Compromise

A recent fight with the boyfriend involves both of us assuming that we know what the other person wanted when in fact it wasn't. I thought that he had wanted to go watch a music show (something he mentioned to me months ago), whereas he thought I had wanted to go on a trip to Utah (something I had mentioned to him months ago). As it turns out, we are not the other person, and we would never know what priorities and thought processes the other person has in mind. (Ironically, this fight was over what to do for Valentine's day.)

That got me thinking. Many times in working with clients, we may naturally assume that we know what is best for them. For me, I get super excited, and I just want to unload ontol them my knowledge as well as what to eat and what not to eat. However, I often lose sight of what is important to them. Perhaps soda is one of those things that a particular client is unwilling to give up, but he/she is able to stop having desserts after each meal. Or perhaps having that one piece of dark chocolate at the end of the day is what motivates another client to get to the gym and work at that treadmill.

Whatever it is they need to keep working towards their goal, it is up to us dietitians to find out. They should not be feeling deprived. Instead, dieting, as well as many other facets of life, should be more of a compromise - having less of the things you don't care about as much so that you can have more of the things you love.