Christian Wellness Assessment Form

Developed by a Dietitian

Christian Wellness Assessment form created by Lacy Ngo, who is a registered dietitian and one of the top experts in Christian Mindfulness and Nutrition.

 

All You Need to Develop Your Own Christian Wellness Approach to Life

This assessment is perfect for people trying to improve their health AND their strengthen their walk with God through Christian Mindfulness and Nutrition. 

 

This is one of my favorite of my nutrition posts. This is what I would call my anchor post. Below I have included an adaptation of the assessment I developed for my clients. I used this assessment to customize my own clients specific plan! 

The Peace of Mindful Eating

 Save/pin/bookmark this for when you have time to sit down, carefully read the whole post, take notes, and develop your own habits to implement. 

Disclosure: This site may provide affiliate links (See full disclosure)

 

How to Use This Christian Wellness Assessment and Develop Your Own Plan

Step 1

First, answer the questions! 

checklist photo

Step 2

After answering the questions, determine which areas you would like to improve in your life.

Step 3

Once you have determined which areas you would like to improve, you will need to brainstorm habits that would help you improve your life in these areas. You will find links in the parentheses beside each question that will help you brainstorm and pick helpful habits to incorporate into your life. Click on the links and pick the techniques that you feel will best help you find solutions. notepad photo

Step 4

You are getting close to determining the specific lifestyle habits you would like to add to your daily life. Now let’s narrow it down. Pick 3-5 ideas that will be part of your plan and write them down. You may want to keep your plan somewhere visible. Keep practicing your changes until they become second nature to you.

Things to Remember

  • Often times if you try to change too much at once, you will get overwhelmed so only add a few lifestyle changes at a time.
  • I encourage you to consider picking mindful eating as one of the habits to implement. Mindful eating is about enjoying your food and listening to your body. You can learn more about mindful eating here.
  • Understand that “mess ups” are part of the process. We are not perfect. We will mess up. That is part of the process in…well everything in life. 
  • Take a multivitamin. I wish we were all getting the nutrients we need, but most people, unfortunately, are not getting all the vitamins and minerals we need in our diets.
  • Give your plan a few weeks. If you are having trouble with one component of your plan, go back to the solutions and try something else. Or after implementing your plan, you may notice things you would like to change that you had not thought of before. Go back to the habit tips and find a habit that will help you with the issue you want to address. 

Sample Diet Assessment

 Still need a little help seeing how this will work? Let’s look at a couple of examples of barriers  and solutions:

Barrier 1: You see from your assessment that you have problems with portion control so you click on the suggested solution articles. You first look at the Portion Control Tricks blog to see if there is a strategy that can help you. You like the idea of pre-portioning and freezing your foods. Now you have a habit you would like to implement into your life.  

Barrier 2: After finishing the assessment, you discover you binge on afternoon snacks. Based on the suggestion in the link provided, you decide to focus on hunger cues and eat when you are hungry instead of waiting until you are famished in the afternoon.

Christian Wellness Assessment Form

Date                           .

Height:                  Age                   Weight                Usual Weight                           

What are your health and wellness goals? What about your mind, body, and spirit would you like to improve?

Have you recently gained or lost weight?                  If so, how much                       

Medical History:

Please list any of your medical conditions. (Please be sure to discuss your medical issues and treatment plans with a doctor).

Your Daily Routine 

How many meals do you eat per day?             Snacks per day?         

Do you eat breakfast?         

(If yes, what kinds of things do you eat? How do you feel after eating that meal? If you would like to focus on eating healthier at breakfast, click here to learn how to build a nourishing breakfast meal or click here to find a list of healthy on-the-go snacks.)

If no, do you tend to wait until you are starving and then eat until you are uncomfortably full? (Click here to learn how mindful eating and listening to hunger cues may help with portion control)

Or do you not eat just because you are not hungry in the morning? (That is fine, keep doing what you are doing)

Or are you hungry, but too busy to stop to eat? (if the answer is yes to this question, click here to find healthy on-the-go nourishing snacks.

Do you skip meals?         Why?

Do you find following a diet difficult because you always feeling hungry? (You may be ignoring your hunger cues, follow these Mindful Eating Steps and focus on mindfully eating when you are hungry)

Work Questions

Occupation                                           .

