The first week of the last quarter on my journey to be an RD has ended. I was at an amazing facility that dealt with surgical and nonsurgical weight loss. On Wednesday I was able to observe two weight loss surgeries, a bypass and lap band. Quick overview: bypass makes the stomach smaller and causes the food to bypass part of the intestine. Lap band does not require any cutting or stapeling of the stomach. An adjustable band is put around the top of stomach causing a restriction on the amount of food you are able to eat. Both of these surgeries also help you feel fuller faster and stay fuller longer.
Everyone has their own opinions about weight loss surgeries and I'm not here to spark a debate but, it's truly remarkable the hundred's of ways there are to lose weight. I have now had the opportunity to see weight management in children and adults, both surgical and nonsurgical, and I have to say I love weight management for either population. I should have seen the signs earlier since 99% of my blog is about weight management. Unfortunately, that was my only week with them and next month I move on to schools, health departments, and meals on wheels.
Tomorrow is the last day of National Nutrition Month. I hope everyone had the opportunity to get involved or get into eating healthy and exercising. Now...we begin the countdown for next year!
This post is inspired by an experience I had yesterday morning that I am still racking my brain about. It all started when Nolan and I were headed out to get our day started. We were hungry and decided to stop on our way out to get a breakfast sandwich and some coffee (I'll keep the name underwraps). We get there and I order a breakfast sandwich and a small iced coffee. I was then informed that if I order a medium (a size BIGGER than I wanted) it would be cheaper. I quickly said no thank you, I only want a small and then thought to myself...what the heck?! how on earth does that make sense? They just offered me something more for less money...I don't get it, and I still don't get it. My second thought was no wonder everyone in America is gaining weight. The concept of portion sizes is all wrong. I understand everyone is pinching pennies left and right, myself included but, when it comes to food/my health I don't settle. Here's an example: The small coffe I got was 120 calories the medium they offered me is 200 calories. doesn't seem like a huge difference is calories but heres where my thought process is going...
I am not a big coffee drinker but I imagine people out there that would choose the cheaper medium coffee over the small the 5 days a week they work. If this is the case that is an extra 1,000 calories a week, 4,000 calories a month, meaning you would gain a little over 1 pound a month because of this coffee (or about 12 pounds a year). You then spend money dieting etc. all because you didn't want to spend the extra 20 cents (or whatever it was) just to buy the smaller size. It's a vicious cycle, I know. So next time someone offers you a bigger size for less, I know it may be tempting but think of the overall picture. The amount of food you eat and drink plays an important role in energy balance and choosing smaller portions can help you lose weight and keep it off.
Here are some ways to control portion sizes:
1. Downsize your dishes. I've said it once and I'll say it again. Use smaller plates and bowls. We tend to fill up the plates we use and then eat it all. When you use a smaller plate your brain will think you are getting more when the same amount of food is put on a smaller plate 2. Use visual cues. A tennis ball is about the size of a piece of medium fruit, a deck of cards is one serving of meat etc. 3. Split an entree with a friend. Most restaurants serve more than the amount of food one person needs to eat in a day. Share with a friend (and it will be less expensive!) or, ask for a doggie bag to save it for lunch the next day. 4. Don't mindless eat. If you eat in front of the TV, put the amount of food you want on a plate instead of eating out of the package. It's easy to overeat when your focused on something else. 5. Figure out how big your portions really are. Measure the amount your plates, bowls, glasses actually hold. 6. Measure out a fixed amount. Measure out a serving size (check the label!) to see what it looks like in your dishes. Also, make your own 100 calorie packs of your favorite snacks (again, check the label for calories per serving).
check out www.choosemyplate.gov for more information on decreasing portion sizes and a daily food plan to help manage your daily intake.
This week was a big week. I ended my 7 week rotation at Children's (so sad to go!). This week was my obesity rotation and I have to say, I really loved it. As we all know, obesity is on the rise and is considered an epidemic in this country. According to the CDC, about 17% (12.5 million) children, ages 2-19, are obese and the prevalence rate since 1980 has tripled. More than 1/3 (35.7%) of U.S. adults are obese resulting in countless medical problems.
