Thursday, September 30, 2010

Week #2 with the nutritionist

I had a pretty good week in some regards.  My goal had been to eat 2 green veggies a day and to eat more veggies in one sitting.  Often the diet was telling me to eat 2 cups of veggies and I was only eating a handful of raw carrots.  I figured this had something to do with why I was so hungry all the time.   Between the shrinking of my stomach from last week and the extra veggies this week, I was feeling better or at least not hungry.  Mid-week I started fighting off a cold, but interestingly enough it went away without me really even getting too sick at all... maybe it was all the green veggies?

So, what did I learn this week?  I'm allowed to email her questions, so here are some interesting tidbits I learned and hopefully will retain.

1) Eating eggs is a good thing and they have been given a bad rap.  However you need to eat them with a soft yolk.  Hard yolks have more cholesterol and less nutrients.  Don't ask me the science behind it, but that is what I learned.

2) Cook using liquids.  For example, again with eggs, I said what is the difference between fried and poached eggs if they both have a soft yolk, she said the cooking method does something to it, adds something that is bad for you.    She said cook chicken in water with herbs or a tomato sauce for example.  BBqing was also not her favorite method of cooking for this reason and she said do not eat blackened foods as they are known to be carcinogenic. 

3)  If I am going to eat something with little nutritional value, like Rice Krispies I should eat a fat with it, like Flax to help sustain me through until snack time.  She said the same with snacks like rice cakes,etc.

4) Don't drink cold water.  Cold water closes your blood vessels and makes it harder to absorb all the nutrients you are trying to feed it (or something like that).  She says weight loss books say the opposite because you burn more calories warming the water up in your body, but your body needs the nutrients, so to drink it warm.

My goals for this week are to drink warm lemon water every morning to kickstart my digestive system.  To track how much water I drink and aim for 8 glasses a day.  To take my calcium/magnesium before bed as it can be calming?  To continue eating my veggies and to add my exercise because I have been slack the last 2 weeks!

There you have it!  I did sneak back under 200 pounds this week, a number I hadn't seen since before summer holidays, so that felt good! 

Friday, September 24, 2010

Nutritionist update

So, week 1 is over and I've had my first 1 on 1 session with my nutritionist.  We didn't take any measurements, not even a weight.  She isn't so worried about that number, but wants to teach me to read labels and consider what I am putting in my body.  Yesterday's discussion included tidbits such as:

Always choose the whole grain option over whole wheat - read the label carefully! 

Eating no yogurt would be her preference over eating a higher sugar yogurt or an artificially sweetened yogurt.  I tried the plain yogurt, but seriously that was just not good!  I've been trying to decrease to lower fat versions, but she said it really is more the sugar I should be concentrating on.  I wondered if it was better to eat a yogurt every day to get your calcium and probiotics, even if it had sugar in it, but in her opinion, dairy was not the end all be all and she wasn't worried about me having it daily like my physician had suggested.  I do take a supplement of calcium (now calcium citrate and I have to say I like the taste of this liquid calcium, especially right after the fish oil I am now taking).  Her suggestion was if it said dairy on the menu, I could substitute that for a protein.  I'm not giving up yogurt by any means, but I maybe won't eat 2 a day (sometimes that happens).

She likes the 90:10 rule, be good 90 % of the time and the other 10% you could have fun - celebrate a birthday or eat a fun snack.   I thought this was a good rule and in the course of your week, if you eat 21 meals and 14 or so snacks, that is a couple times a week where you could have a treat and not feel guilty about it.  It is good to know you can treat yourself and not feel guilty about it. 

A good first session.  I also learned from her body composition analysis that my water levels are low, so more water and more veggies and fruits that naturally contain water. 

She also suggested, twice now, warm lemon water in the morning to kick start your system working.  I haven't made that a priority yet, but should try it this weekend.  I also need to focus on more veggies.  I know I don't eat a full cup when it asks for them, unless they are cooked.  A full cup of raw veggies is a lot, unless you are eating a salad, so I need to focus on that.

Anyhow, so far so good!  I did lose 1.5 pounds when I weighed myself at home, but was quite hungry this week.  That's why I have to focus on my veggie amounts to help fill me up more. 

Saturday, September 18, 2010

Hi, ho, hi, ho... off to the nutrionist I go!

On Thursday I met with a nutritionist. My goal is to feel less tired and have more energy. The closest plan she has that matches this is a weight loss plan of course. I've said it before and I will say it again, I am done with dieting... I'm just trying to live a healthier life everyday and be happy. Since I started this mentality last June, as in a year and a bit ago, I've lost 13 pounds and kept it off (I won't mention the other 5 I had lost but gained over the summer, sigh)

Anyhow, I meet the nutritionist and I am slightly nervous and partially excited. I fill out oodles of paperwork, I think over 15 pages, plus a 7 day food log prior to our meeting. When we meet we discuss my paperwork and she takes my measurements and then basically sends me on my way saying she will send me the website and password later that night. Harumpf!

The night goes by and still no email, I think it was later the next afternoon when I finally had access and my initial response was disappointment. I mean, really it is like the online Curves program I had done 2 years ago, they give you a set menu and if you don't like it you can scroll down and replace it with something else. It is pretty much like any other diet, Dr. Phil, Ultimate Body Challenge... been there done that... chicken breast and veggies here I come. I'm not thrilled!

I keep looking through the website and more and more of my questions get answered as I read on and things become more clear. For example, in the first 2 weeks,I am not allowed beef, pork, potatoes, nuts, hard cheese, alcohol, and I can't remember why, but something like they are heavy and slow down the digestion. These food are slowly re-integrated starting week 3. So at least I know the menu changes as we go through the process. She also has a list of recipes on the site, including muesli and muffins, so apparently I will be able to switch from whole wheat breads after 2 weeks, too.

She had told me the key would be our weekly meetings and I think she is right, this is where she will have to help me tweak the menu to better suite my family and my needs. She didn't do that this week, which is why I freaked out a bit on initial reaction.

Based on her recommendations, items I shopped for today included: calcium citrate (instead of carbonate, better absorbed by the body and I bought a liquid from that also has Magnesium in), fish oil (I bought lemon flavored, we will see how that goes down, I may have to stir it in with yogurt or something?), wheat germ, wheat bran, spelt flakes, chia seed, ground flax seed... many of these are for the muesli recipe that looked pretty good and that I can eat for breakfast:

2 cups organic rolled oats
1 cup spelt or barley flakes
1/2 wheat bran
1/3 cup skim milk powder
1/3 natural almonds (chopped)
1/4 wheat germ
1/3 cup ground flax seeds
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp vanilla (pure)
1/3 cup raisins
1/2 cup diced dried fruit (pineapple, apricots, cranberries)
3/4 apple juice concentrate

in shallow baking dish, combine first 9 ingredients. Mix 1/2 cup apple juice concentrate with vanilla. Pour over mixture and stir to coat. Bake at 275 for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. Remove from oven and add remaining ingredients. Bake for another 15 minutes. Let cool, store for up to a month. 1 serving = 1/2 cup.

So,  I'm signed up for a month.  The first two weeks will be like a real diet, quiet restricting, but I think there are reasons for that, so I am willing to do it.  Over time, foods will be reintegrated and we will keep adapting the menu, so I should lose some weight, but ideally am introducing news foods and habits that will stick around for the long haul and in the long run make me feel better... I hope. 

I have my weekly meetings on Thursdays and will keep you posted as to how successful or frustrating things are going.  Thanks for your support!