Describe how your occupation affects your eating and exercise                                                                          

                                                                                                                                                        

                                                                                                                                                           

Do your coworkers and you often order take out, go out for lunch, or get fast food together?                  (If work seems to be a barrier to your health goals then click on When my Work Environment Gets in the Way of My Health and Wellness Goals, and 26 Clever Hacks for Eating Healthy While Eating Out  to find ideas that may help)

Do you travel frequently for work?                  (If yes, see Healthy Eating Hacks for Vacations and Frequent Travelers  and 26 Clever Hacks for Eating Healthy While Eating Out to develop your diet plan)

 

Are snack foods always available at work or do you snack at work? If so, what kinds of snacks do you eat?               (If yes, see Snacking Hacks for Healthy Living  and When Your Work Environment Gets in the Way of My Health and Wellness Goals to develop your own diet plan.)

Dining Out Questions

How many times do you eat out per week?              

Do you eat out often or are you always on the go and never eat at home?         

Name the restaurants where you most frequently eat?                                                                                            

Do you have trouble with portion control or eat high-calorie, lower-nutrient foods when you eat out?

If eating out seems to be a barrier to your health goals, see Eating Out Tips.)

Meals at Home Questions

Who cooks your meals?                       .

How often do they cook per week?                     .

Are the majority of the meals you eat cooked at home?                .

Are you expected to cook meals or are you the main cook for your family?              (If yes see Meal Planning , Grocery Shopping Hacks , How to Make the Foods I Already Eat Healthier,)

Do you often cook less nourishing meals because it is easier, quicker, or because you can’t think of what else to cook or you don’t know how to make nourishing meals?                          (If yes see Meal Planning , Grocery Shopping Hacks , How to Make the Foods I Already Eat Healthier,)

Do you struggle with menu planning?          (If yes see Meal Planning, Grocery Shopping Hacks , How to Make the Foods I Already Eat Healthier,)

Who do you eat with?                           .

Do you feel like you can’t cook nourishing meals because your other family members won’t eat it?                  (If the answer is yes and you feel that you cannot control what types of foods you eat due to your family, then control how much you eat instead by using Portion Control Tips. You could also try cooking the same meals that your family always enjoys, only using the lower calorie versions, see How to Make the Foods I Already Eat Healthier,” for ideas.” Many times families think they won’t like lower calorie foods but they are just as good. Try a few lower calorie recipes to see what your family thinks.)

Does someone else cook the food and therefore you feel you do not have control over what you eat?                   (If yes, then you will have to control your portions instead of what types of foods you eat so see Portion Control Tips. The Prepackaged, Pre-portioned meals or Meal Replacement post may also work well for you temporarily)

Does living with others make buying and having healthy foods in your house difficult?                (If yes, see  Portion Control Tips.)

Do you have difficulty with wanting overeating past full meals?                      (If yes, see  Portion Control Tips.)

Do you feel like you always end up putting too much food on your plate?             (If yes, see  Portion Control Tips.)

Do you feel like you aren’t eating very much at meals? (Perhaps focus on what you are eating instead of how much, see  Meal Planning , Grocery Shopping Hacks, How to Make the Foods I Already Eat Healthier,)

Who does the grocery shopping?                    

Are there more empty calorie foods in your house than nourishing foods?                           .  (If yes, see “Grocery Shopping Hacks.”)

Do you often snack on “empty calorie” snacks?              (If yes, see Snacking Tips .)

Are you sometimes too busy to plan meals when you get home, so you just make something easy and quick?           (If yes, see “ Meal Planning Tips”, “Grocery Shopping for Weight Loss,” How to Make the Foods I Already Eat Healthier,) You can also learn how to quickly build a meal on the spot with The Nourishing Meal Builder

How often do you eat frozen meals per week?            (If you eat frozen meals or quick meals often and rarely cook, then the Pre-packaged, pre-portioned meals or Meal Replacement diet tips may work well for you.)

Do you only  to prepare meals for yourself?                      (If yes, the Prepackaged. Pre-portioned Meals, or Meal Replacement Plans Meal Planning Tips, How to Make the Foods I Already Love Healthier,.)

Where do you eat when you are eating at home?                  

Do you eat at different places other than the table?              (If yes, see “Snacking Tips, and Portion Control Tips.)

Is the TV on while you eat?                (If yes, see “Snacking Tips“, numbers 104 through 116, and  Portion Control Tips.)

Non-Meal Times, i.e. Snacking Questions

What time of day do you snack or nibble on anything other than your meals?               

