Tuesday, January 11, 2005

baby steps

When my gynecologist suggested that I see a nutrionist, my first reaction was "I eat perfectly well!".

On second thought, I realize that I'm totally kidding myself. I probably eat an average of 12-1300 calories a day of healthy food. Anything more than that is JUNK. A chocolate here, some cake there, throw in a few candies... next thing you know I'm at around 700-800 cal of shit.

As I know I need to eat more / better than that, I figured seeing nutritionist would be a good idea. So I saw one last Thursday. It was SO helpful. She gave me just a few things to work on to add more calories and fat into my diet - the healthy way.

1. I should be getting ~2100 cal / day, 70g fat. It's nice to know the number I should be aiming for, I find it much easier to work towards a target than just to think that I have to eat more.
2. Change milk from skim to 1 or 2%. Why didn't I think of that. Easy!
3. Instead of candy, try some kind of trail mix with nuts - almonds and walnuts are particularly good. Fiber and good oils too.
4. pre ground flaxseed, 1-2 tbsp per day. Maybe mix with oatmeal or something. This one will be a little harder, it's a bigger change.
5. Breakfast - instead of a granola bar, maybe some whole wheat bread (at least 3g dietary fiber / serving) with peanut butter. Fiber and protein - more filling.
6. Add a little bit of olive oil / canola oil into sauces and soups to add a little more fat.

I picked up some smoked almonds and walnuts today and had them for a snack when I got home starving. yum! I'm going to try and eat them a bit earlier in the day though, so I'm not getting the majority of my calories at night.

Another thing I decided to try, on my own, was really working at getting 7.5-8 hours of sleep a night. Last night I didn't quite manage, what with having to get up at 5:30 this morning for hockey, but I came a lot closer than usual. Getting up at 8 tomorrow, so it's off to bed for me now.

Tomorrow: chiropractor?

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