A letter to the nutritionist

I go to the gym at least 5 times a week (M-F). Mondays and Wednesdays I do an hour of water aerobics. The other days I do about half an hour on the treadmill (just walking about 3 mph) and some weights. Usually I’m there for about an hour. If I don’t do the gym, I almost always walk at least a mile in my neighborhood. So I’m exercising a lot more than I used to! At some point, I’d like to work harder; I’m just not completely sure what to do.

 

Regarding feeling satisfied, I don’t really know. Some days, I feel like I pretty much eat protein bars/shakes/vitamins and not much else, then all of the calories are gone. I guess I don’t really feel hungry, but I also never really feel full. I think maybe twice I’ve eaten too much and wished I hadn’t, but those are the only times I really feel anything. 

 

As for food, here’s what I’ve had this week. 

 

Saturday:

Breakfast:1/2 Quest protein bar

Lunch: 1/3 of the insides (no bread/sauce) of a Wendys’ grilled chicken sandwich (chicken, tomato, lettuce) with some ranch dressing

Dinner: light egg salad (egg, light mayo, mustard), lettuce, Black bean crunchers (all adding up to about 1/4 cup)

vitamins, water, sunflower seeds (only about 20 seeds because I wanted something salty)

27g protein (way too low), 420 calories

 

Sunday:

Breakfast:1/2 Quest protein bar

Lunch: LifeChoice protein bar

Dinner: Chicken breast (grilled), mushrooms, green beans, light mozzarella cheese, Caesar salad (mostly chicken and lettuce – total 1/4 cup)

vitamins, water

43g protein, 463 calories

 

Monday:

Breakfast: 1/2 Lifechoice protein bar

Lunch: Lifechoice protein bar

Dinner: Chicken breast (grilled), mushrooms, green beans, light mozzarella cheese, Caesar salad (mostly chicken and lettuce – total 1/4 cup)

vitamins, water, 1/3 serving hummus chips (40 calories/a little protein) 

44g protein, 550 calories

 

Today: 

Breakfast: Lifechoice protein bar

Lunch: Chicken breast (grilled), mushrooms, green beans, (mostly chicken  – total 1/4 cup)

Dinner plans: Cheddar cheese, fat free refried beans, light sour cream, Mexican seasoning, maybe a little salsa, possibly some hummus chips so they taste like nachos. It’ll be 1/4 cup and mostly beans. 

29g protein + dinner, 332 calories + dinner

 

Those are pretty typical days. I was doing a shake every day (with milk or soy or almond milk), but I got SO sick of it. The protein bars seem to have about the same sugar/calories/protein, plus I get to chew them. The only thing I’m wishing I could have more of is salty stuff. Everything seems to be sweet vitamins/protein and bland chicken. Red meat still isn’t okay with my stomach and I don’t really eat fish, so chicken and beans it is!

 

Also, should I be eating more calories when I go to the gym, or still eat the same and just plan on working out every day? I know Myfitnesspal (app) exaggerates how many calories you burn, but there are days when it tells me my net calories are 200 or so! If that’s okay, then I’m okay with it, but I want to make sure I’m getting enough so I still lose weight. 

 

And I did get the iron problem sorted out (I think). What I was taking only had 27mg of iron, so I found another supplement. 

 

Thanks so much!

Avery

To Do List

Based on my reading, here’s some preparation for this coming week: questions I need to ask, tasks I need to complete, things I need to ponder…

 

• Print adult intake forms and fill them out before Wednesday
• Ask Dr. V (PCP) to change anti-depressant to something else. Non time-released and no negative sexual side-effects
• Get Dr. V to call in referral for urgent care (not actually related, but I need to do it anyway)
• Do I need a medical ID bracelet?
• What kind of pain medicine will I be able to take? Tylenol and I don’t get along. I know nsaids are out, so what’s left?
• Buy food.
• Clean out baby food jars for lunches
• Pack a bag for the hospital
• Start low-carb diet (boo)
• Ask about using stevia instead of other artificial sweeteners (it’s the only one that doesn’t make me sick)
• For pureed foods, do you make them yourself? Is baby food ok? What “stage” of baby food is the right consistency?
• Can the hospital finger sticks be done with my glucometer? I’m a baby about pricking my fingers.
• When drinking water, does temperature affect anything at all?
• Is Zyrtec ok?
• Is soy or rice milk okay?
• What kind of cheeses can I eat?
• Can I put milk in my hot tea? I don’t drink either, but I’d like to learn to.
• How am I going to measure all of this food? Is ounces weight or volume?
• Will I always have to avoid drinking during a meal?
• Will I ever eat sugar again?

Now all I have to do is put this list in my questions notebook.