how much fruit can a diabetic person safely eat?
I have a woman prediabetic, I am working with her and she says she knows it all, has worked with a dietician, yet continues to eat all fruit and processed grains for her main diet. Her stomach is huge!! How do I get through to her the damage she is doing? She will eat an apple and a banana for breakfast, oranges for lunch. etc.
Obviously she is addicted to sugar (even if this comes from fruits). I would bet that the rest of her diet is not that clean either. She by telling you that “she has worked” with a dietitian in the past means nothing. You could suggest to her to make another appointment with her dietitian or a dietitian you like to work with and then have an open communication channel with the dietitian to make sure you are all in the same page. Eventually she will hit the “wall”. She needs to understand that she hired you for a reason and that reason is for you to help her get out of her old habits and search for a new and healthier lifestyle.
Hi Peggi,
I would stay out of the nutrition discussion altogether. She “knows it all”. Unless you have credentials not listed in your profile, how can you know of the damage she is doing? A statement like this would be beyond the scope of my practice.
You can do her the greatest good when you get her to exercise consistently. Difficult as it may be with clients like that, if she feels pressured she may end up quitting you and exercise altogether, and nobody wins. You have voiced your concern. You may require a physician’s approval, if you don’t have it already.
Karin Singleton
www.meltnc.com
This might be a discussion that needs to be tabled for a while so that you can build a more trusting relationship. It sounds like her comments are very defensive. If she’s not ready to talk about it, you might need to respect that. As you continue to work together, you might be in a better position to suggest that she work with a dietician again, or ask her to track her food and compare it to what her dietician told her.
It’s frustrating when clients don’t take our recommendations, and when they fib, or when they don’t think they’re fibbing but they’re not really keeping track. But it’s not about us. Sometimes we need to give them what they want for a time in order to have enough credit with them so that they will hear the suggestions that are harder to follow.
Hi Peggi,
You said she was “pre-diabetic.” Wait until her doctor declares her an “official diabetic” and she needs medication – then I bet she changes her act. We’ve all run into know-it-alls. Just do your best with her – that’s all you can do. Good luck Peggi!
Paul Thomas
www.homeworkoutguy.com