Balancing, Not Depriving.

I didn’t do an exceptional job at explaining in my video what I learned during the meeting with my nutritionist so I’ve decided to dedicate a blog to it. I think a huge factor as to why so many people are overweight is because they know very little about the food and beverages they are consuming every day. During my meeting with Traci I realized I was absolutely clueless.

The first thing Traci and I did was review my food diary. We discussed what was good about it as well as what needed to be changed or improved. One of the first things she pointed out was that I wasn’t eating enough. Immediately what popped into my head was, are you kidding me? You want me to eat MORE? Traci went on to tell me something that quite surprised me, “You’re eating less than a toddlers energy needs!”

There have been a number of times throughout my life where I have severely limited my calorie intake for periods of time in hopes of some type of weight loss. My general thought process was if food is not going into my mouth then my body will eat the fat off my body and ill lose weight, be skinny and live happily ever after, end of story. I couldn’t have been more wrong... 

Traci couldn’t emphasize enough how smart our body is. Think about this for a minute, she is right! Our bodies are really flipping smart actually. She went on to explain what happens to our bodies when we don’t eat enough. One thing that she stressed is that our bodies know very well when we are not eating enough and so it goes into “oh no I’m not getting enough food mode.” While referencing cavepeople, Traci explained that basically what happens is our body starts preparing itself for continued lack of food. Our metabolism (which burns calories) slows right down in an attempt to preserve what energy and nutrients it has. Another thing Traci said was that when we restrict our calorie intake our body starts to eat our muscles. Muscles, if you didn’t know, burn a lot more calories than fat. So not only are you slowing your metabolism down by not eating but you are also losing the muscle that burns calories too! Not good! In addition to these points, I learned that stored fat is one of the last places that your body goes to get energy during “oh no I’m not getting enough food mode.” Cellulite and I have been at war for as long as I can remember. My thighs have loads of it and I HATE IT. It is the main reason why I don’t wear bathing suits or shorts in front of people and why I insist that the lights stay off while the magic (or lack of magic) happens. Learning this about stored fat immediately whipped my eating habits into better shape.   

    

Due to the results from an analysis of my food diary, the primary focus of my first meeting with Traci became nutrients; what they are, why we need them, where to find them as well as how the body reacts without them. I have to say that prior to meeting with Traci, the only part of the nutrition label I ever looked at was the calorie part. I really didn’t know or care what the rest of it said. This is another habit of mine that has totally changed. I look at the entire nutrition label these days, including the list of ingredients. I have learned that, fats (especially saturated and trans fat), cholesterol and sodium should be limited, and daily intake of fiber and vitamins should be watched to ensure that we are getting enough of them. A dietitian would be able to tell you what amount of each you should aim for for your particular body type. I will say though, that the free app I discussed a while ago, “myfitnesspro.com,” presents quite an accurate list of nutrient goals once you have entered in all of your personal information (such as weight, height, age, activity levels etc.)

Other useful info from Traci (I hope it’s okay for me to post all of this!!!): 

Saturated fats (bad) are linked to coronary heart disease and raise cholesterol. They are found in things such as egg yolks (which I don’t eat anymore!), fried foods, and many snack and fast foods. 

Monounsaturated fat is the most desirable type of fat and can help lower cholesterol. This type of fat can be found in things such as peanut butter (a new favorite of mine is peanut butter on toast for breakfast), avocados, and olive oil.

Healthy carbs (whole grains) provide cells of your body with energy.

Healthy fat (yes fat can be healthy!) protects your organs, keeps you warm (insulation), is a long lasting fuel source and helps you absorb fat-soluble vitamins.

Lean Protein is needed to build muscle and supply enzymes that regulate bodily functions. 

One last thing that Traci stressed is that completely cutting certain foods from your diet is NOT good and this should not be done. Changes you make in your diet need to be ones that you can stick to for the rest of your life. There is no way I would be able to part ways with Ferrero Rochers for the rest of my life. As the title of this blog says, the key is balancing, not depriving. Instead of avoiding foods, limit the amount. 

It took a few days for all that I had learned from Traci to sink in but I can honestly say that I finally understand the importance of watching the types and portion sizes of the foods I eat. I now understand why processed foods are bad for us; they don’t provide our bodies with the proper nutrients that it NEEDS. 

Over the past few weeks I have made many changes; one of the best that I have made is a change from wanting to be really thin to desiring health. I don’t want to suffer from medical conditions later in life, I don’t want to be immobile in my elderly years, what I do want is to lose weight in a healthy way and to be able to keep it off.