Nov 13, 2007

health counselor

my secret food girl. her name is jennifer, she's based in NYC, has run 6 marathons; and this is what she does. running and food. she runs, she trains other people to run. but since i already have someone to help me do that, i’m interested in the other thing she does – the food thing. the health counseling. in four short days, the things i have learned from her have already made a difference. granted, they haven't been the easiest four days, and i realize we’ve just started, but the silver lining is just starting to peek out of those gassybloatypoopy clouds and i can't wait to see what the next couple of months’ hold in nutritional store for me.

i love that her approach is holistic and most importantly, individualized. i mean, the books i’ve been reading are great, and i learn a lot from them; but what i couldn't learn was exactly how to apply all the information to my particular situation and be confident that i was doing it right. and this is where she comes in. the books didn’t address the gas, bloat & poop issue as much as i would have liked. she does. i took "increase calories" to simply mean “eat more”. which isn't that simple. but she broke it down & made it more simple. and after talking with her i now know that i would have eaten more of the same things i was eating, further compounding my problem. the books aren’t talking to me specifically. they don't know how many gumdrops i really eat. and until i hit that wall, i was in denial about the specific amount -- nor was i really aware of how toxic i was making myself. and so in its crazy way, hitting that wall was good, cause it was the catalyst to get my proverbial shit together. i had been told i needed to get my food in gear. just didn't believe it. had to figure it out the hard way. but with jens' help i will get my food in gear. and as always, with coachs' continued help, i'll just keep running and hope it all comes together and translates into a much happier plan b.


third times' a charm.

7 comments:

Gotta Run..... said...

I emailed Jennifer yesterday and hope to hear from her soon. I also completed her questionnaire and by doing so realized that from a child I have eaten loads of sugar in my diet. I am totally addicted and am scared of giving it up. I know it needs to happen though!!!

So how is today for you? Please tell me it is getting easier!!! Will update you once I have contact with Jennifer. She has a great website.

zanne said...

yes. each day gets a little easier. the sugar crashes/afternoon slumps are not so bad anymore. i don't even think i had one yesterday! i'm not dreaming of frosting. i still want it, but it is getting easier - cause i already feel more stable. first 3 days were the worst.

P.O.M. said...

Yeah. Glad to hear you are figuring out what works for you.

Here is a link with exercises to stregthen the Gluteus Medius (that's my issue). It can explain how to do the hip hikes:
http://www.bodyresults.com/E2gluteusMedius.asp

Vickie said...

I'm jealous! I want that job! Its always a big shock to people to start examining what they eat. No matter how long someone has been at this game, its amazing how easy it is sometimes to jump on the next ship that looks like its going your way, only to find out the hard way that wasn't the trip you wanted to take. It will be very interesting to see how your long and fast runs go in the future with the new nutritional info.

zanne said...

i'm eager to find out the same, vickie!

RunToTheFinish said...

I read a ton of books like Nancy Clark and other sports nutrition things when doing Nutrionathon, but I'm awful at following pre set food plans... I don't cook cause I'd rather be running so they never worked for me.

You are inspiring me though to start thinking about my sugar intake again and cutting it down. I know it will make me feel better...is poor Jennifer ready for all the people who are going to be contacting her due to you!

Laurel said...

I'm glad you're getting it all worked out and she is helping you so much.

It's funny how some of the worst things that happen to us are the things we learn the most from.