Brief Answer:
Welcome to HCM. I have reviewed your query

Detailed Answer:
You have a challenging job. The approach sanctioned by the Academy is now personalization of all diets to the individual's diseases, labs, stage of readiness, personal goals, current eating plan, ability to engage in exercise and drug/nutrient interactions, potential supplements needed or not needed.

Templates for healthy diets that are popular with Dietitians are the Mediterrean Eating Plan adopted to caloric goal set for a reasonable, realistic and achievable weight loss goal; the MIND diet is new,but a combination of the Mediterrean approach and the DASH diet for those who have blood pressure issues as well as mood disturbances; there is plain old carbohydrate counting for those familiar with Weight Watchers who also have to deal with blood sugar issues. Finally, there is Weight Watchers itself.

We, AND Dietitians like myself, encourage social support, a personal visit (more if able) with a RDN-Registered Dietitian Nutritionist. Follow-ups should be frequent and reinforcing, educational and begin where the patient is at. If you would like to work with a dietitian you may find a local one by googling our organization the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

In summary, I have listed the following diet templates as good ones to model after: The Mediterrean Diet; The MIND Diet; Carbohydrate Counting; Weight Watchers. I have reinforced a personal visit with a Dietitian specializing in Obesity local to your area. I have emphasized Prochaskas Stages of Change and using it to determine where to begin if at all and the barriers you will encounter along the way that will need identification and a Plan.

Please, feel free to contact me if you need further clarification or I can help at all with the challenging situation you are in. I wish you the best of luck. I am always available for consultation should you need someone to bounce ideas off of or to help with a complicated client.

Respectfully XXXXXXX J. Shattler, MS,RDN

In all of my years of successful weight loss intervention, I would say that most of my clients end up on a 1200 calorie meal plan for females and 1500-1800 for males depending on size and activity.

Being a behavioral health counselor you are in the unique position of identifying the barriers to change that keep most obese people obese. Find these barriers, determine if patient is ready to work on any or all. Set up a plan to deal with each barrier to change. I work with positive self-talk, body imagery, stress control, anger management - these are the usual reasons that IF the weight is taken off, it isn't kept off.

There is no ONE or FOUR best diets. The easiest way to work with diet change is have them bring in a 2 day food diary in the week and 1 day on weekend. Talk about trade-offs. Instead of having fried chicken, how about baked chicken breast marinated in a tasty low cal sauce. Together identify food problems and if the client is ready for change, suggest substitutions.

Locate barriers. Break the ones ready to be broken. Set a clear intervention plan between client and change agent.

---