List the foods you snack on                                                                                              

Do you nibble or graze on things here and there throughout the day?     (See Snacking Tips and Grocery Shopping Hacks)

Do you sometimes grab a couple of bites while doing something else like working, cooking, watching TV, using the computer, studying, etc?          (See “Snacking for Weight Loss” and “Grocery Shopping for Weight Loss“)

Eating our Emotions Questions

Do you snack or “splurge” when you are bored?          

Do you snack or “splurge” when you are stressed?         

Do you snack or “splurge” when you are sad?              

Do you snack or “splurge” when you are tired?

Are you getting 7 to 8 hours of sleep most nights?        

Do you eat because you need a break from work or because you are procrastinating?             

(If you answer is yes to any of these, see  Emotional Eating )

Activity Questions

How often are you currently working out and what do you do?                             

Do you have trouble finding time to exercise?          

Do you enjoy exercise?          

When is the best time for you to exercise?           .

Do you get bored exercising?           

Do you have trouble balancing exercise with time with your children or do your children seem to take up all of your time?            

Do you often feel too tired to exercise?                  

Do you feel too embarrassed to exercise in public?                

If exercise is an issue you would like to explore, see (If no, see Developing an Exercise Plan”,  When you are Too Busy to Exercise, and Exercises you can do with Your Children)

Misc. Questions

Tell me what your day is like from morning to night including everything you do throughout the day and eat including condiments and serving sizes.                                                                                                                                                          

Do you feel worse during vacations due to overeating?            (If yes, see “ Healthy Eating Hacks for Vacations and Frequent Travelers“)

List the things you most often drink? (If unhealthy drinks are an issue, see Top 5 Tips for Reducing Liquid Calories)

Do you find yourself often overindulging in sweet sugary foods?                           (If yes, see 4 Ways to Lose Weight When You Have a Sweet Tooth)

Do you spend a lot of time out with friends or at social gatherings?             (If yes, see “Weight Loss Tips for Parties and Social Gatherings“)

Do you find that you tend to eat healthy until you get out of your routine, and then your healthy lifestyle falls away? In other words, do you find that you go from one extreme to the other when you diet? If this is a problem with you, you may want to focus on mindful eating. Some days you will eat more calories than others, but you will not lose control and overdo it. On days when you can’t follow your routine, if you mindfully eat, you can still joyfully eat a healthy portion of food. You may also want to see, What happens when your motivation and willpower to eat healthy runs out?

While answering the above questions, did you notice portion control or eating until you are overly full was a common issue? (If yes, then see  Mindful Eating and  Portion Control Tips“.)

After going over this questionnaire, pick 2 to 3 things you would like to address and change.    (Examples include afternoon time, stress, boredom, sweets, getting seconds, portion control, alcohol, snacking, grazing, TV watching time, work stress, social occasions, dining out, eating immediately after work, etc)?                                                                                      

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exercise photo
Photo by Fit Approach

Was This Helpful?

I want this plan to include everything you need to be successful; so it you find another tip that worked for you, please let me know. If the research backs up any recommended techniques, I will add it to the list.

Copyright © 2017 Mindfulness in Faith and Food.

You are free to retain any and all content here for personal use, but need permission to use it anywhere else on the internet.

 

Dietitian Confessions: How to Decrease Your Calories by 500 a Day!

 

How I ate decreased my Calories by 500 a Day and Still Ate the Same Amount of Food!

Disclosure: This site may provide affiliate links (See full disclosure)

The Confession

I have a gigantic confession to make. This is an embarrassing confession considering, you know, I went to 7 years of school to obtain a bachelors of science and masters in human nutrition. My confession is (drum roll please) I was eating close to 500 calories a day in condiments! My favorites are ranch and any restaurant’s signature sauce. Don’t get me wrong, I knew too many condiments could increase your calorie intake. I’m pretty sure I have included the tip, “limit or avoid condiments” on another post. Hold on let me check…

Yep, I included that particular tip right here aaaand here.

Did I realize what a difference my condiment affections were making in my life? Not even close!

Ranch dressing photo
Photo by soupboy

The Ephiphany

My epiphany came one day after eating at Chick-Fil-A. I was trying to make “mostly” healthy choices by mindfully selecting the grilled chicken sandwich and small fries. (I love a little taste of Chick-fil-A waffle fries. Everything in moderation, right?) I even took off one half of the bun because an open face sandwich was plenty of bread to satisfy me. For added measure, I only ate half of my small fries.

