Are you losing the same 10 lbs over and over?

February 3, 2019
By Mairead Rodgers, RD PHEc

Let’s chat a little bit about weight cycling. What am I talking about?

Have you lost weight a long time ago, then gained it all back and then some, and then lost half of that and kept it off for a little bit but then gained even more again?

Have you lost the same 5, 10 or 15 lbs over and over every year or two?

(For the record, we’re not talking about the normal 5lbs people fluctuate within a day just by what and when you eat/drink/workout/go to the bathroom.)

Any of those constant up and downs are weight cycling. And there’s now research showing that having your weight go up and down like that all the time from  conscious weight loss efforts  might actually be worse for your health than just staying at your heaviest weight to begin with. And that’s just your physical health, never mind the mental toll of seeing that weight come and go so much, and stressing about how to make it stick, or how to attack it again. (Pssst…. if you’re new, you might not know but I will not comment on your weight unless you are one of my clients and we’re discussing it specifically, and part of it is for this reason).

So what can we do instead?

We can focus on changes that represent health instead of weight. Yes, your weight might go up or down, but either way the goal is health. Eat veggies because you need vitamins, minerals and fibre. Exercise because it’s good for your heart and mental health. You get the idea.

The other thing we can do is make sure that any changes we make are ones that will stick, so you’re not “on an off the wagon” all the time and causing these big weight fluctuations. Whenever I’m working with a client and we’re trying to make changes, I ask them if they could continue with these changes for the next 18 months. Why 18 months? Because I want to know if they could do this forever, but forever is hard to wrap our heads around. 18 months is slightly more reasonable.

So I ask you this: whatever your nutrition and fitness practices are right now, can you do them for the next 18 months? Don’t just say yes and move on, please actually think about it.

Here’s what that could look like:

– Can I get to the gym 6 times a week for the next 18 months? Probably not due to injury, life, burnout, etc.
– Can I get some kind of exercise in at least 3 days a week or the next 18 months? Much more likely.

– Can I follow a restrictive low-calorie diet that involves cutting out my favourite foods for the next 18 months? Maybe, but there will be vacations and events and life happening. It’s very very hard to make this a consistent effort.
– Can I make an effort to incorporate veggies at snacks and at dinner most days for the next 18 months? Likely, especially if this is something you already do at least a little. Also notice I said “some”. If you miss a day, it’s fine, you just eat your veggies the next day, no beating yourself up.

So if any of this sounds like you, let’s think about whether what you’re doing is sustainable, and if it’s not, what we can do that will be sustainable. If you need help, or don’t know what that could or should look like, reach out! Ask your coaches, or book a 15-minute Bite Sized Nutrition Chat! Make sure that you’re setting yourself up to be successful and not losing the same 10 lbs over and over and over.

What You Need to Know About Reading Food Labels!

October 22, 2025
Written By: Mairead, Registered Dietitian Nutrition labels can be confusing! But they're on packaging to help you know more about your food so you can make choices that align with your health and fitness goals. Grab your nearest food label. On the black and white Nutrition Facts table, you'll see a list of nutrients with values beside them. For most of them, there will be an amount in grams or milligrams listed on the left and a percentage over on the right hand side. That percentage can help give us context! As you'll see listed in teeny writing at the bottom of the table, 5% is a little, 15% is a lot. This means that if there's a nutrient we want more of, like fibre, we want that percentage to be higher, ideally towards 15% or more. If there's a nutrient we want less of, we want it to be closer to 5%. For most normal healthy people, we want to have less sodium (salt), sugar, and saturated fat, while including more fibre. There may also be times when you want to focus on a specific vitamin or mineral, like iron or calcium. These are also listed with a percentage and can be used the same way. A key part of label reading is knowing what is most important for you. For many food categories, you can't prioritize everything. There may not be one product that is the lowest in saturated fat AND the lowest in sodium AND the highest in fibre AND has the most protein AND has the most iron ... the list could go on. But if you can narrow it down to a couple things that matter most for your health and fitness goals, you can start making choices based on food labels, without all the overwhelm. Check out your food labels, use the percentages, and make choices that fit with your goals! Looking for more personalized nutrition advice? Let's chat! Email mairead@degreefitnessseaforth.com for more information about our Nutrition Programs, or click HERE to book your FREE Bite-Sized Nutrition Chat!

