Weight loss is no new topic. People have been counting calories, loggings meals, and cutting sweets for years now. However, I enjoyed reading Kath Younger’s fresh and simplistic take on the art of shedding pounds.
Kath is a Registered Dietitian who has a blog called “Kath Eats Real Food,” which I have been following for about a year now. The vivacious colors and funky fonts are what originally drew me into the blog. The top of the blog-page is bordered with gorgeous pictures of fresh, healthy food, which is very appealing. There are tabs below this border that address popular topics such as “lifestyle topics,” “food topics,” “recipes,” and “oatmeal.” This makes it easy to find a post about something that you are interested in. The author uses a friendly tone and informal dictation, referring to the audience as “you.” She makes losing weight seem like a realistic goal, as she breaks down her methods of keeping the pounds off.
Kath suggests that losing weight does not have to involve the meticulous recording of every calorie that we consume during the day. Rather, losing weight is about experimenting and listening to your body. She explains that by paying attention to the portion sizes and types of food that she eats, she has learned what general calorie intake helps her to gradually lose weight. She says that all in all, her “stomach rules the roost.” Kath describes the learning process to get to this point.
To begin, Kath suggests writing down what you eat for a week so that you get a sense of what types of food and how much of that food you eat normally. She breaks down for the readers what she believes her calorie needs are as a breast-feeding mother. She cites a calorie tracker on LiveStrong.com to come up with a basic calorie goal. She also refers to an article by an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant, Kelly Bonyata, about the caloric needs of lactating mothers. She explains that once you have a basic idea of how much food you should be eating and how much you currently are, you can begin to make adjustments.
Kath goes into detail about how she intuitively tries to vary the types of food in her diet. If she eats bread for breakfast, she sticks with a salad for lunch. If she eats yogurt in the morning, she tries to avoid eating it again as a snack. Rather than meticulously planning out every meal, losing weight can just involve being mindful of what foods you might be over or under-eating. She suggests having complex carbs, protein, and fat in every meal, and stresses the importance of vegetables. Most importantly, Kath reminds readers that healthy weight loss is gradual, so they should maintain a relaxed mindset when stepping onto the scale.
Kath engages her readers by offering relatable, friendly advice and challenging them to lead healthier lives. The people who comment on her blog praise her for this easy, simplistic view and share their weight loss successes. When readers ask questions, Kath responds to them. The information that she relays about calorie needs is accurate. She posts reliable links, such as the LiveStrong website and the article by Kelly Bonyata, to back up her statements.
Something that I would like to incorporate into my own blog is the method that Kath uses of breaking up her posts with large, detailed pictures of foods related to the topic. As a reader, I feel much more inclined to keep reading if the post is divided into smaller sections. I also enjoy seeing the pictures. They provide a great visual of the topic. Kath’s blog is extremely popular, and I admire her friendly, engaging spirit. I hope to one day be a successful, engaging blogger like Kath Younger.