I’m thinking I did pretty well until I started adding my food into my Fitbit Charge 2 (Fitbit Charge 2 Heart Rate + Fitness Wristband, Plum, Large (US Version) . My calorie intake from actual food was fine. Then I started adding in my beloved “Chick-Fil-A sauce.” One packet of “Chick-Fil-A Sauce” is 140 calories, according to their website. If I had eating just one packet, my calorie range for lunch would have STILL been just fine… But I had (whisper voice here) three. That is 420 calories in condiments!!!

You may have heard people say I like ranch with my food. I am one of those people who likes food with my ranch. Notice the difference?

The Impact of Hidden Calories

When I learned this about myself, I was reminded of a client who drank sweet tea all day long. That client lost substantial weight by only switching from sweet tea to unsweet.

My condiment obsession produces similar math to the sweet tea reduction. To lose a pound, a person needs to decrease their calories by 3500 or burn an excess of 3500 calories. In other words, 3500 calories equals one pound. The best strategy is to increase your calorie burn through exercise AND decrease your calorie intake to equal about a 3500 calorie deficit a week. So to lose one pound a week, a person would need a calorie deficit of about 500 calories a day. Ummm… I basically could get that by omitting condiments from my diet! Heck, I could almost hit that deficit by omitting condiments from just one meal a day!

Making the Changes

So what did I learn from this epiphany?

  1. I need to back off of those condiments! But you know we dietitians want you to get more specific with your goals. So I’m going to say, “My goal is to reduce my condiments to one serving per meal.”
  2. Using an easy and accurate calorie tracking method has helped me see my big issues, especially the more hidden calories. I use the Fitbit Charge 2 Heart Rate + Fitness Wristband, Plum, Large (US Version) to track my calorie intake and calorie burn, but others have found success with apps like Myfitnesspal.

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Copyright © 2017 Mindfulness in Faith and Food.

You are free to retain any and all content here for personal use, but need permission to use it anywhere else on the internet.

God Moments: Did That Just Happen!

Seeing God’s Presence Today

Signs, Miracles, and "Winks" from God; An Amazing story about God's Presence today
Signs, Miracles, and “Winks” from God; An Amazing story about God’s Presence today

Mindfulness can help us stop to notice God’s presence in our lives, but sometimes God does something so cool that we notice even when we are not being particularly mindful. This is one of those experiences. Read until the end because the end is the best part!

Disclosure: This site may provide affiliate links (See full disclosure)

This article has been updated and is an adaptation from a story in 18 Weeks to a Healthier, Happier, More Purposeful Life. This unique book was written by Lacy Ngo, a dietitian nationally recognized as a top expert in faith-based mindfulness and evidence-based nutrition. She shares the exact steps that, based on science, produce the most dramatic health and weight loss success in her book, 18 Weeks to a Healthier, Happier, More Purposeful Life. This book is like nothing you have ever seen before. It combines faith and science. Both are crucial when it comes to producing real change because real change involves the mind, body, and spirit. This is an adaption from a story in the book, 18 Weeks to a Healthier, Happier, More Purposeful Life.

18 weeks to a healthier, happier, more purposeful life cover

How It All Started

About a year and a half ago, my then six year-old son took an ambulance ride from urgent care to the hospital. Before that ride, he had been on antibiotics but just kept getting sicker. When we arrived at the ER, the doctors diagnosed him with Pneumonia and admitted him to the hospital for five days. After being released, he just couldn’t get rid of that cough and kept getting fevers about every two to three weeks. An X-ray showed that he had a collapsed lung from all these lung issues. They released my son from the hospital in December. It was now June, and he was still coughing, struggling to breathe when he ran, getting tired easily, and getting frequent fevers. He had taken so many antibiotics that I had lost count. He had been put to sleep twice for minor lung procedures.

In June, the doctors decided to get a CT scan to see if he had a condition called Bronchiectasis. The CT scan confirmed he had this condition, which is defined as abnormal widening of the bronchi or their branches, causing a risk of infection. I had never heard of it so, of course, I looked it up online. The things I read terrified me. I was not handling the diagnosis well. I was walking around constantly on the verge of crying, but trying to seem cheerful for my children. Many nights I would pray and let out all of my pent up tears. I was scared of what this meant for my son. I can’t even bring myself to type all of the worries I was feeling. If you are a parent you can probably imagine the fears going through my head.

