May 18, 2000 -- 11:34 PM EST

For those who are wondering, I have a tic-tac-toe fridge now. I think about tic-tac-toe food. So does Paul. Karen, our dietitian, gave us different folders but the one thing we do have in common is this colored sheet showing foods on it. Food Pyramid stuff. We stuck one to the fridge:

She's got us thinking tic-tac-toe though instead of servings. Every meal we are supposed to go for at least 3 different items in an XXO or OOX pattern.

X's are...

• Milk,cheese, soy alternates, etc
• Animal based foods liek chicken and beef, cold cuts, beans, nuts, seeds, nut butters, soy "meats", etc.

O's are

• vegetables and vegetable products
• Fruits and fruit products
• Grains any way you want them

Compound foods like sandwiches or pizza or casserole only count as on item, and the major component of it makes it the X or O. (So pizza with cheese and meats and things for Paul counts as an X item whereas cheeseless for me goes O.)

Although we are supposed to drink plenty of it, water does not count as an item. Neither do the "other" foods like salad dressings, sodas, chips, booze, etc. because they don't have enough nutrients to fit anywhere and ought to be eaten in moderation anyhow.

For me, this is easy because I've already been doing it! For Paul, tic-tac-toe-ing is easier to deal with mentally than weird serving sizes of foods.

Somebody on CD 20Somethings was asking about what plan we all followed. I've been food journaling since day one and concentrated on meeting RDA's but I knew eventually when I got to a place where I could pay for it, I wanted to be under a dietitian's care. If it were one of us, it wouldn't be so bad even with the $140 initial fee, but coming up with $280 in the same month on top of all the dentist stuff that's happening was a little harder. (three teeth left! Three teeth left! Yessssss!!!! ) Plus, finding one we liked took awhile. After the first visit, the followups are monthly, and just $40-45. The cost of dinner out, a hairdo, nothing wacky.

The way I see it, I pay Karen to do all the worrying for me. She can keep me away from problem areas, steer me clear of nutritional mistakes, help me with food problems, deal with the scale thing, spot trends, make sure I am getting what I need. All I have to do is whatever she tells me. Of course, I have to cook and keep my food log, but that's a breeze.

It's about making it easy to do and sticking with it, isn't it? I suppose when I hit target, once I get through pregnancy if I choose to get pregnant, I'll just check in with Karen every 6 months like the dentist instead of once a month.

~Astrophe