Much has been running thru my mind the last few months as I seek a life long healthy approach.  Answers came in form of what I’ve always heard and sought out via internet, magazines and books.

But I needed more, something concrete such that I can hold the tools properly without second guessing what I’m doing right/wrong.

My questions ranged from food combining to eating for your blood type.  And searching for something reasonable.  I’ve done the Weight Watcher program in the past, love their program and would highly advise anyone struggling to go for it.  However, for me for now, I’m ready to go dig a bit more into health, eager to shine the spotlight on things that need to be addressed.

For the last couple of months, I’ve stuck to:

• 1,000 – 1,200 calories per day
• I don’t eat until I first take inventory of what is going in.
• Weigh myself each day and plug the numbers into a graph
• Measure all servings with either the kitchen scale/measuring cups/spoons
• At least 8 glasses of water a day – No diet soda (except when we dine out)
• No sweets – except for special occasions and vacation
• At least 5 + servings of fruit and veggies a day

It all sounded good, I was doing great and the plan was working.

I was finally to the place that I wanted more and that’s when I found myself face to face with a Registered Dietician, yesterday afternoon.  After viewing my history and the plan, the RD put a spotlight on two areas that hurt.

The first area was the amount of sodium I was taking in.  My daily recommended amount of sodium is between 2,000-2500 mg a day.  The love I have for canned green beans squashed my daily recommended amount on the beans alone.  I’ll eat the whole 3.5 serving for lunch with tuna and then again for dinner with another protein = 2,380 mg of sodium.  That hurt, really big.  But I have the tools I need to get my veggies in each day, minus all that sodium.  I love my veggies, bring on the fresh produce.  I’ve got the perfect pot to steam them or I will enjoy them raw.

The next area was the hardest thing I have to swallow.  It was learning my favorite coffee cream has trans fat in it.  What makes it worse is the bottle flat-out says on the front all nice big and bold 0 g Trans Fat.  The sad part, the fat is number 3 on the list of ingredients.  We all know what that means.  I learned companies can make serving sizes smaller such that they can wiggle out of saying it on the package.  I’m sure all of you knew this already, where have I been?  Partially Hydrogenated Oil in the ingredient list = Trans Fat.  The nerve!

I’m not dumping out my newly opened huge bottle of creamer.  So I have a little while to look for the cream she recommended.  Or a while to determine if my coffee drinking days are over.  It’s all good whatever happens.  If you’re reading this and have a cream to suggest, I’m all ears!  FYI – My love is the Coffee Mate Creme Brulee,  it will be bitter-sweet saying farewell after all these years.

Since I have records of everything I eat and how much I eat a day, we were able to pretty much dissect everything.  I’d say between the sodium and cream, I wasn’t doing too bad.  And she actually suggested we have that bar of chocolate once a month or so.  In no way did she suggest we deprive ourselves totally.

Here’s my brand spanking new daily plan:

• Calories:  1,000 – 1,200
• Carbs:  at least 120 g
• Protein:  at least 65 g – 80 g
• Fat:  45 g ~ Max
• Sodium: 2,000 – 2,500 mg

Note:  2 servings of 4 – 5 oz of protein + 2 – 3 servings of low-fat/non fat dairy per day

We touched on breakfast ideas.  She is in favor of the oats fruit and walnuts that I love so much.

It doesn’t get better than this.

We touched on the healthy snacks I was already eating, she encouraged me to work in a little more protein with my daily snacks.

Lunch and dinner were planned:  4 – 5 oz protein + 1/2 cup cooked grain or 1/2 cup starchy veggie + 1 – 2 cups steamed/raw veggies.

Multivitamins (one – per – day complete) + Fish oil supplement (1,200 mg DHA/EPA per day)

Exercise was discussed.  She encouraged at least 15 min per day x 7 days a week.  Totally doable!

And finally, a healthy weight was touched on.  Her happy weight for me left my bottom jaw on the floor.  It was more than I expect from myself, as in I think I should weigh way less than her ideal weight for me.  When she asked if I could live with that weight, I replied.  “I’ll be happy with it as long as I’m healthy”.  Once I get there she’ll work with me to keep it even for a while.  She’ll be willing to guide me at that time if I wish to lose more.

The quote (below) is one that hit me several months ago.

The patient should be made to understand that he or she must take charge of his own life.  Don’t take your body to the doctor as if he were a repair shop.  ~ Quentin Regestein

The older I get, the more I want to hang out with good health.

Blessings – Debbie