The second week has flown by. Seriously, I'm a little surprised as I thought my schedule was opening up a little, but I have managed to fill my days, as painful as that may be. There are many very nice people who started when I did from across the country, but they are only here for the two week program as opposed to my four. It is a little sad to think about saying goodbyes so soon as I feel like I have just bonded with some and now they are going. It is kind of the normal rotation through this experience, however, and it has been fun to see the progress each person has made in a really short time. People are re-invigorated, excited and energized to take on their new challenges at home. It has been really fun to hear the progress reports; be them weight successes, labs, the reversal of diseases or the potential thereof. Really quite special moments that move me to inspiration. Thanks to those who have shared and inspired me to continue forward.
So today reminded me of college. I say that because I still dread the 8am class. Apparently, that aversion really has never left me. The class was entitled "Something Fishy". Now doesn't that just sound like something you want to spring out of bed to attend in the morning? Omega-3 = Great to have. Omega -6= Good to have. To be honest. I think I was still asleep. There are things to be concerned about with some folks and fish it is great to know this stuff, but for myself, If I have a choice, fish is usually my least preferred, I eat it, and I've ordered it here for the sake of variety and to ...ah hem...test the waters, so to speak, for my future meal planning. I won't bore you with any more details. I know, you want to wake up tomorrow and talk fish, c'mon admit it.
I had my second one-on-one meeting with my dietitian (the one who really likes shoes). She asked about my first week. I came right out and told her that I think she's the scariest person here. (She laughed....or was it a cackle...hmmm) Do you remember "scared straight" in the 80's where they took a bunch of social deviant juvenile delinquents, just like the GCHS class of 1984, and took them to a prison? The same principle applies here. I acknowledged to her that she has me scared out of my wits. First, I am continually reeling from my new found information as I apply it to my lifestyle prior versus where I need to be going. Simply put. If you eat it, you will somehow explode. Okay. That may be a bit of an exaggeration, but there were things I was eating in my life that I hadn't given a minutes thought before, during or after. It was all about the moment, how I felt, what I wanted, when I wanted it...truly unchecked abandon in regards to food. So yeah, there will be changes. And after the shoe lady and I laughed and I explained that it was her classes that were bringing me into focus, she was able to relieve me a bit and show me how I should be approaching meal planning. I'm sure I'll share when I get all that. But having come out of the virtual grocery store class looking at food labels, I felt like I didn't know enough about what the standards are that I should be aiming for. So if I see that this item has 170 calories per serving ( serving vs portion people, keep that in mind, we talked about this) and has "x" number of fat grams, or carb grams....knowing what the total RDA value or how many grams of what I need to aim for in a day is pretty necessary. She backed me down off of my need for numbers and put me back into the proportion plate method. Half your plate should be veggies, 1/4 of your plate should be a starch, and 1/4 of the plate protein. Throw in a fruit and a dairy and done. Surely, I will be able to simplify my thinking and guard my portion sizes so dramatically better than I have ever done before.
I left her feeling relieved, walked upstairs and got into my class on Heart Healthy Eating. Good Stuff and I was looking forward to it. Then I learned that the girl scouts are trying to kill me. I know I hit this topic before, but I am so un-trusting of food marketing, nutrition labels and reality. The instructor, another dietitian with a knowingly evil smile and cackle ( I swear they enjoy delivering these shock value packed snippets to the group) Had the label to some girl scout cookies where it clearly says the serving size is 2 cookies....and there printed just below that says "Trans fats 0g". "Oh, these must be good for me" you might say. NO, not at all. There is partially hydrogenated oil in the ingredients. How may of us eat just two GS cookies? be honest. Box open = gone. These trans fats are scary to the body. Totally works against your health and cholesterol in a double whammy, lowers the "good" and raises the "bad"....and it doesn't take much. New York has banned it in food prep. So I can only conclude that the girl scouts are out to get us. Cunning little waifs they are with their cute uniforms....don't fall for it! They are after you! Good bye thin mints... I used to love you.
Okay running on. Worked on my strength circuit today, but I could not bring myself to the treadmill again today, so I took the water aerobics class tonight...and yet another instructor who had to be pissed he was there late because he worked us. He worked us doing such unanticipated things that literally, I had a wardrobe malfunction. I had to rescue my suit from my knees and replace it to it's original upright position. Thankfully, I was quick and no one noticed, but the instructor got a chuckle when I told him I blew out of my suit when he saw me stop moving for 7 seconds to put my drawers back on!!
Your a very good writer. Stay inspired!
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