What did you enjoy most about being a trainer on My Diet is Better Than Yours?

I think the show has a great premise. This show really is all about bio-individuality, or which diet is right for which person at which time in their life. The funny part is, personally, I felt that we all got along so well that it didn’t necessarily feel like such a competition. Everyone was rooting everyone on, and everyone wanted everyone to win. It’s great to bring out all of these different dietary theories.

How did you develop the Strong, Safe, and Sexy diet you promoted while filming the show?

I think I owe a lot of it to my martial arts training, which focuses on the mind, body, spirit connection. I want all my clients to be strong, mentally and physically. I’m not a therapist, but trainers and nutritionists do work with people on an emotional level a lot, so that comes into play first—their emotional and mental strength. I have to say to people, “Well, first, before we even talk about food, I want to talk about why you think you’re fat. What’s going on there on a deeper level, on an emotional level?”

Then I want them to be safe—safe from disease, more aware of themselves and their surroundings, and better able to defend themselves by learning martial arts. And sexy to me has nothing to do with curves on your body or a six-pack. To me, sexy is all about inner confidence.

What do you see as the biggest misconception about dieting?

I actually try to avoid using the word diet. It’s a meal plan, it’s a nutrition program, it’s a fitness program, it’s a way of life. That’s why crash dieting never works. There’s this whole misconception that you just need to eat less in order to lose weight. It’s not a lasting strategy. You set yourself up like a yo-yo and screw up your metabolism. You don’t have to starve yourself to lose weight or be healthy.

You co-wrote a book for young women, Hear Me Roar: How to Defend Your Mind, Body & Heart Against People Who Suck. What do you like about working with that group?

I can tell them all the things that I wish I’d learned when I was in college. I wish I had more of that inner confidence then. Besides my family, there was no woman telling me that it’s OK to look how I look and to love myself and appreciate my strengths.

I also work at a rehab center for teens going through anxiety, depression, body image issues, self-image disorders, and lacking confidence because they’re constantly comparing themselves to others and to images they see in the media. I want to give them the positive messages I wish I had back then.

Besides following a healthy meal and exercise plan, what can women do to help themselves and each other be strong, safe, and sexy?

I like to tell women, especially when I speak at colleges, about what girl power really means. To me it just means sticking up for each other. You know, maybe when you see a woman being taken advantage of, you step in. Sometimes women, especially younger women, have a tendency to kind of join the crowd and not take a stand for things. Take a stand for what you believe in—what you believe is really right, not just what everyone else is telling you. Be a force for good.

Interview conducted, edited, and condensed by Alexandra Loizzo-Desai.

According to the 16th-century founder of the Jesuits, “A little holiness and great health of body does more in the care of souls than great holiness and little health.”

In other words, says Nardone—a board-certified OB/GYN with a passion for nutrition and more than 30 years of clinical experience—no matter what you do, “if you’re healthy, you can fulfill your responsibilities all the better.”

We asked Nardone for her advice on getting and staying fit throughout the year.

1. Be Practical

Set achievable goals, and don’t be too hard on yourself.

“Patients tell me, ‘Oh, doc, 20 years ago, I was your size.’ And I say, OK, it took you 20 years to (gain the weight); it’s not going to come off in 20 days,” Nardone says.

The goal is to get and stay in a range that’s healthy for you—one that’s not only appropriate for your age and in line with your genetic makeup but also compatible with normal blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and glucose tolerance.

“The worst thing is yo-yo dieting—up and down, up and down,” she says, which puts a lot of stress on your heart, your vascular system, and your entire body. “You should always try to stay within a seven-pound range that you can maintain without dieting or worrying every day.”

2. Weigh In Regularly (But Not Obsessively)

Get a scale you like and use it wisely, Nardone says.

“You can lie to yourself—oh, I’m fine—but your scale doesn’t lie. So you should weigh yourself once a week or once every two weeks. Patients will come to me once a year, and they’re surprised that they’ve gained 15 pounds. How could you not notice?”

But don’t “get obsessed with it,” Nardone adds, “and never weigh yourself every day.”

3. Prioritize Exercise

Daily exercise will help stem weight gain and improve your mood, so treat your workout like a social commitment.

“Mornings are probably best because later never comes. If you’re a mom and a working mom, you know what that means: later never comes,” Nardone says.

But allow for some flexibility in your routine, she adds.

“If the gym is closed, go for a walk or do a workout video on YouTube at home. And you can take the stairs instead of the elevator or walk around the block at lunchtime. You don’t need to belong to a gym to be physically active.”

4. Make Smart Swaps

Some simple recipe adjustments can go a long way toward reducing fat, salt, and calories in your meals—and improving your health, Nardone says.

• Try half-and-half or 2 percent milk when recipes call for cream.
• When cooking with butter, use half the amount called for in the recipe.
• Use low-sodium stocks (and don’t add salt) when making soups or gravy.
• Use olive or nut oils when sautéing.
• Add more vegetables like roasted carrots, peas, broccoli, and brussels sprouts (“You want a very colorful dish!”) instead of starchy sides such as potatoes and pasta.
• Choose lean cuts of meats and poultry that are fresh and farm raised.
• Serve water or club soda. Keep alcohol consumption to a minimum. And ditch sodas and juices entirely. “They’re just wasted calories,” she says, “and loaded with sugar and additives.”

5. Manage Stress

Use exercise and healthy food habits to reduce stress.

“Number one, exercise is a great release for stress. And it takes time, but you have to plan your meals. Don’t allow yourself not to be eating. You need breakfast, you need a lunch, and you should keep some healthy snacks, like low-fat granola, in your drawer,” Nardone says.

“If you’re stressed but you’re hungry or you’re not drinking enough and your blood sugar’s dropping, you get shaky. One component of stress you can control is eating, so eat the right things.”

Last but not least, she says, “Don’t use eating as an activity. Do something active instead. You’ll enjoy your food all the more when you’ve earned it!”

Adelaide Nardone, MD, FACOG, earned a BS at Fordham and an MD at New York Medical College. She was a clinical instructor at Brown University and the University of Rhode Island. And she’s been an instructor and a wellness consultant at Fordham, where she has offered one-on-one career guidance to students through the Fordham Mentoring Program.

In 2014, she spoke with FORDHAM magazine about her family’s ties to Fordham and her participation in the mentoring program.

Photo by Bruce Gilbert