Saw a dietitian

[Cordellia Amethyste Rose]

Well, as some of you know, I'm really overweight and trying to work on that before it starts causing me health problems, so I saw a dietitian.  I expected her to tell me to stop eating all that I'm eating and to only eat fruit and vegetables.  Well, I was wrong.  I told her I like almost nothing, and what little food I do like, I don't really love.  I said I wished I didn't have to eat at all.  What little food I like is unhealthy and making me fatter and fatter.  Well, surprisingly, she didn't put down my food choices and instead was really supportive.  She said that because I don't like many things, we shouldn't talk about eliminating any food.  She didn't even tell me to stop eating the fattening canned chili that I eat.  She said it probably contained healthy amounts of fiber and protein.  When I got home, I discovered she was right.  She LOVED the protein bars I eat every day, as she said most women don't get enough protein.  She said I should probably add about 10g of protein to my diet per day.  I told her about the few vegetables I like and that I like fruit in general.  She said to add one serving of fruit or vegetable every day and to start walking again.  There's a river near where I live with a walkable water front and going around it.  It's about a 3-mile loop.  I used to walk it often until I got bored with it.  I told her about MD and that doing something so monotonous would probably make me daydream, and when I daydream while walking, I've been known to do dangerous things like almost walk out into traffic.  She suggested listening to music, but I said that probably wouldn't help.  Anyway, she'd never heard of MD, but when I told her about it, she was very open-minded about it and had no trouble imagining it.

Here's what concerns me:   My doc said weight loss is 75% diet and 25% exercise.  That means I have to change my diet, but my dietitian didn't really tell me to do that much.  She didn't say to lower my fat intake but to increase my fruit and vegetable intake, add some more protein, and add walking.  This doesn't really go with what my doc said.  She said not to do it all at once and to start one and do that for a few weeks and then, once I'm used to it, to add another.  

I also told her about my GERD and other issues, and she just said not to eat late, which I don't anyway.  

This also makes her yet another person I've told about MD who had no trouble understanding it.  So far that's 100% of the people I've told.  Of course, I'm not counting the jerks I grew up with, who would probably be judgmental a-holes about it.  I stopped talking to them over a decade ago and have been better off for it.  Anyway, all the people I have told have been understanding, so there's hope.  

I really hope I can figure this out and lose some weight because I'm tired of getting fatter and fatter and putting my health at risk.  So far I don't have diabetes, but I could get it, and I don't want to.  

[Just another daydreamer]

Hi , I've struggled a lot with gaining weight and my biggest problems were : 

1 - Getting to sleep after Midnight - I don't know how but  if I have stayed up to Midnight I could not get any weight at all , even after consuming regular calories per day.

2 - Pacing around my room while daydreaming.

3 - Expanding my stomach. My stomach had shrunk over the years so I had to force myself to eat one more bite of food per serving  after I  felt full. I am not dietitian  and this may lead to anorexia I don't know but maybe you should try not chaing what you eat but how much you eat maybe , just a couple of bites every week noting drastical, but that way you will  cut the extra calories without replacing what you regulary eat :)

[Cordellia Amethyste Rose]

Catauxgory, I don't have a smart phone, just an ancient flip phone.  Plus, knowing me, I'd probably fall on my face.  I'm VERY clumsy.  It's part of the reason I don't pace when I daydream....that, and it's just not natural for me.  

[Catauxgory]

Any sort of exercise or physical activity is good and will keep your metabolism going. I hear what you're saying about not wanting to take long walks because it's very tempting to daydream during that time. Is there something you could do while you walk that would lead you away from daydreaming? Like, listen to or watch videos on your mobile device that gets your attention? I have a couple of ebooks that I read while I walk (this kills my sense of direction; I wind up not watching where I'm going) and I also listen to certain podcasts and the news to cut into the daydream time. Have you tried this? Obviously you don't want to put yourself in danger like by walking into traffic, but if you're not near roads, you could go slowly with a mobile device.

[Cordellia Amethyste Rose]

CW, I told her I eat fattening canned chili and much healthier Chicken and Sausage Gumbo.  She wrote down the latter but didn't say anything about it, but she did suggest I eat the fattening chili at least twice a week...oddly.  

[Cordellia Amethyste Rose]

I don't eat a ton of sugar, but I definitely eat my share.  I drink Rock Stars and have sugar in my coffee.  It's too bitter without it, and I've read that sugar substitutes are REALLY bad for you.  There's also sugar in my protein bars, but I don't think there's a lot.  I'm not the kind of person that can follow any kind of diet.  I'm just going to try and alter my way of eating in general and start by adding some fruit or vegetables and walking.  I'd like to make bigger changes, but my dietitian didn't recommend doing anything radical and instead recommended starting slowly, which I'm definitely doing.  Lol.  I'm so lazy.  I told her it'll be easier to walk in the winter when it's not so sunny.  Even when it's not hot, I really hate the feeling of sun on my skin.  

[greyartist]

It does seem we end up going in circles on the nutrition stuff. What they told us before now they say the opposite. But I am studying on the paleo life style now. It makes allot of sense. Simply put you lose sugar, most dairy, and grains. Very hard to do though. But the combination of those things are the really bad foods, sugary carbs. The paleo diet encourages you to eat(in it's most natural form) plenty of good protein, vegetables, fruit, and FAT. Yes fat, it is very important to healthy brain function. They have linked low fat diets with alzheimer's. 

I try, but fail allot. Sugar is a very strong addiction. 

[Cordellia Amethyste Rose]

I cut out dairy last year and never liked yogurt anyway, but thanks.  My dietitian wants me to keep eating the protein bars for breakfast, even though they're chocolate and sugary.  They're low in fat and packed full of protein.  I'm going to the store soon and will see if I can get some cheap fruit or something to snack on, maybe for lunch.  I also need to stop being lazy and start walking again.  I'll start slow.  I'll go in the morning, before it gets hot and just walk one side of the river bank, maybe a mile or so.  Then, I'll work my way up to doing the 3-mile loop.  Thanks for the encouragement.  :)