I recently went to see a health coach volunteer at a clinic in town. I first saw one around the end of May. Something happened to him when I was to see him in June. I don’t know if he had finals or a family emergency or what. All I know is that NO ONE called me to notify me that he would not be coming in. I highly doubt that he informed the company that he was volunteering for that he would not make it. I didn’t know he was a volunteer until that day – the day he didn’t show up.
I meet him again yesterday and he was coaching another man. This is a sad case of when two people don’t have good listening skills. I was talking to these two men (probably half my age or perhaps they could have been 25, not much older). Some of the things they said didn’t make any sense to me. I know that any doctor will tell you that a person should have about 30% of their diet come from carbohydrates. That is our energy. Of course a smart person would say “Health carbs” not “empty carbs”. I know that I consume between 1,300 – 1,500 calories a day. I’ve been doing this since last June. The only time I jump up to 1,700 – 1,800 calories is when I’m on the first three days of my period. That’s it. First three days. Well, I MUST BE doing something right. I’ve added in more vegetables to my diet. Yesterday I weighed in at 196.6. I was 202 around May 25th. That’s 6 pounds in 6 weeks.
I know that 150 grams of carbohydrates is NOT over doing it. I just read an article that mentions my exact calorie intake needs. It says ” In the carbohydrate counting method, 15 grams of carbohydrate is equal to one carbohydrate serving. How many grams of carbohydrate you need each day depends on how many calories you need to stay at a healthy weight. . . . .A woman who needs about 1,500 calories a day will aim for 180 to 195 grams of carbohydrate or about 12 to 13 carbohydrate servings a day. A man who needs 1,800 calories a day can plan on having between 210 and 240 grams of carbohydrate or about 14 to 16 carbohydrate servings each day.”
From http://www.ghc.org/healthAndWellness/?item=/common/healthAndWellness/conditions/diabetes/carbs.html
Now may be these men thought I should be eating only 1,200 calories per day. I know my body. I’m not 150 pounds. I’m 196 pounds. And my BMR is about 1,600 per day. I don’t eat that much since I want to create a deficit, and walking burns 200 -300 calories from that. I don’t want to starve myself and if I eat 1,200 calories per day, I will more than likely make my body thing it is starving. I’m quiet happy when my body gets at least 50 ounces of water per day and 1,400 calories. I found out on my own that as long as I keep up my water – I don’t need to eat over 1,500 calories a day. Some days I can eat 1,400 calories and I’m not hungry -probably due to the high fiber vegetables I’m eating.
When I told these two young men that I eat about 150 grams of carbohydrates per day, they both looked at each other and said “Woah, that’s a lot”. I didn’t say anything to them, I guess I was trying to make it a lesson for them. They will find out later. If I eat 1,500 calories per day, and if I get 150 grams from that – that means 10% of my diet is from carbohydrates. Then one of them said that I should not get more than 20 grams of added sugar per day. I don’t usually count added sugar since I know that I don’t add sugar to my food. I don’t eat oatmeal with added sugar (or brown sugar), I don’t drink coffee – so I don’t put sugar into it coffee I don’t drink. I do drink hot tea – and I don’t add sugar to it, I use honey instead since it has a lower glycemic index compared to sugar. Honey is much more healthy than sugar. So why would I count my added sugar? When I told these men that I like to drink Green Chai Tea, they looked at each other and looked as if they didn’t understand me. I said “Yes, Green Chai tea. You know Chai tea right?” The man said “You mean in the bottle?” I said “No. I steep it, it is HOT tea”. Then both took a deep breathe and said ‘Oh, I thought you meant that crap in the bottle, don’t do that”. What do these men take me for? A complete idiot?
Since the one man mentioned the sugar 20 grams rule, I guess I can start counting my added sugar and see if it is over 20 grams. One thing I am planning on doing is – changing my yogurt. I’m going to start purchasing plain yogurt and add in my own fruit – I have frozen fruit here. I have both strawberries and blueberries. That way I had less added sugar and more natural sugar.
This new guy said to eat more lean fish. Then he said that a fish is always moving in the water and beef or pork is just “standing around” and that is why they are not lean. I’m sorry, but I don’t think a fish is lean meat due to moving around in the water all the time. I don’t eat red meat that often. Perhaps once every two weeks. That’s it! if I do eat it, it is grass feed so I don’t have the added hormones.
I have an appointment with this new guy named Antonio next month in early August. I’m hoping that by that time I will have lost another 4 pounds. If I do – that means I’m doing something right. And just to let others know, last week I counted my protein and I consumed about 90 -97 grams of protein that day. On days I don’t have the whey protein, it does down to about 50 – 60 grams of protein per day. I don’t eat the whey protein so much now since it has soy in it. Not sure if too much protein turns into fat, however, I do know too many calories will.
Oh, I also lost one inch from my waist line this week as well. I got to be doing something right.
Speaking my mind 