Confessions of a Dietitian

I dislike the word dietitian. It conjures up images, based on my experience, of unfit, overweight food service professionals, located in hospital basements, counting and creating rigid meal plans for their patients to follow. But to break that stereotype, I’ll share an awesome blog I just stumbled upon called the Fat Nutritionist http://www.fatnutritionist.com.

Chocolatiers at La Cour aux Saveurs , Provence, France. Simply the best!

I’m struggling with my word choice confessions, as we associate it with guilt and sin and wrongdoing. And quite frankly, I feel no shame about these confessions.

I love eating. This isn’t news to my readers, is it? And I especially enjoy good chocolate, great bread and French pastries, particularly a good almond croissant. I’ve been eating a couple of those lovely rugelach (pictured on the mindfulness post) pretty much on a daily basis, although the stash in the freezer is dwindling.

Great French pastries at Seven Stars, Providence, RI

I was always strongest in math and science, so pulling words and thoughts together and feeling good about a blog post feels like I have hiked Everest. Always good to push yourself out of your comfort zone!

I have blog-follower envy. I watch my blog-friend Cate http://keepcatebusy.blogspot.com/ and others add new members on a daily basis. Yet I know you’re out there, reading, and commenting, yet oh-so-shy about ‘following’.

 A crazy climb to "Monkey Point", Gordes, France, with my husband

I really love to exercise, particularly outdoors. I love the sense of accomplishment and how my body feels and what it can achieve. I appreciate that my body works for me, particularly given my diagnosis of MS.  I love biking, an activity I only started to get into 8 years ago, perhaps because it gets me to places I wouldn’t otherwise see by car. And I get a thrill reaching new heights (though they often terrify me) by hiking. But I am not an advocate of exercise for those who fail to fuel their body, as the consequences are grave.

Franconia Ridge, White Mountains, New Hampshire. One of my most favorite hikes.

I was blessed with some good genes—kind of. My mother was above 300 lbs. for most of my life—sedentary, and healthy. My father was tall and slim, a non-smoker, who by the age of 30 was pre diabetic and hypertensive. He had a healthy lifestyle, walked everywhere, and died of lung cancer in his 60’s.

I was a normal weight child, but was always and repeatedly told to 
stand up straight, put my shoulders back, and hold my stomach in. 
If there’s one body part I’ve struggled with it’s my belly, the place 
where any additional body fat liked to live. Strangely, when I had to
 inject myself three times a week with an MS medication into some 
fatty area on my body, I saw my abdomen in a whole new positive 
light! But pilates and yoga also help that sense of connection. No 
need to wish for a chronic disease, then.

A Jenny Craig weight loss center refers to me on a very regular 
basis. I think that’s a hoot!

I went to Weight Watchers once, when I was 30 lbs. overweight, (maybe I'll post a photo from that era--at a later date) right after college. It taught me everything not to do, personally and professionally, and for that I am immensely thankful. I promise a post on this at a later date. But first, I just might show up at a local meeting with a journalist hat on to be sure I don’t misrepresent their current program.


Hope you enjoyed the post!