy weight?
Set goals, eat a healthy balanced diet and get out and exercise. Accept responsibility for your own actions and maintain your willpower to see it through.
Success story: Kellie
Kellie is 24 years old and currently works in Accounts & Finance for a small family run Wholesale Company. She is single, has a 5 year old son and lives in Cranbourne, Victoria. Since seeing an APD she has lost about 20kgs - this is in 2009 alone! Kellie visited APD Melanie McGrice.
What prompted you to seek the advice of an Accredited Practising Dietitian (APD)?
It was actually offered to me, the appointments haven't cost me anything. This was a good incentive to keep to it - I have had around 25 appointments prepaid for me, and still about 7 remaining I believe.
What did you hope to achieve by seeing an APD?
Obviously my main goal was to lose weight, keep it off & generally be healthier. I have tried a few weight loss programs in the past and never stuck to them. I was hoping that trying this would actually work and I would stick to it rather than give up on it like I have done in the past.
What are the biggest changes you have made since seeing an APD?
The biggest changes would have to be just how much I focus on what I put into my body now. Back in the day I had soft drink all the time and hardly ever drank water. I had junk food / take away at least twice a day.
What did your APD help you with the most?
She helped me to change the way I ate without taking everything away from me at once. All the other diets & quick fixes just don't work because you/they take it all away from you at once and its just impossible. My APD just took one thing or two things away each appointment, which started with changing the soft drink to water! Now I drink water constantly 24/7, all my friends say "Every time I see you now, you always have a bottle of water with you!"
How has your overall life changed since making changes to your lifestyle? (For example, are you feeling or looking different?)
I do feel very different and although I still have my "feeling fat" days and still have more weight to lose, I have more confidence in my stride. My friends & even strangers who see me regularly in shops etc are always commenting on how great I look and that always makes me feel good. The thing I hear the most is just how much weight I've lost in my face.
What were the biggest challenges you faced in making changes to your lifestyle?
The biggest challenge I've faced is the exercise, that was harder than eating more healthily. Even now I still have times when I fall out of routine and it is so hard to get back into to it. I know it's the exercise that matters the most, so I really do try to keep it going. It needs to become one of those daily things that just needs to be done, like showering & brushing your teeth - just half an hour exercise or even 20mins. But it's easier said than done, I still have trouble with exercising every day but I always pick it back up, as I know it's the key to my weight loss.
Was seeing an APD different to what you were expecting? If so, how was it different?
Yes it was very different to what I expected, although I didn't know what to expect as I've never done anything like it before. I like that she only took things away little bits at a time, and I could still have take away, just not as often. It might sound like it wouldn't work, but there's 20kg less of me that says otherwise!
Have you tried other weight loss methods or diets before? If so, what have you found to be the biggest difference between these and seeing an APD?
Yes, I have tried a meal replacement program, which cost me all up around $1,000. I've also tried a healthy pre-prepared meal program (which was about $200 odd just for dinners for a fortnight), it was tasty, but I just couldn't handle the microwaved food all the time. I guess the difference is that an APD will work on slowly getting you eating healthy, making LIFE changes to your bad habits. Lots of programs advertise getting weight off quickly and easily, but it's not that easy at all. Seeing an APD was by far the easiest one I have tried and clearly the most effective.
Do you have any advice or tips for other people who would like to achieve a healthy weight?
My advice is instead of investing in quick fix diets you know you are not going to stick to, invest in seeing an APD. The appointments probably work out to be cheaper than the fad diets and you go at your own pace. Ok, so you may not drop 10kg in 10 weeks, but give yourself time to settle in, find what works for you and then watch the weight drop. It has worked for me and I honestly wish I had done it sooner. I have made healthy changes in my life and I know I won't go back. I know that I am going to continue to lose weight at a healthy pace and that I will NEVER put it back on again. I am used to all the changes I have made and I have also passed all my new insights onto my family and friends.
Success story: Laura
Laura is 34 years old and is currently a stay at home Mum, in a previous life she was an accountant. She is married and has 3 children aged 5, 4 and 1. They live in Brisbane. Laura saw APD Annalie Houston.
What prompted you to seek the advice of an Accredited Practising Dietitian (APD)?
I have never really been happy with my weight. After my first two children I was overweight and very uncomfortable. I needed to be healthier for myself and my family but wasn’t sure how to start, so I decided to seek help.
What did you hope to achieve by seeing an APD?
My primary aim was to lose weight and maintain the loss.
What are the biggest changes you have made since seeing an APD?
I am much more organised in terms of our family eating. I plan a menu each week so I can shop accordingly. I can shop for exactly what I need rather than browse all the aisles and come home with unhealthy food that we really do not need. For me personally, the biggest change is that I am eating smaller meals regularly (rather than starving myself then binging!) and am exercising regularly.
