Visit with my NUT(xpost)

So today I went and met with my NUT, who specializes in Bariatrics and has been for about 15 years so she does know her stuff.

Let me start off by saying I was totally nervous going into this meeting because she is blunt honest when you are doing something wrong, and she is not a fan of using supplements as a primary source of protein.  This was my second meeting with her since surgery as she is not affiliated with my surgeon's practice.  My first meeting was last November and it was to try and getting eating real food as opposed to pureed foor and prtein shakes.  At that appointment my exercise was just that exercise and she pushed my calories to 1400 which took me months to hit on a regular basis.

So we discussed my exercise which she quickly corrected that "You no longer exercise. You train"  this was based on both my short term and long term fitness goals.  I informed her that I had my RMR tested and did not rely on a calculator and it is near 2100. I also told her that I have moved back to supplements but only in addition to meet my caloric and protein goals she set my protein at 160-175 and calories to be between 2100 and 2300 but better off closer to 2200.  We discussed my hydration and how it relates to my training and my Sweat ratio and recovery hydration, which she was pleased I knew about and that I weigh twice a day pre and post workout which then lets me calculate my fluid loss to sweat and figure out additional ounces needed to rehydrate. 

The part I knew was comming was what we spent most of the meeting discussing and that is the topic of Carbs the thing we all tend to avoid.  I keep my total carbs at less than 100 and then it is only complex long acting carbs.  I was totally suprised when she said nope you need to start eating 30grams of fast acting carbs post workout, These include english muffin, bagel, and fruits such as banana. 

It appears that I tend to run at not only a calorie deficit but after 2-3 days at the gym after the weekend break I am running at a glycogen deficit as well.  She asked how my runs and stuff were weds-thurs which I do struggle with and end up grunting through. 

Fortunately she believes that if I target my RMR caloric wise I will be fine for my events this year, and by swapping out a bit of protein and changing up some of the carbs I do eat that I should be on track.

She went as far to say that at a year out and with the lifestyle changes I have made that I am not a Bariatric patient but a regulr athletic person and need to live my life as one.  I felt totally awesome comming out of this meeting because she was excited to have someone who has made such changes as I have and reassured me that I am doing things right.  I have a long ways to go and know that my goals will take a lot of training especially my main goal of next year.

Next year I will have to see a sports nutritionist so things will probably change then.

awesome visit!  congrats Paul!

Wow, what a thorough nutritionist.  I wish mine was more explicit in her recommendations.  At a year out she doesn't advocate any targets, just saying to watch my weight and if it creeps up, pull back on the food.  I mentioned to her that I'm exercising 4-6 days a week, 1 1/2 hours at a time and again, she would not give me any advice on how I should be eating to sustain these workouts. 

Anyway, glad to hear all your good news.

Sounds awesome Paul. You are doing friggin awesome! I only saw a nut preop .... I guess that's because I think they are nuts !

That sounds great. So since you are targeting your RMR, I am guessing you are still trying to lose?

For me, I think I eat "low carb" compared to most endurance athletes. But I absolutely consume carbs around my workouts. Right before, during and right after, I consume what everyone else consumes. I have a banana before, drink a sports drink and/or some kind energy bar/bite/gel during, then have a recovery drink after as an example. But the rest of the time -- breakfast, lunch & dinner, any non-workout snacks -- I eat low carb. This works out to about 35-40% of my calories from carbs and about 26% from protein.

This strategy has worked well for me over the past two years.

There are days I would like to lose another 10-15 but most of the time I would be happy trading fat pounds for muscle pounds. I am more focused on fitness and enjoying all that it has to offer.  THe RMR target is just for now until I start really logging serious miles, at that point she wants me to see a Sports Nut because she even admitted that is beyond her area.

 Nice Paul. I saw my NUT this past week as well, and she told me that for the amount of exercise I am doing with the road bike, that I am actually losing weight too quickly, and that I may also need to make sure I am getting enough salt in my diet to retain some of my fluids.