WEIGHT LOSS MISTAKE #1 - LISTENING TO DIETITIANS WHO HAVE NEVER WORKED IN A CORPORATE JOB

“Just put it in a cooker, that’s all. And surely you can chop onions for 5 minutes?”

This was one of the most frustrating moments of my life.

It was my first time in the office of a dietitian. And I had told her that the diet plan she just wrote was too difficult for me to follow.

I worked 50-hours per week in my corporate job. And I stayed alone without any family member to cook for me. I thought she would understand.

Nope. Not one bit.

Instead she started arguing with me about how I should be juicing vegetables every morning.

Yeah, right.  

So I came out of the office dejected. It seemed like being lean & fit will remain an impossible dream. 

And I meet many folks like this today. Who have experienced toxic relationships with their dietitians (lol OK maybe that's a dramatic choice of words, but you know it's true).

They receive zero empathy for their hectic lifestyle. 

And they feel like they are forced to follow complicated routines which involve a bunch of hassles.

Luckily I got so frustrated with my dietitian in a few months, that I started seeking easier approaches to follow. You can read my full story here if you wish. 

It was during this phase that I realized my mistake. 

"Why am I listening to dietitians who have never experienced corporate life?"

The lack of empathy made sense now. 

They have never reached office at 9am and stayed till 7pm.
They have never been chased to answer 'urgent' emails on a weekend.
They have never sat in a Zoom meeting which could have been an email instead.

OF COURSE, they wouldn't understand. They probably think I am being lazy.

To confirm this theory, I went to Practo and looked up the top 10 dietitians in Mumbai. And I looked up their names on LinkedIn.

Guess how many of them had been employed in a corporate job?

Zero. 

(There was 1 lady who had worked in a hospital previously. But dietitians in hospitals literally decide what is cooked in their cafeterias. So I didn't think she could relate to my challenges either.)

"Hmm. That's depressing.", I thought to myself. "They are not going to understand me at all."

Although I felt discouraged then, this realization was a good thing. Because it helped me understand that listening to dietitians for practical advice was pointless.

I got more clarity through these efforts. 

"Dietitians have never worked in a cubicle. So they can never understand my struggles.", I reminded myself whenever I read motivational posts from dietitians online to "Stop making excuses".

With this new-found clarity - I made it my life's mission to find a simpler approach to lose weight.

Soon, I lost a ton of weight and got into the best shape of my life. And I achieved this while balancing long working hours in a stressful job, dozens of office lunches, and frequent work travel.

It felt so liberating to break away from the traditional advice of "Eat kale salad" or "Prepare 5 meals per day". And instead find a simple, practical, & easy-to-follow routine that works for me.  

I also became a certified nutritionist and used my new-found knowledge to create my own easy-to-follow system. Which is what Lazy Fitness is all about. 

And now, a few years later - I have the privilege of having you read my article. :)
(So in a way, that toxic dietitian led you and me to meet each other <3 :D Much love!)

My advice to you is this -
Do NOT listen to dietitians who have not experienced your busy lifestyle. Because they will not understand your challenges. And they will not be able to share a practical and sustainable approach for you to hit your fitness goals.

Your Task For The Day

This task will give you an idea of the background of a typical dietitian. And how likely they are to help you.

Step 1 - Go to Practo.com and find the top 5 dietitians in your city.
Step 2 - Find them on LinkedIn using Google (searching for "[full name] + LinkedIn" usually works)  
Step 3 - Check if they have worked in a corporate job before. If yes, how long?
Step 4 - Based on their background, rate them on a scale of 1-100 on the question: "How likely are they to understand my challenges with weight loss?"

And if you ever consider hiring a dietitian someday, pick someone who has walked in your shoes.