First Nutritionist Meeting

Today was my first appointment with the nutritionist at Gulf Coast Bariatrics. She was absolutely wonderful. The appointment lasted a little over an hour and she offered a lot of valuable input and ideas. I've lost 3 lbs since last Thursday when I met the surgeon ... so in about 6 days. I'm honestly not trying to diet or anything along that line at the moment, but I have noticed I am much more aware about what I am putting into my body. Either way, I am very pleased with the unexpected weight loss, even if it seems minimal.

While meeting with the nutritionist, we spoke about diet (obviously), protein and vitamin intake, juicing vegetables and trigger foods. She doesn't just focus on the food - but the reason behind them. We went through a typical day from breakfast through dinner - mindless eating and empty calories. She has given me a bit of a challenge to work on between now and when I see her 7/20 for my 2nd appointment. What she has suggested is that I replace my breakfast meal (usually some form of cereal) with a protein rich meal replacement shake. She's also suggested we set some basic ground rules for times when I do eat. The main ones are things like to never eat while driving (eliminating most fast food hits), also to not watch TV or eat dinner on the couch, but to sit at the table and eat without distraction. It makes sense, because being distracted during eating leads to over eating. Last but not least, I am not to drink 30 minutes before, during, and 30 minutes after meals. Reasoning for that is that liquids push food through your stomach faster into your intestines - creating more space to intake more calories.  I've got quite the workload ahead of me! Once I get used to all of those changes, she's also like me to get into some light yoga. LOL, she doesn't ask too much, does she?

All of these changes are small yet imperative to my success in this journey. I am always going to be worried of failure - but I have never felt so empowered to succeed before. Dr. Bass's office is really giving me a sense of hope I've never had before. It's no longer a question of IF I lose this weight ... now it's I WILL lose this weight.

When the appointment came to a close, she gave me a little goody bag full of different sample protein meal replacement shakes and a Blender Bottle (which I was super stoked about).

I'm thinking the banana flavor will be tomorrow's breakfast. I'll be sure to post on how they are ... and give an honest opinion. I may swing by the local hippie health food store to get a few different types of protein powders this weekend. I will have to be on a liquid only diet for one week before surgery, so variety will be the spice of my bariatric life. :)