I Wanted to Cancel

The very same week that I learned of the diagnosis, I wanted to shut myself off from everyone, but our church book club was suppose to meet at MY HOUSE! I came inches from canceling. Most of the book club regulars were not able to come, so I started thinking no one is going to show up anyway. But then a new girl sent me an emailed saying that she would like to come and bring two of her friends. I didn’t want to cancel when new people had expressed interest, so I decided to push through. The funny thing is the new girl who had originally expressed interest was unable to attend, but the two friends she had mentioned in her email did come. These two girls, who only attended this one time, probably didn’t know what they were walking into. I was unorganized and monopolized the whole conversation. I ended up pouring all my emotions out to these brand new people. They were such patient listeners, and although I don’t know if they got much out of book club, I felt much better after that night.

Life Went On…

After that night, life went on. The doctors were trying all kinds of treatments. My son was now on continuous antibiotics three times a week and doing 30-minute treatments twice a day.

Below is a picture of the breathing treatments my son was doing twice a day.

My son was now going to doctors in Rock Hill, Charlotte, and Chapel Hill. Before I knew it, a year had gone by since receiving that initial diagnosis and pouring my heart out to those random new girls at book club.

Can I Ask You A Weird Question?

The doctors decided it was time to talk about having a surgery to remove the damaged lobe of his lung. The doctor gave us a list of surgeons, so I began to go down the list, making calls. I called the first office on the list to set up a consultation with a surgeon in Charlotte, NC. I started talking to the receptionist. She started asking basic questions like, “What is the appointment for?,” and “What is your home address?.” Then she paused and says, “Can I ask you a weird question?” I’m thinking, ‘What in the world is she going to ask me’, but all I said was “Okay.”  She then says, “Do you happen to have a book club with St. John’s?” Shocked and confused, I replied, “Yes!” She then exclaimed, “I think I have been to your house!” When I was answering her questions over the phone, she remembered hearing a similar story a year earlier at this book club she had attended once. She then realized she recognized the address I had just given her. She figured out that she and her friend, who also works in the same office, (you know, that other new girl) had been to my house the week my son had been diagnosed a year ago!

Knowing that people at the surgeon’s office knew our story and had known our story since the diagnosis was such a comfort to me.

God’s Plan to Bring Comfort and Guidance was Put into Action a Year Earlier

You know what else? I thought to myself, ‘wow, when I was walking around terrified and wishing I would feel God’s presence, God was right there’. I felt like God was giving me comfort on that book club night. Little did I know, that same book club social would give me comfort not only that very night but also a year later. Did God somehow help me cross paths with these ladies right when my son was diagnosed? Did God know this journey would lead to a big surgery way back then? (Of course God did!) Many of us have learned that God knows all, our past and our future, but to truly witness this was humbling. This experience made me feel like God was  giving me a warm hug. I could feel God’s Presence and realized just how present God had been the whole time. As, I processed this, the tears began running down my face and chills began running up my arm.

Today my son is doing well. The surgery was a success! We continue to praise God for warm hugs, comfort, and guidance.

Do you have any stories about experiencing God’s presence, comfort, or guidance?

Please share any of your stories in the comments below. I love these stories!

If you are looking for good books about people experiencing God’s presence in their lives, two of my favorites are  The Narrow Road: Stories of Those Who Walk This Road Together (International Adventures) and Love Does: Discover a Secretly Incredible Life in an Ordinary World:


Want More God Moment Stories? Check these Out

God Moments: We Prayed and Then This Happened!

God Follows Through

 We Chose the Same Picture

I Was So Afraid

God Moments: We Ran Out of Gas

About Mindfulness in Faith and Food, LLC & Lacy Ngo MS, RDN

About Lacy Ngo, MS, RDN and Mindfulness in Faith and Food, LLC

Mindfulness in Faith and Food, LLC focuses on how to live your healthiest, happiest, most meaningful life through faith-based mindfulness and evidence-based nutrition.
Several branches fall under the Mindfulness in Faith and Food, LLC umbrella. One is Mindful Vending, which is one of the few dietitian owned and operated vending companies in the nation!

Ngo is also a top expert in faith-based mindfulness and nutrition and is the author of several books including Faith, Mindfulness, & NutritionMindfulness in Faith and Freezer Meals and The Nourishing Meal Builder. You can also find evidence-based nutrition articles, recipes, convenient healthy snack lists, inspiring faith stories, and faith-based mindfulness techniques on her blog, Mindfulness in Faith and Food.

Copyright © 2017 Mindfulness in Faith and Food.

You are free to retain any and all content here for personal use, but need permission to use it anywhere else on the internet.

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