Update on Experience w/ a Nutritionist (Attn: nancy324)

T

Trevian

Active Member
Nancy,

I found the previous post on your visit to the nutritionist very informative, and I know I'm not the only one who did, so I was hoping you might be able to update us on your progress.

I know you had mentioned wanting to schedule a follow-up appointment, so perhaps you have additional information to share from that second meeting. If you haven't gotten around to making a second visit, I believe I'm not mistaken in saying that your husband had planned on making a visit of his own, so maybe you have information to pass along that he learned in his appointment.

Or maybe you've simply learned more on your own initiative (i.e. without the aid of the nutritionist), perhaps from research you've done on the internet or books you've read, and would be willing to share what you've learned with the rest of us.

Thanks in advance!
 
Good, glad to hear it! I knew I wasn't the only one who desired a follow-up to that wonderful thread. I too hope Nancy gets a chance to reply.
 
Hi Alison!

You know I was just thinking that it's about time that I get back to this forum with an update. I have not yet gone back for a second visit with the nutritionist, but I am planning to schedule an appointment this week. I will have a lot more to report then. For now, let me just say that my results have been adversely affected by my inability to exercise. Several weeks ago I did a bike marathon with my husband and other family members. It was a lot of fun, but resulted in an injured knee and lower back which have kept me from exercising for at least 2 weeks now. Before the bike marathon I took some time off exercising too for various reasons. So it's been quite a bad spell.

I really believe that it is important to combine good eating with exercise, and for that reason my results are not what I would want, and will not be until I get back to exercising.

Now for the good part: I AM sticking to the diet the nutritionist gave me. It really is delicious, and I have a new attitude towards food. Instead of thinking about calories and trying to eat a small lunch, I actually TRY to eat a big lunch and feel good about it. I am eating large, delicious salads once or twice a day! Okay, I haven't lost an ounce, but I attribute that to being sedentary. However, I feel MUCH better!! My PMS this month was very mild!! I have never gone back to drinking diet coke and I now love water, which I was sure would be impossible for me. I occasionally have a diet Snapple, but mostly I am drinking water and flavored seltzer and I am very proud of myself. I am as gung-ho about the diet as I was the day I started!

I have a tendency to do things very gradually, so I still have a ways to go. For example, I haven't even really tried to give up coffee yet. :-( Anyway, I will have more to say when I get back to regular exercising and see what the nutritionist has to say on my next visit, so I will report back. My main question for her is what to do about late afternoon cravings. I still get these cravings for Luna bars and coffee at about 4:00 in the afternoon, and I am not scheduled to eat at all at that time, so something has to change there.

Big changes are slow, but I have a very good feeling about the way this whole thing is going.

Oops, sorry so long.

-Nancy
 
RE: Update on Experience w/ a Nutritionist (Attn: nancy...

Hey Nancy!

Thanks for the update. And way to go on the upkeep of the nutritionist's recommendations! I commend you on making such changes and then sticking to them!

After reading your post, I made some changes of my own, not so much taking things out that I had been and shouldn't be eating but rather ADDING things that I had overlooked the nutrional value of, like oatmeal, the old fashioned oats, of course. I never liked oatmeal much, but after doing a little bit of research and experimenting with how you can make this meal a little more flavorful, with HEALTHY additives mind you, I find oatmeal to be quite tasty, so tasty that I incorporate it into my diet on a regular basis, practically every morning.

Cottage Cheese has also become a regular part of my diet. Until recently I've always disliked cottage cheese; in fact, the thought of it alone was enough to make my wince. I'm one of those people that has issues with the consistency of foods, and there's just something about foods with certain consistencies, like cottage cheese, that turns me off. It's funny how even the color of the food can affect me -- for example, I really dislike WHITE foods of that consistency (cottage cheese and mayo). I know, I'm quirky.

But anyway, the point is, that after discovering the nutritional benefit of cottage cheese, I was DETERMINED to incorporate it into my diet but couldn't force myself to eat it plain, so again, I did a little research and experimenting and found a way to prepare it so that I wouldn't taste the actual cottage cheese. And now I eat it daily!

And until I read your post, I didn't realize that they even MADE a LITE version of string cheese, and I certainly didn't know that it would make a good addition to the list of encouraged protein sources. Now that I know, I buy the Polly-O Lite String Cheese on a regular basis.

So that gives you an idea of how much I benefited from your post! If I was able to gain that much useful information the first time around, I imagine the second time will be no different. Needless to say, I really look forward to hearing what the nutritionist has to say in your follow-up visit, so please do report back at that time. Can't thank you enough for the willingness you've shown to share what you've learned :7.

Looking forward to continuing this follow-up discussion!

Thanks again!
 
Alison

So...how do you eat that cottage cheese? After about one serving I'm done for about 3 months.

I also read Nancy's post with great interest (both of them:) )

Andrea
 
RE: Update on Experience w/ a Nutritionist (Attn: nancy...

Alison-
I am so glad you benefited from the post! I am very glad to share because I also benefit. I picked up a lot of good tips from the responses to my post!

Also, when I'm excited about something, I love having people to talk to about it, and this group could not have been better for that!

