Let me sprinkle some of my magic dietitian fairy dust....

Today I counseled a woman on weight loss. She said she had been trying to lose weight since around age 9, she was now in her 60s. She had tried everything. And apparently she wanted me to perform magic on her, since she was determined to lose weight, while still eating most meals and either, Little Cesars, Bojangles, or KFC. It was very frustrating but also one of my favorite experiences this summer, since I talked to her for about 45 minutes about things she felt frustrated about and what she would be willing to change. Since I am interested in outpatient counseling I think, it was a fun experience for me. Her friend was there, and she was helpful, she kept reminding the patient how important it was for her to be healthier, regardless of whether she lost a lot of weight or not, which I thought was a good point to focus on as well.

I think one thing that really helped her was a book I gave her, it tells all the nutrition facts for most fast food chains. I really think she just didn't fathom how many calories were in what she was eating. We decided that she would start keeping a food diary and start using the book to count up how many calories she was actually eating. Unfortunately, since this was inpatient, I won't get to see her again, which is sad to me and why I want to do outpatient, so that I can development a relationship with patients, like Bridget mentioned. Hope everyone's week is going well!