What did your APD help you with the most?
Annalie was fantastic and very supportive. She helped in my education of food. After seeing Annalie I understood for the first time exactly what foods and in what portions I should be eating every day.
How has your overall life changed since making changes to your lifestyle? (For example, are you feeling or looking different?)
I am 10kg lighter and feel so much healthier. I have a great deal more energy which really helps with 3 young kids. I have dropped two sizes in my clothes and love how much fitter I look and feel.
What were the biggest challenges you faced in making changes to your lifestyle?
Finding the time to be organised in the kitchen is still something I find difficult. However I know that if I can be organised then it saves me time in the end.
My other biggest challenge was to find the willpower to stop eating unhealthy foods. Sometimes I lapse back into old habits, but Annalie has helped me in that now I don’t torture myself about the lapse, I just accept it happened and start again the next day.
Was seeing an APD different to what you were expecting? If so, how was it different?
I didn’t really have any expectations. I was at a stage in my life that I was miserable with my weight and appearance and was desperate for help. Annalie was a wonderful support. She was always available to answer questions and gave me so much valuable advice and information. I really looked forward to our meetings.
Have you tried other weight loss methods or diets before? If so, what have you found to be the biggest difference between these and seeing an APD?
I have tried many different diets. The biggest difference was I didn’t feel like I had to ‘diet’. I felt Annalie provided more of an education about food and a healthy lifestyle. By following her advice I changed my lifestyle and as a result lost 12 kgs. I have since had another child and have been able to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight. I did all this by living a healthy lifestyle rather than dieting.
In summary, when I dieted in the past I would lose weight but then put it all back on again. With help from Annalie, I changed my lifestyle and have easily lost weight and kept it off.
Do you have any advice or tips for other people who would like to achieve a healthy weight?
Eat fresh, healthy food regularly (every 2-3 hours) and exercise.
Success story: Nicole
Nicole is 29 years old, single with no children. She is a registered nurse and lives in Sydney. Nicole enjoys reading, cooking, catching up with friends and in the past year has also taken up boot camp and running. Nicole saw APD Joanne Turner who is also a university qualified Exercise Physiologist.
What prompted you to seek the advice of an Accredited Practising Dietitian (APD)?
After many years and unsuccessful attempts at losing weight I decided the next step was to seek help from a Dietitian. Being a nurse and working shift work meant my eating patterns were not normal. I had recently started a job with regular hours, therefore it seemed the perfect time to get back on track. I had had enough of trying to lose weight and only losing a few kilos then putting it back on again, before having to start all over again.
What did you hope to achieve by seeing an APD?
Weight loss and maintenance. I was well aware that a large percentage of people who lose weight put it back on again and I didn’t want to be a part of this group. If I was going to lose the weight then it was going to be permanent.
What are the biggest changes you have made since seeing an APD?
I now drink a lot more water. Also, just being aware of what I am eating, I now ask myself ‘would I eat that cake if it wasn’t sitting in front of me?’. If the answer is 'no' then I don’t eat it (special occasions are an exception to the rule though!). I also now exercise daily, weather it be boot camp or just a brisk walk, I always do something.
What did your APD help you with the most?
My APD provided guidance with portion sizes and making good food choices.
How has your overall life changed since making changes to your lifestyle? (For example, are you feeling or looking different?)
I now find that I have so much more energy. My self confidence is much better, I can now walk into a shop and buy clothes more easily and feel great in them. I now enjoy exercise and look forward to doing it each day.
What were the biggest challenges you faced in making changes to your lifestyle?
When I first started seeing my APD/Exercise Physiologist she told me I had to exercise for 60mins, 7days a week. I thought this was going to be a hard task, and at first it was. However it just became something I knew I had to do - there was no question, so I just did it. It took a few weeks but within a month of my first consultation I was exercising 7days a week.
Was seeing an APD different to what you were expecting? If so, how was it different?
I expected losing the weight would be hard but I was nice to know I had the support of my APD throughout the process.
Have you tried other weight loss methods or diets before? If so, what have you found to be the biggest difference between these and seeing an APD?
Yes, I have. I think seeing an APD provides that personal support that other methods don’t. Just knowing that you are going back for a weigh in helps.
Do you have any advice or tips for other people who would like to achieve a healthy weight?
You have to be in the right place to do it, if your aren’t ready psychologically then it will be much harder. With the help of a Dietitian you know you always have support there, and if you have a bad week/day/ month they will help you get back on track, not make you feel bad for being human! The advice my Dietitian gave me was 'keep your motivation current'. You always have to have something to keep you going, even once you have lost the weight.