Good for you, Alison! Yes, oatmeal is great stuff. As for cottage cheese, I think it's just good because it's a low-fat cheese. The nutritionist seemed to be saying that any low-fat cheese would be good, such as the Polly-O that you mentioned. My feeling is that if you like skim milk (?), that would certainly be just as good if not better. Have you tried Kashi Good Friends? That was also on my list of good cereals, and I love the stuff. If you haven't tried, give it a try!

If you don't think you're having enough cheese or skim milk, she recommended GNC Calcimate Plus 800. Actually, she wants me to take it everyday even if I am having those things. It is the calcium supplement that she recommends because it has Vitamin D, magnesium and potassium in just the right amounts, I think for maximum absorption if I remember correctly. Anyway, there are hundreds of calcium supplements on the market, but this is the one she recommends. I think it was worth the price of seeing her just to know which calcium supplement to buy!

Gotta run to have brunch at a restaurant so great I will ignore my diet completely if necessary! I will continue this post later on tonight.
Thanks again for all your comments!

-Nancy
 
RE: Update on Experience w/ a Nutritionist (Attn: nancy...

I am enjoying reading this (and the original post)...

Curious, WHAT do you add to oatmeal that is healthy that makes it taste good? I have always had issues with that...

Thanks for all the helpful info!!

Jen
 
RE: Update on Experience w/ a Nutritionist (Attn: nancy...

Andrea asked, "So...how do you eat that cottage cheese? After about one serving I'm done for about 3 months."

Well Andrea, what I've found works for me is mixing cottage cheese with applesauce. I never would have thought of doing this had it not been for the suggestions I've read online, including those in this wonderful post on VideoFitness.com (http://205.214.68.83/vbulletin/showthread.php?s=&threadid=26131). There are LOADS of suggestions for how to eat cottage cheese in that thread; however, the only one I've tried is the one I mentioned. What I do, specifically, to create this combination is use DRY curd low or nonfat cottage cheese and unsweetened or lite applesauce. The reason I use dry curd cottage cheese is because it contains more protein and less sodium. And I usually pick up lite applesauce over unsweetened, because the lite version has fewer grams of sugar. Then I either add cinnamon or buy the version of applesauce that already contains cinnamon, and voila! When mixed together, I can't taste the cottage cheese, only the yummy applesauce, so I'm a happy camper!

The other suggestions in the Video Fitness Thread I plan are trying are the slight variations to the one I have already found I like. For example, someone suggested mixing the cottage cheese with pear sauce. And while she didn't mention any of the other fruit sauces, I know they make peach, raspberry, strawberry, mango, etc. I also plan on trying the recipe someone suggested for "Fake Cheesecake", which basically entails blending cottage cheese with yogurt, sprinkling the mixture with graham cracker crumbs, and then placing it in the freezer.

One last suggestion, and I know it sounds gross, but I promise, you won't taste a thing, is to mix a scoop of cottage cheese into your oatmeal. It ups the protein of your breakfast, and like I said, you won't taste any difference, at least I don't.

Alright, that does it for my cottage cheese suggestions. Hope that helps Andrea!
 
Hi Nancy! Great to hear about your bike marathon but I'm sooo sad to hear of your injuries:-( The thing that helped weaned me off of those protein bars was making what's called "Shannycakes". The recipe is as follows:

1/3 c quick cooking oatmeal
1/4 c cottage cheese
3 whole eggs
1/3 of a banana

Put all ingredients in a blender; whip it up & spray Pam into a skillet & cook up as you would a pancake. It should make 4 pancakes. I also put either blueberries, raspberries or blackberries to the pancake while one side of the pancake is cooking. You'll be surprised just how filling this little pancake is & it'll tide you over until dinner.

Get better soon! Kathy:*
 
RE: Update on Experience w/ a Nutritionist (Attn: nancy...

Nancy's response to my cottage cheese and Polly-O Lite String Cheese breakthroughs:

"My feeling is that if you like skim milk (?), that would certainly be just as good if not better."

So Nancy, I could get just as much, if not more, out of skim milk? I do like skim milk. I don't like drinking it on its own all that much, mostly just with my cereal, but if you've been told that it's a better alternative to the cottage cheese and string cheese, I could easily make the adjustment to include more of it in my daily routine.

Did the nutritionist say anything about skim milk vs. soy milk? I like both but have been using soy milk recently, on the assumption that it's better for me. Am I wrong in assuming that soy milk is the better alternative?

Then Nancy asked, "Have you tried Kashi Good Friends? That was also on my list of good cereals, and I love the stuff. If you haven't tried, give it a try!"

Well Nancy, I haven't tried Kashi Good Friends, but I have tried Kashi Go Lean (regular NOT crunch :) ). And I like the Kashi Go Lean, so I'll definitely give the Good Friends a try and let you know what I think. Thanks for the recommendation!

Moving on to what you've mentioned about calcium supplements...

"If you don't think you're having enough cheese or skim milk, she recommended GNC Calcimate Plus 800. Actually, she wants me to take it everyday even if I am having those things. It is the calcium supplement that she recommends because it has Vitamin D, magnesium and potassium in just the right amounts, I think for maximum absorption if I remember correctly. Anyway, there are hundreds of calcium supplements on the market, but this is the one she recommends. I think it was worth the price of seeing her just to know which calcium supplement to buy!"

