Episode 8: Top Nutrition Tips From Registered Dietitian And Widow, Carrie Gardache
Listen to the full interview here!
Rick Gardache was only 44 years old when he passed away suddenly on October 9, 2017 from an unknown heart condition.
His wife Carrie was left to raise their two teenage children.
Carrie opens up about some self-destructive behavior that she had to overcome. She was able to course correct and make a plan to get her life back under control. Being a registered dietitian, she knows the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle. She shares some nutrition tips with us today and how we can all take back control of our health and well-being.
TAKEAWAYS FROM THIS EPISODE:
When Rick passed away she felt like she had to acquire 10 more jobs and they were jobs she didn’t interview for, that she didn’t have time to research or do resumes or anything.
The hardest job ever after he passed away was being the primary decision-maker.
So many people will give you their opinions but they’ll never give you an answer.
When you go through this horrible thing, your metabolism changes. You don’t sleep well. You’re pacing. You’re thinking. You’re breathing heavy. Your heart beats faster. And all that stuff affects energy expenditure.
You need to go to your Primary Care Physician at least once a year to get your labs done. Don’t forget to take care of yourself.
Rick passed in October and even though her labs were horrible in January, Carrie wasn’t ready to change or curb her destructive behavior because she was still heavily grieving too much. She realized how she was living but still didn’t change.
It’s hard to find a new circle sometimes. You can have college friends and church friends, but your social circles will change and not always in a good way.
MAKE A PLAN! When Carrie finally did decide to take back control of her life, she made a plan to keep herself accountable.
Carrie’s plan was this: Get up and make the bed! Because if you make the bed then at least you did something that day!
Practice the Rule of Ten: You take your goal weight, say 150 and divide that by 2. So that’s 75. So there’s a range of between 75-150 GRAMS of what you need to eat in carbs and in proteins each day.
When you skip meals like we widows tend to do, and then you overeat later, the body is going to store fat differently.
Carrie says “Don’t be a bear in hibernation eating only one meal a day. Be a bird that eats lots of small meals throughout the day!
Carrie used to work out after work but then had to stop because of the kids afterschool activities. It took her a whole year but she got back on track, changed her schedule, and started working out in the morning before work. You have to make yourself a priority!
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