Today, I saw a nutritionist. This was a first time experience for me. I’m not entirely sure what I expected going in – perhaps the secret weapon to fighting fat and losing weight. Wrong.
The appointment started out with my nutritionist, Elizabeth, asking a lot of questions about family history regarding heart disease (one side of the family), cancer (both sides of the family) and diabetes (both sides). “Oh boy,” she says. We talked a lot about what I’m doing now – walking through what a typical day looks like for me in terms of food and working out. As she saw it, I had three core areas to work on: (1) dinner, in general, (2) planning, and (3) eating more carbs (yes, more).
Dinner is an issue for me because evening tennis and/or boot camp often hit right when I need to be eating (which is every four hours, by the way). Perhaps I go from work straight to tennis, getting home around 8:45. This is hardly the time I want to cook – and is more about getting into the bedtime routine. Knowing all this as I leave the office, I usually pick up fast food (yeah, I know).
Hence, I need to be better at planning around the clock. I told her about how in November, I did not eat out at all – no meals. This took an immense amount of planning, which I could stand to channel more – like having frozen meals at the office for those nights that run into tennis.
Regarding the carbs, I was surprised. Carbs are apparently what the brain uses for fuel. Know why people on Atkins are loopy? No carbs. I should be eating 2-3 “choices” of carbs per meal, and 1-2 choices per snack. A choice, by the way, is 15g of carbs. This could include veggies, milk, bread, fruit – so many options.
From there, we discussed a meal plan for one day that was customized for me. For instance, I currently have eggs for breakfast, sometimes with Canadian bacon. Now, I’ll be adding carbs to that – toast perhaps, or quinoa.
I asked her about a calorie goal and was surprised to hear about 1,600 – 1,800 calories a day. I explained to her that MyFitnessPal (my online calorie tracker) has set forth 1,300 calories, but adds back any workout calories I earn. So, if I do boot camp in the morning and burn 400 calories, then my new calorie goal for the day is 1,300 + 400, which equals 1,700. Calories, however, do not carry into the next day.
So, it’s back to calorie counting for me very soon! I am on vacation as of about 7PM tonight and I’m going to eat mindfully for the rest of the week and plan meals starting Monday.
I head back in 6 weeks – I suppose for a follow-up. My guess – we’ll talk about how the diet is working out for me, review my “homework” (meal and calorie tracking). I *really* hope insurance covered these upcoming appointments. Today cost me a $60 copay, and would have been $170 for the initial consultation. Ouch!
Still, I’m looking forward to having a professional talk me through the process and I hope to see more results as a result of the steps I’m taking with her.
The Problem with Public
This blog has really been what’s kept me going with weight loss this time around. Any other time, I would have completely lost focus months ago and just reverted back to comfort/easy zone. This blog keeps me accountable – to my family, my friends, strangers and of course myself.
But sometimes putting it all out there is unexpectedly tough. When I’m honest about my pitfalls, you all know. Sometimes I’m straight up honest, and sometimes I approach it in humorous way, but I always try to remain real. True to who I am.
And sometimes, the response I get hurts. Be it comments or private messages, some people really feel it’s their job to call me out – even though I’m calling myself out. I said in my very first post that sometimes I need that no-holds-barred feedback, as opposed to the candy coating. But it hurts anyways. (And by the way, it has never come from someone who has lost 100+ lbs, or who needs to lose it themselves.)
It’s not that I don’t appreciate it, because it rattles me to the point of getting me to GO. PULL THROUGH. Even if it’s presumptuous, ill-informed, or tough-love, it DOES make an impact on me, but only after I’ve had time to process it.
Yesterday was a weird, weird day. I don’t know if the birth control hormones are still affecting me or what, but I’m feeling introverted, anti-social, and anti-workout. #truthbomb
And this morning, I woke up IN TIME to go to boot camp, but drug my feet getting out the door and ultimately drove right past it when I realized I’d be 10+ minutes late. I know – it’s pathetic. NOBODY needs to call me out on it, though I know someone will – whether it’s a reply to this post, or they try to sneak it in five posts from now. (I’m onto you.) I hate it, but bring it on.
While I try to work through my grouchy, crabby, hormonal mood swings and grit my teeth through every temptation I (try to) turn away, I know that every single reader of this blog – blunt or not – wants me to succeed. And though the comments sting, I have to make sure they don’t discourage me from being honest.
This blog makes me accountable. Even if some people want to take my honesty and scold me for it, so be it. I’m not perfect, and I’m OK with it.