Currently I take a multivitamin that contains some calcium, so that in addition to what I get from the dairy foods in my diet (cheese and milk) may be enough. Nonetheless, I've considered taking calcium supplements like the GNC one you have mentioned. Now, I'm curious, did the nutritionist mention anything about Coral Calcium, because it is my understanding that this is an EVEN BETTER source of calcium (absolute MOST pure source, MAXIMUM absorption). Coral Calcium has been around, but it wasn't until recently that the hype around it REALLY began, so maybe your nutritionist didn't mention it because she's not all that familiar with it yet. I have heard SUCH incredible things about Coral Calcium that I've been VERY tempted to buy it over a regular calcium supplement.

That about covers it. Look forward to continuing this dialogue :) .
 
RE: Update on Experience w/ a Nutritionist (Attn: nancy...

Jen asked, "Curious, WHAT do you add to oatmeal that is healthy that makes it taste good? I have always had issues with that..."

Well Jen, what's worked for me has been relatively simple. I either add fruit, cinnamon, sugar-free maple syrup, or some combination of those to my oatmeal. I never would have thought of adding sugar-free maple syrup, but I came upon that suggestion on some website, gave it a try, and found that it REALLY makes a difference.

There's one other suggestion I've come across that I haven't gotten around to making but plan on trying, and that is adding pie spice or filling to oatmeal, like pumpkin which is not only low in sugar but also an excellent source of Vitamin A.

Anyway Jen, that's what has worked for me. Hope that helps!
 
RE: Update on Experience w/ a Nutritionist (Attn: nancy...

Kathy,

Thanks for sharing your recipe with us. I'll have to try it sometime!
 
Alison and KathyH

Alison-Thanks for the suggestions. Do you mix the applesauce and cottage cheese half and half? I just happen to have some apricot sauce in my fridge so I may try that first.

KathyH-Thanks for the recipe. Do these keep well for a day or two? Freeze well?

Andrea
 
RE: Alison and KathyH

Hi Andrea! Yes they keep very well in the fridge up to 5 dys. Haven't put them in the freezer but why not? You can nuke them in the microwave. There sooo yummy!:9 Kathy
 
RE: Update on Experience w/ a Nutritionist (Attn: nancy...

Alison:

THANKS a bunch!! That really does help. I am going to try all of those ideas. Hooray!

Thnks.

Jen
 
RE: Alison and KathyH

Andrea asked, "Do you mix the applesauce and cottage cheese half and half? I just happen to have some apricot sauce in my fridge so I may try that first."

Well, I would say that it ends up being about that. I'm not precise about it, but basically what I do is try to incorporate as much cottage cheese as possible without allowing it to overwhelm the applesauce taste. As I've said before, I don't like the taste of cottage cheese, so as long as I can't taste it, I'm a happy camper. It usually ends up being one heaping spoonful of cottage cheese. You'd be surprised at how much cottage cheese you can get in there without tasting it; applesauce can be quite masking. As Jen would say, hooray!

Hope that helps!
 
RE: Update on Experience w/ a Nutritionist (Attn: nancy...

Alison,

You've got me on the skim milk thing. It was purely a deduction on my part. Specifically, I was told that breakfast should include all 3 of the following components:

Whole grain cereal + 8 oz. skim milk + 1 oz. lean/lowfat protein from the following list: 1 egg, 2 egg whites, one half cup cottage cheese, or 1 oz. of lowfat cheese (Polly-O string cheese mentioned here as a suggestion, probably because people like it).

So, breakfast requires BOTH skim milk and cheese.

Lunch has 4 components:
3 oz. lean protein + vegetables (LOTS) + 1-3 teaspoons oil + high fiber carb. I was told that the carb should usually be beans, so I eat a salad every day for lunch with fish or chicken, lots of different salad vegetables (mushrooms, carrots, spinach, peppers, broccoli) and kidney beans or chick peas.

There's a place right near my office where you choose the ingredients for you salad.

Dinner is only 3 components. The same as lunch, except the carbs are out. I often have another big salad without beans. Also, my husband and I take turns making big stir-fries. We really don't miss the rice.

For a snack in the evening, I'm supposed to eat fresh fruit. She said it's fine to have non-fat or lowfat yogurt with the fruit to make a dessert out of it.

Tons of water is also essential, but I can't remember how many ounces per day. It's a lot though.

So, that's my diet. I don't think I've had a single day where I stuck to it entirely, as I usually eat more :-( I'm not losing weight, but I am feeling great, and people say I look great. My PMS was very mild this month for the first time ever.

Hope this gives you a little more info Alison!

-Nancy
 
RE: Update on Experience w/ a Nutritionist (Attn: nancy...

I just checked and I have to drink 64 ozs. of water per day!!
 
RE: Update on Experience w/ a Nutritionist (Attn: nancy...

This is great info!

I love cottage cheese with Fat Free French Dressing mixed in. It's delicious!!!
 
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