My visit with the nutritionist (take 2)...

Sorry for the delay. I had computer issues.

So I met with the nutritionist Monday. I think it went pretty well...

First she complimented me on my current eating habits and my progress thus far. She said that she doesn't usually have someone come to her eating the way I do, so it wasn't as easy to make changes. But she came up with some good suggestions regardless.

1) Eat fewer calories. I don't count calories, but I did bring her my food logs. She calculated my current calorie intake in a day is around 1800-1900 calories. She said while this is probably good for maintenance, I should really be consuming about 1500-1600. I'm not really sure how to reach this without counting calories (which she said was something that she didn't want me to do and that counting calories -- that was her job). So I guess I will plug my journals into www.sparkpeople.com every now and again to make sure I'm on track.
2) Eat less protein. She said that I should be eating about 1-2 grams/kg adjusted body weight a day. That comes out to 70-140 grams of protein. Adjusted body weight is a nutritionist's calculation based on current weight and ideal body weight. This is close to my personal goal weight, about 140-145 lbs. Incidentally, my ideal body weight is calculated to be 118 lbs! I don't think that there is any way that I could get to that weight (or that I would even want to...). Sean totally disagrees on this point.
3) Choose healthy snacks. Yogurt, South Beach bars, nuts... I think I do a pretty good job on this one already. But she doesn't like dried fruits like craisins... says they're just sugar! She wants me to choose whole fruits instead.
4) Choose the right carbs. Again, I'm doing a good job here. She applauded me on choosing whole grain carbohydrates.
5) Look into a meal replacement shake with whey protein isolate. She liked the fact that I use a meal replacement shake, but she thinks I should look for a different one. She doesn't like that the advocare shakes are made with whey protein concentrate. She wants me to look into Unjury shakes... anyone heard of them??? Anyway, I have a lot of advocare products to use first before I can buy some new ones.
6) Make an appointment to see my doctor and have some labs checked. I'm due for a checkup. Hopefully my schedule and my PCP's schedule will come together soon.
7) Drink my water and take a vitamin. I think she has to say that, right???
8) Find ways to manage my stress (yeah, right). I admitted to her that I have a tendency to eat when I am stressed or bored. She told me to find different activities to manage these feelings. I know she's right, but I think this falls in the "easier-said-than-done" category... I'll give it a try!

So, there you go. I've done pretty well with this week, and I think I may have lost a pound or two. My next assessment is going to be in October so that I have some time to make these changes. I'm going to work hard, evaluate and make adjustments if need be. Wish me luck!

Have a great weekend!
LP