Goodbye March!

It’s time for our end-of-month check-in with Grace! 

How you doing, Grace? 

In which sense: physically, emotionally, spiritually…? 

Well, since this is a blog about your lifestyle change, I suppose all of them. 

Oh. Really? Well, if I am to be completely honest, I would have to say that March has been a difficult month for me (and many of the people I hold dearest in my life). Let me preface by saying that historically March has always been my least favourite month of the year. My son’s birthday is in March, as are my brother’s and nephew’s birthdays, but aside from the joy that those days bring (which is a lot, of course) overall, I can’t stand the month. I get sick of winter, the school term starts dragging; the weather is too unpredictable; mud. It’s all so blech.

This March was exceptionally terrible as I (and others) have been dealing with a traumatic event that is far too unfathomable for words (thus the lack of posts by me over the last couple of weeks—see March 20 entry for more details). Over the last couple of weeks I have definitely missed some exercise times, I have had some late-night telephone calls, I’ve consumed my fair share of beer, there was the donut incident, and, of course, sex with my ex. I feel, though, that (for me) the worst is passed and I’m starting to get myself back on track with everything.

I am so fucking glad that March is over.

So, do you think you need/want to change anything? 

Aside from getting back on track, no, I don’t. I know that I was out of my routine over the last two weeks, but that stems from a highly unusual circumstance which, well, to be honest, I handled much better than I would have five months ago. 

Moving on then, what did you learn this month in regards to food or fitness? 

I learned that I have been lying to everyone for the last few months! 

LYING?! WHAT? 

Okay, okay, I haven’t actually been lying. Let me explain…

Did you know that there’s a difference between a nutritionist and a dietician?

No, aren’t they the same thing… just a different word? 

That’s exactly what I thought all this time! But you know what? They are NOT the same thing at all! My ‘nutritionist’ told me that she isn’t actually a nutritionist; she’s a dietician!

“WHAT?!” says I.

“Yeah, I’m not a nutritionist, I’m a dietician,” she says.

“There’s a difference?!” I say, puzzlingly.

“Yeah,” she says as she points to the framed degrees on her wall, “those.”

“So, what does that mean though?” I ask.

“Well, the major difference is that I work with health care professionals, like doctors. Although many nutritionists understand food and eating habits quite well, I have a broader knowledge of how food interacts with the body, and how various health ‘issues’ could be impacted or influenced by the foods that are eaten.” She continues, “the difference between a nutritionist and a dietician is kind of like the difference between an LPN and an RN. LPNs have less required education, less training, and less responsibility than RNs.”

“Oh,” I say. “So why didn’t you tell me earlier?! I’ve been posting that you’re a nutritionist all this time! You should have corrected me!”

“Well, because I don’t want to be one of those ‘I’m a dietician, not a nutritionist’ kind of people, plus, I knew it would come up some time,” she replies. 

So no, I haven’t been lying. I have been unintentionally misinforming you, but I blame it on my nutritionist… er, I mean, my dietician.

We then had a really interesting conversation about the differences between the rules and regulations that nutritionists and dieticians have to follow. Dieticians have rules and regulations which are similar to those that doctors have to follow, whereas nutritionists have far vaguer rules and regulations that they have to follow. The differences are quite significant, but like my dietician, I don’t want to ‘poopoo’ nutritionists as I am sure there are some really great ones out there. That being said, anyone who is considering getting help with eating and/or diet, be sure you ask a lot of questions before you decide on who to work with (you could start here: www.dietitians.ca).

Oh! Here's a story: so on Friday (March 30) my dietician (who is also a counselor and a personal fitness trainer, but NOT a nutritionist) asked me why I didn't go swimming or to my fitness class on Sunday (March 25) when I had promised her that I would go. I didn't have an answer for her--I had no reason to break my promise to her. So you know what she made me do?! She took me over to the gym and had me do ten squats and ten push-ups, five times in a row! Yup, fifty squats and fifty push-ups!

Hahahaha! So, how do you feel about her now?! 

I love her even more! She doesn't let me get away with anything.

Oh... kay... so, can we expect anything different this month? 

No broken promises. Less mud. Less tears. No sex with my ex (promise!). More sunshine. More flowers. More gratitude. Growth. Hugs from an angel. 

Okay then… any final thoughts? 

Bring it, April… I am so ready for you.

I’m gonna crank House of Pain’s “Jump Around”, dance like a mofo, and let March kiss my ass goodbye! (Care to join me?)

And so the journey continues…