A: Hi there and thank you for your questions!
Dietitians encourage you to eat foods that you enjoy, nourish your body and make you feel good. Oftentimes these foods include nutrient dense foods such as fruits and vegetables.
It can be very difficult to reach a certain weight through diet alone. There are many other factors that influence your weight other than food, such as your age, genetics, level of physical activity levels and stress. Many weight-loss approaches encourage restricting eating or dieting. Over time, this can have harmful, lasting effects on our body. Dieting most likely results in binge eating and most dieters regain their lost weight.
There is no shame in having a desire to be healthy. The goal is to achieve your weight goal and feel good in your body in a healthy way about reaching it.
A good place to start is to assess your stress levels. Are they high? Focus on achieving at least 8 hours of sleep each night. Find ways of moving your body you enjoy to increase your physical activity level.
If you are seeking more individual guidance in this area, seek a registered dietitian who can work with you more closely to build a healthy relationship with food and support you in your health goals.