Friday, February 02, 2007

Weight Management Class

Most will want to skip this I'm sure. LOL

I really "know all this stuff" but I'm very excited about this class. Debbie, the dietitian, is so encouraging and knowledgeable and full of COMMON SENSE! I knew that I was doing all I could and my weight loss was VERY slow and/or stalled. I had to do something. I never would have met with Debbie if my cholesterol hadn't come up high. I was thinking of Weight Watchers - but I knew my philosphy on food is a bit different than theirs....so this is working. I can see if I can fit a once a week commitment into my schedule. AND I've learned from Debbie, that you take what works for you and if something doesn't work you "tweak it". No one program is going to work for every person, just as no one homeschooling curriculum is right for every family.

Obviously, as I shared earlier, she was right that my body was in "survival mode". Why it got there - I still don't totally get because I SWEAR I ATE every time my stomach growled.

ANYWAY.....today's class was on calories, portion sizes, basic nutrition, how many servings of each food group you should get a day....Oh - I was asked about protein today at co-op. She said a woman only needs 4 - 6 ounces a DAY (2-3 servings). That can come from eggs, nuts, meat, beans...etc... That really isn't much at all...I add nuts and seeds to my salads....and usually have a slice of lunch meat at lunch....I had three meatballs last night for dinner and that was all the protein I needed for the day. I know I'm not getting all the boxes checked each day but I'm getting the important ones for cholesterol and working on adding the others in. I stated right up front that I hate counting calories (I'm sure I wasn't the only one in the room who went "ugh" when she mentioned calories. I don't plan on spending the rest of my life counting calories. This is not a practice that will work long term for me). She suggested the class do it for 6 weeks because it would be eye-opening to see what you are really eating. She also had a neat little worksheet you could use where you don't count calories but check off boxes of various food groups. We went over all the food groups....guess what? Most the veggies I eat are FREE!!!! Potatoes and Sweet Potatoes are not. I can live with this! I talked with her a bit after class. I decided it would be good to count calories because obviously I've been surprised at how big some servings are and so this would help me get an idea of what a "typical" woman should be eating. Boy this goes against all my beliefs of the past few years.....She said that a short woman should have between 1200 - 1400 to lose weight. For a tall or short active woman it was higher - I think up to 1600 or 1800 calories. Well, I'm short. I'm active but I don't want to fall into THAT trap....so I picked the 1200-1400 numbers. She said that the MINIMUM anyone should ever eat before going into survival mode is 1200 calories. I have been eating so MUCH food the past two weeks (since my visit to her) that I was sure I was in the range...but wanted to be nearer the bottom...you know?

I decided to do the calorie thing until I'm consistently making choices that put me in the 1200 - 1400 range. I came home and figured out yesterday's calories...I went online and got calories for a 1/2 a chick fil a charbroiled chicken wrap (Cy brought 4 home the other night and I've been enjoying them), I figured out the calories for the dressing I make and how much I use, my salads are FREE...so....

Thank GOODNESS I had my chocolate covered almonds....I came in at 1000 calories yesterday. I just figured today's out and I've had 850 calories....guess I need some more almonds tonight...or something...but I'm stuffed. It's hard to figure out how to "not eat unless it's stomach hunger" (her comment today) and still get at least 1200 calories in. I can't figure out why I don't get hungry....Adrienne thought it may be psychological....All I know is that I think I'm going to need to find some sort of help figuring out what is a "good" amount to eat. I was SURE I was eating about 1400 calories a day since I've started eating all the time. I shudder to think how many calories I was eating before I met with her....and I still don't fully understand why the logic of 1200 to lose weight, 600 to lose even more doesn't work. LOL I would agree that counting calories was EYE OPENING....

I'm really thinking about what to do at the end of these 6 weeks. I really don't know. I think that I'm different in that yes, I seem to be fooling myself, but it isn't into thinking I'm eating LESS than I am...I simply think that every little bit of food is a huge number of calories. I've thought weight watchers....I've thought LA Weight Loss Centers but then I heard how much they charge and really by the end of the 6 weeks I'm hoping to not have much more to lose....I don't want to take all the supplements that LA pushes...but the idea of sitting down often with a nutritionist to discuss what you ate seems to be what I need. In other words I'm needing to figure out HEALTH and not really WEIGHT because it IS coming off again - and at a nice clip.

Honest - I won't do this all the time - I promise. I'm simply trying to process information and Mike isn't here for me to bore him with all this (I bet THIS is one time he's glad he's not here ::snort::) ...so ya'll get to hear it. ::snort:: I still struggle with the "this is gluttony - I'm not hungry" thoughts. How can it be gluttony if I've had only 850 calories today....but then "if you aren't hungry, then God is saying your body doesn't need the food - are you going to trust God or man-made food lists"....see my mixed up thought patterns. I prayed about this and know that I'm supposed to TRY to eat the way Debbie says is healthy for at least a month.

OH - she hasn't really heard of coconut oil but agreed to research it today. It's listed as "bad" in the literature they have at base. Well IT isn't but coconut and coconut milk is. She asked me to bring her any articles I have on it - so I'll be looking for some that are good - factual - and not from a company that manufactures coconut oil. If any of you have such websites, send them on to me. AND she said she isn't sure what to call my flax oil but to keep using it! LOL She said it could be grain or oil but she'll figure it out for me.

Ya' know if Cy would bring a SHAKE home tonight I'd get those calories in nothing flat! ::snort:: It looks like I need 350 calories still for the day and its 8:30 p.m. I simply don't think it is going to happen.....

Now I have a goal - work up to 10 servings of produce a day and 1200 calories.

Produce Co-op Today

Today was our first day trying to get everything delivered in 30 minutes so that I could go to my class. LOL It worked. It was a bit of a hectic a.m. because they forgot 1/2 our celery and lettuce. Thank GOD for Adrienne. I called her and she ran by to pick it up before coming to the house and I kept sorting what we had. It's so nice to do this WITH someone and not have all the responsibility.


We are growing....the back of the van

At the last minute I had the boys take the front seat out. I'm glad I did - we needed the space....


We've been doing this for months. Josiah was home today (had to work a closing shift) and pulled out the hand truck...Duh!!!! ::snort:: In my defense neither of the young men who unload every week had thought of this.

1/2 the living room - Empty Baskets

Full baskets

A single share - $28

Zander's Caught the Fitness Bug


"Push Ups"

"Unique Sit Ups"