Nutritionista

I finally saw a nutritionist for my eating "issue." It felt so good to finally talk about it with someone. And, for the first time in ten years, I feel like I'm on the right path.

We sat down and discussed my issue from all angles and then we went over what I typically eat on a normal day. I told her that while I don't necessarily want to see the number on my scale go down, I feel like I have a pocket of fat in my lower abdomen that never goes away, no matter how much ab work I do and no matter how much I cut back on junk food. I'm not seeking perfection, it's just frustrating to me that all my exercise (5 mile runs four times a week, 4 mile commute walks three days a week, and abdominal circuits) and cutting back on snacks and junk food, has absolutely no effect on my body. I work so hard to eat modestly. Where are my results?!

A little pocket of fat. Big deal right? It's just part of being a mom, isn't it? Permanent residuals from my body doing incredible, amazing things (growing two people). I think I'm ready to chalk it up to "Things I Cannot Change About My Body," specifically in the  category of "Gifts From My Children." You know, like my stretch marks, C-section scars,"outie" belly button, and complete lack of boobs. Yay, kids are fun!

Then my nutritionist asked me one question, "when was the last time you felt hungry?" That's a weird question, I thought. But then I really thought about it. When WAS the last time I felt hungry? I couldn't even remember. That answer, my nutritionist said, was the key to unlocking my physiological mystery.

The advice from my nutritionist kind of shocked me. She said that if I wanted to lose fat, I needed to..... EAT MORE. What?! After going through my daily food routine, she said that I was simply not getting enough calories. My body isn't getting enough calories so it is in "starvation" mode and holding on to everything I ingest as a preservation method. Because of this, my metabolism is really low. If I eat more on a daily basis, my body will come out of starvation mode, my metabolism will increase, and my body will stop storing everything.

My homework is simple. Eat 200 more calories a day and see what happens. So far, I'm eating more like 300 more per day and I already feel more energized and satisfied. I'm getting hungry before meals, feeling satisfied after meals, I have fewer cravings for junk food, and...for doing the other "thing," CHSP. Although I was skeptical at first, I feel like it's actually working. It's only been a couple days and I haven't seen any change in my appearance BUT I've noticed a huge change in everything else.

After all this time of struggling, could it really be that the key to my eating disorder is so easy and so...ironic? To eat more? I guess we will see!