Questioning my own Nut

Ok, sorry if this is winded, but now I am confused, and frustrated.

I went to my 1 year appointment yesterday and saw the nurse and the nutritionist.  The nut is new and I haven't ever seen her.  I explained to her my concern over snacking.  I tend to snack in the evenings, popcorn is my downfall.  But I have been switching on and off to fresh veggies instead. 

Her concern for me was to remove myself from my family and do something for an hour that i like all by myself.  I told her, my family is not a bad influence, it's my head.  She said try it.  OK!  Whatever.  I get to see my family for 3 hours a day together, and now she tells me to remove myself for 1 of those hours.  ok, moving on.

I told her what I eat each day because I'm losing so slowly.  I was honest and gave the things I eat.  She said I was fine.  OK!  I asked how much protein I should be getting in at a year out.  She said that I should be fine with my shake for breakfast and the foods each day.  I asked again, how many GRAMS of PROTEIN should I be getting.  She told me not to worry, I was gettin genough.  OMG!

I asked her about fluid intake and what amount of ounces I should be consuming each day.  On a good day, I can get in 120oz.  If I don't try hard, I can get in 64-80oz.  Again, she said, that's good.  WHICH ONE? 

Now, I know that I am a year out.  But come one, shouldn't a nut be able to answer my questions for me and not just say that I'm doing good.  If i was doing so good, I'd be at goal by now and not struggling to lose 1lb each week.  I told her that my exercise wasn't as good as it should be, but that I was going to join curves with my daughter again w/in the next month, she said, ok, that's good.

Please help.  I started at 318lbs, surgery was 10/4/07, I am now 214lbs.  My goal is 180, but I want to get under 200 first.  What other suggestions can you offer.

Hi,  As dietitians, we all have experience on what works and what doesn't.  Maybe your dietitian has had a good experience with giving her clients some alone time - hence the one hour away from your family.  I don't know.  But, my opinion - if your family isn't the trigger of your snacking, why remove yourself?  Sometimes TV watching is -- maybe you should look at your snacking triggers & remove  yourself from those.  Anyway, moving on.  Your protein needs are based on your height, weight & exercise habits.  We can give you an estimation, but really, that's all it is.  If I were to estimate your protein needs, I'd estimate 85 g per day.  That is if you are exercising 20 minutes per day, 4 days per week.  If you begin exercising more than that or start lifting weights, your protein needs are higher.  Again, remember, it's an estimation.  If your hair is no longer falling out and starting to grow again (if you lost hair in the past), you're getting enough protein.  It's hard to give you a perfect number to shoot for.  Sometimes we can get a better estimation from blood draws and physical examinations.  Regarding fluid -- Danielle has many posts on fluid - you can't miss them if you cruise this board.  I'm going to defer to her fluid responses as they are well written and detailed.  If you can find them, re-post here and I can cut and paste them for you. However, your fluid intake (even on your bad days at 64 oz) is good.  I think your dietitian was trying to tell you that it's all good.  64-120 oz per day is good.  Your weight loss should slow as you get to your goal.  Losing 1 lb per week is not bad - increasing your exercise by going to Curves will help with your weight loss.  Sorry I can't offer you more -- but you are on the right track.  You've noted your own problems (snacking and decreased exercise) and you have a plan to tackle both.  You're on the right track -- you just need to be sure you stick to your plan.  Good luck!