let’s talk food.

i made my first appointment with a nutritionist at the apple wellness center.

the resource has always been there, but i’ve hesitated for years to take this first step.

partially because i didn’t think i needed it. partially because i didn’t want to feel like i was trying to lose weight or adhere to some fad diet. partially because – let’s be honest – i was afraid of being judged for my absolutely embarrassing eating habits.

our first conversation started like this:

“so, why are you here today?”

“i want to eat like an adult. right now i skip breakfast, eat out for lunch, and order in for dinner. if i eat dinner at all. sometimes i just have wine.”

and ended with:

“let’s try to get you to a grocery store once a week.”

(bless her heart, my nutritionist is the least judgmental soul on this planet.)

“ok. i’ll try to track what i eat, too.”

(i quickly realized i’ve been overeating (read: over-drinking wine) by about 2-500 calories most days. oops!)

my nutritionist also had me talk through my last 24 hours, so she could get a feel for how much time during the day i had for meal prep (very little), how active i was (think sloth), how often i ate (rarely), and what (whatever was in arm’s reach) in order to make suggestions.

here are the changes i made the first month:

breakfast: hard boiled eggs + fruit + black coffee

lunch: ready-mix salads (i know, i know, all that plastic is terrible for the environment, the ingredients aren’t as fresh, they’re over-priced… baby steps! stop judging me!)

snack: string cheese, carrots, celery, hummus, fruit

dinner: something frozen, something to-go from a restaurant… or wine (again, not the best, but i haven’t had drive-thru or delivery in weeks!)

bonus! i actually cooked a few times! i’ll wait while you pat me on the back.

long story short, i saved an extra couple hundred dollars and i lost 4 pounds just by eating differently.

stupid. why didn’t i do this sooner?!

xo

intentionally shawna