Kari the Dietician

I just wanted to give a little update about what's been going on. I am not sure how many of you know this, but I didn't. For those of you who have Highmark insurance, you are allowed 7 visits per year with a registered dietician. Those visits are completely free and covered by your insurance.

I took advantage of this coverage a few weeks ago and scheduled an appointment with a dietician, and as the title suggests she was named Kari. She was really cool and really helpful. Below are a few of the things we talked about and some stuff I thought might be helpful to everyone.

Food Advice

1. Veggies - Though Ben and I are vegetarians, after talking to Kari I realized that we weren't quite getting our daily recommended value of veggies. We were getting some but not all. You are supposed to have about 3 cups of veggies a day. In case you don't know about the new cool food pyramid here it is.

2. Proportions - We have all heard that Americans eat insanely big portions, that are unnecessary and unhealthy. But through our discussion, I came up with some helpful stuff. First, we are now using smaller plates, like the salad sized ones. This helps because, clearly, you can't fit as much food on your plate. But it also helps because it doesn't make it seem like you're eating less, it is more visually appealing. Second, no seconds. Her advice for holding to this, don't put the food on the table. Serve yourself in the kitchen and then bring your plate to the table. That way you won't be tempted to have just a bit more because it's right there in front of you. Third, your plate should be about 50% veggies, 25% starch/grains and 25% protein. In the case of casserole or one-pot dishes, the proportions should still have the same representation, just mixed up.

3. Perfection - you don't have to have it! This might have been the first time in this type of situation that I have ever had a doctor, etc. say something like that.  It is always encouraging for someone to say you don't have to be perfect, no matter what they are talking about.

Exercise Advice

I had been doing a certain Pilates DVD (Pilates Weight Loss for Beginners) before going to see Kari. It was working well and definitely giving me a work out. She was a little skeptic of a Pilates routine for weight loss, but said that if my heart rate was up and I was sweating, then it was doing its job.

She also suggested some other DVDs, and once I tried some of them I realized how easy Pilates can be. She mentioned that she likes The Biggest Loser workouts, because you can mix and match them. I got the Biggest Loser Workout Vol. 1 and it has been great. There are 4 core routines to choose from, each 20 minutes, and a warm-up and cool down. One of my favorite things is that they use the contestants in the workouts, so it is informal and more real. Vol. 1 is led by Bob Harper, the male trainer, and he is super funny. "Oh man guys I am really feelin' this, I'm up here on this rock." (You'll get it if you watch the DVD).

Anyway, She also suggested Jillian Michaels' non-Biggest Loser DVDs. I was a little weary, the whole reason I got Vol. 1 was because she wasn't on it. With the fear of getting screamed at for an entire workout, I got the 30 Day Shred. I've only had the chance to do level 1, but man it is good. I ended up really liking it and she isn't as much of a jerk as I thought she was going to be. Warning: there are toned fitness helpers in her DVD, kind of a let down. ;)

If you're interested in some of the DVDs they are all at the library. That's how I tried them and now I am planning on purchasing them.

I am also thinking of taking a Zumba class, but I kind of don't want to do it alone. It is supposed to be really awesome and a total sweat-fest, which is kinda what I'm into now.  So if anyone would maybe want to do that, they hold classes at the JCC all of my Squirrel Hill friends.

That is all the update I have in me for now. I encourage you to check out some of the info I listed above. I am also more than willing to geek out about nutrition or exercise stuff with anyone who wants to listen.