Day 1 - I Am Not a Normal Nutritionist

I was Christmas shopping in town at a local clothing boutique enjoying the various colors and textures on display. With items in hand I roamed from rack to rack joyously imagining the textiles on friends and family.

The front door opened and bells jingled and quieted as a woman dressed in a beautiful woven sweater and jeans came walking in. She had lustrous brown hair and a curvaceous body. She recognized a female employee and they began to talk. After the usual, "how are you's" and weather acknowledgments the conversation shifted to diet.

"What is this?" the customer asked as she pointed to a supplement behind the counter.

"Oh, so here is how this works," the employee replied as she pulled her aside. "You take a couple drops of this three times a day.."

"What does it do, make you less hungry?"

"Yes! It is an appetite suppressant. Like today, all I have had is breakfast and I am not even hungry right now."

"Oh, wow!"

"I have lost about 20 pounds already."

"I want to do this! Is it easy?"

"Well, I would recommend that you start after the holidays. It is simple but really hard. You can only eat 500 calories a day."

I walk up to the counter with my items trying my best to remain unexcited. It is moments like this where I have to remember the adage, "Do not give advice unless someone asks for it." I have found this to be invaluable guidance. Even still my heart pounds with fervor to make this injustice right.

The employee, a blond middle-aged woman with vivacious motherly energy, noticed me and the nutrition business cards that I had left there weeks before. She gave me an awkward almost embarrassed glance.

"Well you should be talking to this one here!" She said, gesturing to me as she positioned herself by the register. "She is a Nutritionist!"

"Look at you! Your thin!" The female customer exclaimed.

"I have not always been thin." I interjected but only to deaf ears. 

"You should go see her, instead of me!"

"No. We do not want a simple diet and lifestyle plan. We want immediate results!" They laughed. I smiled back.

I could not blame them. The common advertised nutrition concepts dished out by the mainstream nutrition world preach moderation and exercise as the keys to healthy living. The belief is circulated that people who are overweight or unhealthy are actually just lacking in will power (unlike the rest of us) or somehow mentally deficient.

In fact I remember when I was an overweight teenager going to a Nutritionist. The attitude that I had when I left that program was no different than what these two women have adopted here. Counting calories, fat grams and monitoring my food intake ended up making me feel more deprived and lost then before. When the promise of a fantastic new diet providing amazing results was displayed before me I would jump on board without a second thought.

What I did not know was that dieting destroys the metabolism, one of the most important components in fat burning and body sculpting. I had no idea that restricting calories below a certain point could actually cause my body to hold onto every calorie I ate like a bee to honey. It never occurred to me to think beyond the present moment; if this one month diet will help me lose all the weight, what will I do when it is over? And what is more attractive to others, a thin body or a healthy body? My only concern was changing the number on the scale at any cost. I understood the boat these women were in. I was there.

I am not a normal Nutritionist. I did not get into this profession because I was good at being a healthy eater. I got into this profession because I was downright bad at being a healthy eater. I have studied, researched and devoted my adult life to the purpose of excavating the true ways of being that produce physical results. Now I know the keys of nourishment that produce a radiant and healthy physique. You would be surprised at some of them.

This blog is an honest attempt of displaying my life for you to see so that you know it is possible care for and  honor your body while also loving it. I live my day to day life loving and listening to my body, even when it is challenging. Journey with me to see how...