I met with Ryan, the Hotel Dieu Bariatric dietitian yesterday. He confirmed that the use of one meal replacement shake per day has been proven out by research to be an effective tool for weight loss and weight management - up to at least 6 months. Well, I'm looking at a far shorter period, but good to know it is a sound plan. He also confirmed that the President's Choice is nutritionally sound as a meal replacement product:
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| 137 cals/ 2 g fat/ 14 g protein/ sodium 186 mg/ carbs 17 g - and 1/3 the RDA of essential vitamins & minerals |
Although my weight is not quite back to my 150 lb baseline, it is back within the 'safe zone' at 151.7 (yay!). This week I'll carefully resume the evening meal in preparation for Portugal next week - big YAY!
I'm nervous about the idea of maintaining healthy habits while travelling internationally. Ryan's suggestions were to practice mindful eating a lot; keep the treat events to 1x per week (oh, my!); continue to monitor as best I can.
He also suggested another strategy for times when I can't find a small plate (I'm bringing one with us for when we're eating at our apartments). Divide the food on the plate in half - eat mindfully/ stop/ ask "are you full?". If you're full, stop eating, if not - divide the remaining food in half again - - eat mindfully/ stop/ ask "are you full?". If you're full, stop eating. If not, finish the plate.
When we get back from our trip, if my weight is any higher than 152, I'll go back on the strict monitoring and dinner-time shakes until I get back in-range. I'll also increase my aerobic exercise.
See you when we get back from Portugal! Wheeeeeeee.........
