Monday, April 20, 2009

My Good Report Card

Yayyyy!!!!

Just got home from my 2nd appointment with the nutritionist and it went really well!

She was really happy with my progress so far. We started with a weigh-in first thing (eep) and by her official scale I've lost 4 pounds, which she was very pleased about.

Then we sat down and she went page-by-page through my food journal over the last month. Note to self, she reads all of that closely! I was honest on everything, and she had a lot of good comments and a few constructive tidbits on things I can improve. I already knew the main things she would advise me on -- work on portion control, try to cut back on some of the starch, and try to get more exercise. But overall, she was really complimentary about the changes I've made -- cutting out Starbucks, cooking more, choosing healthy snacks.

What I was really glad about was that she did NOT criticize some of the things that I thought might catch her eye - no comment on the few glasses of wine or margaritas I've had, no comment on the piece of ice cream cake or the birthday cupcake I had at 2 different celebrations, no comment on my occasional Coke Zero habit. She said that once her clients learn how to start losing, she says that when a special occasion or vacation comes up, she realizes they will eat differently and says to focus on at least not gaining at those times. Since I lost weight overall, she really didn't pick at much.

Then we spent a LONG time talking about my potential challenges coming up, as I have a 5-day out-of-town conference soon. She's familiar with the hotel where I will be staying and said there are good restaurants and markets around, but mostly she gave me advice on things to bring along and keep in my hotel room to get me through breakfasts, snacks all day, and "treats" at night. String cheese is a great pack-and-go snack, and I've really come to rely on it as a filling mid-afternoon break. She liked my snack mix, so I'll be packing that. She also okayed oatmeal packets and little cereal packets with soy milk (though she's not a fan of 100-calorie packs in general). So I'll be hunting for fruit and yogurt, but bringing on a stash of things to try and get me through the tough between-meals times while I'm away.

Hooray! I'm so glad this went well -- and I'll be going back again in about a month. Now, to find out if my insurance reimburses for my out-of-pocket costs for these visits....

2 comments:

ScottE. said...

Good job.

One tip on oatmeal. Buy a large container of it and portion it out like your snack mix. I stopped buying oatmeal packets and now make my own. You can add your own "stir-in" based on your preference. My favorites are apples, cinnamon and cashews. The other favorite is dried cherries, pistachios and cardamom. Add a little brown sugar if you want and yum!

I generally do that about 3-4 times a week for breakfast. Whole grain, fruit and nuts. Breakfast of champions.

And you'll save yourself some money buying a giant container of oatmeal for $3-$4 instead of a box of 6-8 servings for $2-3.

ScottE. said...

...and in the interest of our environment, you can use a small Gladware container over and over to pack up your oatmeal, instead of zip baggies. Woot!