4 Tips For Better Snacking

October 6, 2025
Written By: Mairead, Registered Dietitian Snacking causes a lot of worry for many people! Is snacking bad? When should we be snacking? What's the best snack? Snacking itself isn't a bad habit, unless it's not aligned with your health and fitness goals. Snacks can actually do a lot of good to keep our energy levels up throughout the day and help meet our nutrition needs. Let's check out four ways you can improve your snacking habits! 1. Think about why! If you're concerned about whether your snacks are a problem, it's worth thinking about why you're snacking. Are you hungry between meals? Do you need some fuel before or after a workout? Are you bored at work in the afternoon or need a pick-me-up? Do you need something to do with your hands while watching tv? Are you starving at the end of the day when you get home before you have a chance to make dinner? Snacks serve lots of purposes, from keeping our energy stable during the day, to meeting emotional needs. If you don't feel good about why you're snacking, it might be time to find some other way to meet that need. 2. Plan for your snacks! Often, we may know we need a snack, but not be able to make a healthy choice about it because we're too busy or just too hungry. A little planning goes a long way! Planning ahead for these times can help us make choices that align with our goals, and have something at the ready before we're too hungry to make that healthy choice. Pack a snack or have one at the ready during the times of day or situations when you know you'll need it. 3. Make them satisfying! If a snack isn't satisfying, we'll be reaching for something else soon. For longer lasting energy, choose snacks that have a combination of protein and carbs. This might include yogurt with berries, a higher protein granola bar, crackers and veggies with hummus, or even a couple handfuls of trail mix. If you find yourself finishing your snack without even noticing what you've eaten, try taking a minute to eat more mindfully and focus on your food. This will help you feel more satisfied with it! 4. Fill your nutrition gaps! Snacks are another opportunity to add nutrition to your day. Are there specific foods you're trying to add more of to your diet? Are there nutrients you feel you may be lacking? Use snacks as a way to add these in. If you're concerned about protein, try adding canned tuna, hardboiled eggs, or Greek yogurt to your snacks. If you feel you're lacking vegetables or fruit, include at least one in your snack. If you're trying to include more plant-based proteins, lean on bean-based dips or try roasted chickpeas. The options are endless! Remember, snacking isn't good or bad, and can serve a lot of different purposes. Try using these tips to help your snacking align better with your health and fitness goals! Looking for more personalized nutrition advice? Let's chat! Email mairead@degreefitnessseaforth.com for more information about our Nutrition Programs, or click HERE to book your FREE Bite-Sized Nutrition Chat!

What If Excuses Aren't Excuses?

September 24, 2025
Written By: Mairead, Registered Dietitian As a Dietitian, I work with a lot of different people. One common thread is that we talk about excuses. So many people come in to a nutrition consultation and tell me about their challenges with nutrition and fitness, and then follow it up by saying something along the lines of "I know these are just excuses, I can do better". The things we often consider excuses can include having a busy job and a busy family life. Working weird hours. Struggling with the cost of groceries. Caring for loved ones. Managing health concerns, chronic diseases, or injuries. The list goes on. For my nutrition clients, I rarely consider any of these things to be excuses. It's not an excuse that you can't eat well because you work long hours and then take your kids to their sports practices - these are very real reasons why you're struggling to make healthy choices. It's not an excuse if you work nights and need to get some sleep so you didn't make it to the gym - it's as aspect of your life that makes getting enough exercise challenging. Think about the things you might consider to be your excuses for not "doing better" with your health and fitness. Are they really just parts of your life or the season you're currently in? None of these things should be making you feel bad or like you're making excuses. But on the flip side, these reasons also don't mean we need to throw in the towel on our goals entirely. They mean we might need to get a bit creative, decide what's really important to us right now, and ask for help when we need it! Instead of feeling bad about your "excuses" that aren't really excuses, it might be time to find some new ideas. Working with a Dietitian can be a great way to figure out what's actually important in your health and fitness goals, and come up with some new ideas to get you there. There are always steps we can take in the right direction to move past those "excuses" and work together for a happier and healthier you! Looking for more personalized nutrition advice? Let's chat! Email mairead@degreefitnessseaforth.com for more information about our Nutrition Programs, or click HERE to book your FREE Bite-Sized Nutrition Chat!