Update on Teresa’s Effort to Stop Smoking and Shed the Weight

Hey everyone. It’s been a while since i checked back w/you guys so here’s an update- it will be 11 months on the 25th of July for me. I have continued to gain in spite of my efforts -cutting calories, upping activity, working on my stress levels etc … I have gained 22 lbs back of the 30 I had lost before I quit. I have gone to the doctor and gotten checked out and it may actually be a thyroid problem [my TSH is deficient ..?..] Evidently smoking not only assaults the lungs but also other things… You guys may want to talk to your doctors even if it’s just to rule out anything. I’m hoping that she’ll put me on meds to tell the truth. If it’s low but not enough to do anything… I really don’t think I can handle the thought of that right now… Anyway, I’ll let you all know what happens-cross your fingers n send me some good vibes Good luck everyone

What to expect from a Nutrition Consultation

What exactly is a Nutrition Consultation? That is Question Number One from the public! Well, a nutrition consultation is something that takes into account someone’s medical and weight history; blood work/laboratory values; activity; habits; Calorie, protein, carbohydrate, fat and fluid needs; nutrition support needs and personal goals. A good nutrition assessment will take all of this into account in order to get a full picture of a client and what their specific needs and recommendations are.

A very common issue is that people think they are eating way too much at night and want to cut down on their intake a night. Most of the time, these folks aren’t eating enough during the day and find themselves so hungry at night that they make up for missed meals and more! In this case, I teach that food is the best appetite suppressant around! If you eat good, solid, healthy meals and snacks, you won’t feel so hungry later on in the night.

Of course, sometimes people experience “emotional eating” where they are counting on food to meet an emotional need that they have. At first it may feel like the need is fulfilled. Food is comforting, nurturing, it can seem like a “companion”. HOWEVER, food is fuel, not emotional support. When we mistake food for emotional support, we stop looking for the real, underlying emotional issues that need our attention. That is when food becomes a distraction, a past time, even an addiction. I urge clients to look at food as food and not an emotional crutch or distraction.
On the other end of the spectrum are the folks who need to gain weight and can’t seem to gain no matter what they do. A nutrition consultation will provide an assessment of exactly how many Calories they need to maintain and to gain weight. It will provide guidance for consuming healthy foods and not empty Calories, as well as recommendations for maintaining lean body mass.

Some folks need nutrition support, especially if they are on medications that deplete nutrients. My professional opinion is that the majority of people in this country do not even meet the RDA’s for many nutrients and I believe that the RDA’s need to be updated to reflect current knowledge and research in the science of nutrition.

A Nutrition Consultation will also help dispel the numerous misleading concept about nutrition that are out there floating around on the internet and in the media. I teach people some very basic concepts so that when they look at the latest headlines or listen to what other people have to say about nutrition, they will be armed with knowledge that will help them to judge what it truly best for themselves. So that is a Nutrition Consultation in a NUTshell.
And as always,
Consider having an individualized consultation!

Beth Ellen DiLuglio

Beth Ellen DiLuglio, MS, RD, CNSD, CCN, LD/N
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Carol Reveals Her Weight Gain Secrets

Carol, a member of metabolism.com, recently posted her approach to healthy weight gain. I thought it was interesting enought to post on the main blog. My major concern with her advice is that some people are lactose intolerant and a diet high in dairy products as Carol outlines, could cause severe gastrointestinal symptoms. Many people are unaware they are lactose intolerant since this problem can develop later in life (20’s, 30’s 40’s). As a kid they could eat ice cream, cheese, drink milk without a problem but slowly they develop frequent heart burn, diarrhea, gas etc and fail to attribute it to dairy intake.

Anyway, here is Carol’s secret to weight gain:

Carol writes:

Ok, I found something that helps me to maintain what I have, but as yet I haven’t been able to actually gain any weight: Dairy products, lots of them, and don’t go for the lite or skim version – go for the gold. I have been going through about a gallon to a gallon and a half of soymilk (the one with the extra vanilla in it. Has about 190 calories per serving. Also I make sure to have yogurt every day and I put honey in and granola on top. Cheese and cracker snacks are good too. I have also find that if I do anything physical (walk the dog, work in the yard etc) I need to have a large heavy (but healthy) snack right after and sit quietly for a good 20 or 30 minutes. The key seems to be stay away from the junk food….for most it packs the calories on but for us it burns right through and you just end up not feeling good as your body doesn’t get what it needs.
Take heart – most of you that I am hearing from are much younger (I am 52, 5′5″ and 103 pounds) I have been battling this since I was a kid. I was always told after kids, age 40 etc it would get better – it didn’t for me, but maybe it will for you.