I worked with a group they have called HealthWorks! that teaches overweight kids and teens how to eat healthy and exercise. I was also in the bariatric center for those who are either in the decision making process or in the treatment phases of bariatric surgery. On top of those, I spent a day in the lipid and hypertension clinic. During this rotation I did feel bad for some of these kids but, I was also so grateful that they were getting the help they need. The largest patient there this week was a CHILD with a BMI of 70 (morbidly obese). I got to sit in with each person on the team so I really got a good sense of who the patient was and what was going on in their life. This week I learned such a great lesson...you never know what someone is going through. The perspective I had of some of these patients during the nutrition interview was so different than when I went in with the social worker. Even though someone may put up a good front, they may really be struggling inside. But, thats what my job entails...helping people get healthy and love who they are.
Today I presented my big project for the year. My partner and I's topic was eating disorders and for our seminar we gave a presentation for the first hour and had a dietitian that works in eating disorders come and speak for the second hour. Man o man am I so happy to have that over with!! So, let's go through the check list for the year....Lunch and learn-check, case study during acute care-check, intern forum-check, case study during peds rotation-check, intern seminar-check. From here on out it's smooth sailing (I hope)!
It's hard to believe that there are only 2 1/2 months until I complete my dietetic internship AND graduate. Two huge chapters are quickly coming to an end. For now, time to enjoy what's left and finally get some R&R during spring break in one week.
The first day of March has arrived which can only mean one thing...It's national nutrition month! For those of you who don't know, national nutrition month (NNM) is a nutrition education and information campaign that was created by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND). It "focuses attention on the importance of making informed food choices and developing sound eating and physical activity habits."
A drum roll please....the theme for this year is....get your plate in shape.
This is a great theme for this years NNM since the pyramid guidelines are no longer and it is now MyPlate. The new MyPlate guidelines and NNM encourage everyone to take a look at what your putting on your plate and focus on getting the recommend amount of portion sizes, fruits, vegetable, grains, protein, and dairy each day. A press release about NNM from AND stated "each year, National Nutrition Month provides us the opportunity to remind consumers of the basics of healthy eating. By focusing this year's theme on the new MyPlate, we can help people make the simple changes to their daily eating plans that will benefit them for a lifetime."
Take a look at whats really going on your plate and check out some suggestions below from the food and nutrition experts from AND on how to get your plate in shape.
Make half of your plate fruits and vegetables: Eat a variety of vegetables, especially
dark-green, red and orange varieties. Add fresh, dried, frozen or canned fruits
to meals and snacks.
Make at least half your grains whole: Choose 100 percent whole-grain breads,
cereals, crackers, pasta and brown rice. Check the ingredients list on food
packages to find whole-grain foods.
Switch to fat-free or low-fat milk: Fat-free and low-fat milk have the same
amount of calcium and other essential nutrients as whole milk, but less fat and
calories. For those who are lactose intolerant, try lactose-free milk or a calcium-fortified
soy beverage.
Vary your protein choices: Eat a variety of foods from the protein
food group each week, such as seafood, nuts and beans, as well as lean meat,
poultry and eggs. Keep meat and poultry portions small and lean. And be sure to
choose seafood as the protein at least twice a week.
Cut back on sodium and empty calories
from solid fats and added sugars:
Compare sodium in foods and choose those with lower numbers, and season your
foods with herbs and spices instead of salt. Switch from solid fats to healthy
oils like olive and canola oil. Replace sugary drinks with water and choose
fruit for dessert.
Enjoy your foods but eat less: Avoid oversized portions. Use a smaller
plate, bowl and glass. Cook more often at home where you are in control of
what’s in your food. When eating out, choose lower calorie menu options.
Be physically active your way: Adults need at least 2 hours and 30
minutes of physical activity every week. Choose activities that you enjoy, and
start by doing as much as you can.
There are tons of activities that happen during NNM so check out your local community to see what's going on. If your in the Cincinnati area, this weekend is the Nutrition Council Food on the Run 5k and 10k fitness run/walk downtown (I'll be starting off NNM by running in the 5k!) and for the first 4 friday's in March from 10am-12:30pm there are children's activities and display booths at the Museum Center. This Friday I'll be helping out and we will have the kids "complete their plate" and lead a movement activity.
For more information, games, reading list, eduction resources etc. check out http://www.eatright.org/nnm
The first week of the last quarter on my journey to be an RD has ended. I was at an amazing facility that dealt with surgical and nonsurgical weight loss. On Wednesday I was able to observe two weight loss surgeries, a bypass and lap band. Quick overview: bypass makes the stomach smaller and causes the food to bypass part of the intestine. Lap band does not require any cutting or stapeling of the stomach. An adjustable band is put around the top of stomach causing a restriction on the amount of food you are able to eat. Both of these surgeries also help you feel fuller faster and stay fuller longer. 
