Weekend Woes and Dietician
Last week, all week long, we kept hearing about the snow storm coming. I am someone who has anxiety over driving in snow, but I have been working at it, trying to logically tell myself not to stress out before it's time. The weekend before last, they also predicted the potential for a foot of snow and we only got 2 inches. So I went about my business with that in the back of my mind. I did really good last week. There were a couple extras added in, and ounce of tortilla chips with my burrito dinner, a banana with my lunch. But for the most part, I was pretty much under calorie budget most of the week. Then the weekend came. I usually go grocery shopping on Saturday mornings. Even though there is a small local grocery a block away from my apartment, and several more within a ten minute drive, I drive to the one that is 30 minutes away because the carts and aisles are wide, the variety is out of this world, and the prices are pretty decent. I know where everything is and I can cruise those wide aisles with ease despite it being a very busy place always. But Friday into Saturday we got 6-7 inches of snow and the parking lot and street within our apartment complex hadn't been plowed clear. So I busied myself with a big housecleaning project while I waited for the plows to come through. Both took longer than I expected, so I was just leaving the house to get groceries at 4pm, having worked on deep-cleaning my kids room all day. I was so busy that I barely ate anything all day and I was so sweaty and tired from cleaning that hardcore, but I wanted Sunday to be relaxed so I just hurried up and got it all done. I got home from the grocery store around 6PM Saturday and realized all I'd eaten that day was a couple of egg patties with guacamole and a cup of yogurt. I was so hungry I felt ill. I picked up some fresh-made sushi at the grocery store for a little special treat, and also some items to build our own subs. I had the sushi and came back for the sub 2 hours later. I went to be so exhausted and way way under my calorie budget.
I am thinking that is what made Sunday so hard for me. I woke up sore and drained and my first thought was, I can't do this whole counting and tracking thing today. I just felt mentally drained and wanted a day off from all of that. I feel like I tried to make up for how few calories I ate on Saturday by eating a lot on Sunday. Besides my normal planned breakfast I had 2oz of potato chips, a couple of sweet treats and an entire bag of popcorn (throughout the day, not all at once) and I skipped eating a normal,planned dinner or evening snack. My mood was sort of in the pits too. My sons were both complaining of sore throats and coughing. UGH. I do not need another cold this season, I have had my fill. So Sunday was a bit of a mess. I didn't track after the first couple meals, but I am going to retroactively go back and log everything to see how bad it was in the end.
The good thing is, today it was not a problem getting back on track. I got to sleep in and take the morning really slow and easy before getting ready for my appointment with the dietician. I can still feel a slight blue feeling in the background of my brain. It could be hormonal. Aunt Flow is now 10 days late and I'm thinking she might not come this month. Could be the beginning of the end, I am 47 now.
The dietician was really nice and polite. She asked me what questions I have and I only got a couple of them out before she asked me to tell her my typical diet. I forgot the small details like the lettuce I put on my eggs and burrito and the kiwi I have with breakfast. We discussed my tracking and switching from a carb-conscious diet to a calorie-focused diet. She liked that my calories were not unrealistic and said that it's great to see the low end over 1,600 because so many people try to go too low with their calories and they end up damaging their metabolism. So, that part I am doing right. She wants me to get 7 servings of fruits and veggies a day. That will be tricky. She likes that I am exercising but said she'd like to see me try some new things as well like strength training or a bootcamp or something. I have been thinking about zumba but haven't checked into it yet. I didn't get to ask her about any special considerations I should be aware of due to the fact that I am perimenopausal, and also whether or not I should try to get "in the zone" on my fitbit calorie budget or if it is OK that I am so consistently below calorie budget. She asked me to send her a copy of my food from Fitbit so I can ask those questions when I send that info. All-in-all, she said that doing what I am doing, I will lose weight, but it won't be a dramatic, quick loss but it will be a healthier way to do it and I have a better chance of keeping it off long-term because of that. She also stopped me when I said all day long I drink water with liquid stevia in it. She asked if I have sugar cravings, and I said not really, other than maybe one or two days around Aunt Flow's visit, and I told her that is replacing a heavy Diet Coke habit and she was happy I stopped drinking soda so she said she wasn't going to say anymore about the stevia water. (It can trigger sweet cravings, in case you are wondering) So for now, I am going to keep staying the course. It was good to get some positive feedback. I feel better about what I'm doing even if the weight doesn't fly off me. I'm patient.
I am thinking that is what made Sunday so hard for me. I woke up sore and drained and my first thought was, I can't do this whole counting and tracking thing today. I just felt mentally drained and wanted a day off from all of that. I feel like I tried to make up for how few calories I ate on Saturday by eating a lot on Sunday. Besides my normal planned breakfast I had 2oz of potato chips, a couple of sweet treats and an entire bag of popcorn (throughout the day, not all at once) and I skipped eating a normal,planned dinner or evening snack. My mood was sort of in the pits too. My sons were both complaining of sore throats and coughing. UGH. I do not need another cold this season, I have had my fill. So Sunday was a bit of a mess. I didn't track after the first couple meals, but I am going to retroactively go back and log everything to see how bad it was in the end.
The good thing is, today it was not a problem getting back on track. I got to sleep in and take the morning really slow and easy before getting ready for my appointment with the dietician. I can still feel a slight blue feeling in the background of my brain. It could be hormonal. Aunt Flow is now 10 days late and I'm thinking she might not come this month. Could be the beginning of the end, I am 47 now.
The dietician was really nice and polite. She asked me what questions I have and I only got a couple of them out before she asked me to tell her my typical diet. I forgot the small details like the lettuce I put on my eggs and burrito and the kiwi I have with breakfast. We discussed my tracking and switching from a carb-conscious diet to a calorie-focused diet. She liked that my calories were not unrealistic and said that it's great to see the low end over 1,600 because so many people try to go too low with their calories and they end up damaging their metabolism. So, that part I am doing right. She wants me to get 7 servings of fruits and veggies a day. That will be tricky. She likes that I am exercising but said she'd like to see me try some new things as well like strength training or a bootcamp or something. I have been thinking about zumba but haven't checked into it yet. I didn't get to ask her about any special considerations I should be aware of due to the fact that I am perimenopausal, and also whether or not I should try to get "in the zone" on my fitbit calorie budget or if it is OK that I am so consistently below calorie budget. She asked me to send her a copy of my food from Fitbit so I can ask those questions when I send that info. All-in-all, she said that doing what I am doing, I will lose weight, but it won't be a dramatic, quick loss but it will be a healthier way to do it and I have a better chance of keeping it off long-term because of that. She also stopped me when I said all day long I drink water with liquid stevia in it. She asked if I have sugar cravings, and I said not really, other than maybe one or two days around Aunt Flow's visit, and I told her that is replacing a heavy Diet Coke habit and she was happy I stopped drinking soda so she said she wasn't going to say anymore about the stevia water. (It can trigger sweet cravings, in case you are wondering) So for now, I am going to keep staying the course. It was good to get some positive feedback. I feel better about what I'm doing even if the weight doesn't fly off me. I'm patient.
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