Brittany - Part 22

“Brittany Peterman?” The assistant called. Britt stood up, drifting over to the door like a soul being called by the devil. After getting in a room she was told that Wendy would be in to see her in a minute, and it was literally only a minute later and she was there. Wendy looked like someone her mom would associate with, very clean and pressed, presentable without a fault or a crease. She was also impossibly thin like most of her mom’s friends as well, probably good for a nutritionist.

“Hi Brittany.” She said with a warm smile. “I appreciate you seeing me today.” Wendy had a mellow attitude about her, it helped Britt feel relaxed and take her anxiety down a bit. “Your mom and Mrs. Cox tell me you put on a little weight away at college.” She looked down at Britt’s round belly that distended from her middle. Britt noticed right away and tried to suavely move her arms to block as much of her belly from view as she could. Wendy laughed a little. “It’s ok, it happens to the best of us. Let's just see what we can do to get you back on track shall we? How about we get you weighed.”

Ugh, this was the part Britt was dreading the most. It was awful when her mother did it at home (which would be tomorrow as well), but to have yet another person knowing her weight was so humiliating. Why couldn’t everyone just leave her alone? Wendy showed Britt the medical scale in the corner of the room, and she stepped on. They both looked down at the digital readout. *153* “Not too bad!” Wendy said. Britt was trying to do the math in her head. Thirty five plus one ten, and she adjusted the scale at home by how many pounds again? Math wasn’t Britt’s strong suit, and Wendy was already moving on to the next thing before she could put any context to the numbers on the scale. “Ok just a few quick measurements, and we will be done with the poking and prodding for today.”

Wendy brandished a soft tape measure and proceeded to wrap it around Britt. She started getting measurements and writing them in her notes. Arms, thigh, chest, hips, but it was her waist that almost made her eyes pop out. 36 inches, on such a small girl, it almost seemed wrong, but there was Britt’s belly staring her right in the face. “Alright I think we are in a good spot.” Wendy said, putting away her tape measure and sitting on the nearby stool. Britt felt better that her personal space was no longer being invaded. “Nothing to worry about, you seem to be in quite a healthy place.”

“Tell that to my mom.” Britt scoffed under her breath, but accidently loud enough that Wendy heard.

“Well let's discuss a few things so everyone will see how healthy you are. First off are calories, you want to make sure you are getting enough of them. Now counting calories can lead you down a devious path, so I don’t want you stressing over them, I want you to just make sure you are eating a healthy amount throughout the day. And you want to be having the right calories, so fruits, vegetables, meats, and some grains. Cakes and cookies should only be an occasional snack, got it?”

Britt nodded. She felt like she had been already doing a good job following this rule since she had been back. Of course her mom was giving her the least amount of calories possible, so supplementing with her other avenues had been the healthiest thing she could have done. Bingo!

“Also I want to see you for a quick check up each Friday to make sure you’re staying on track. I’m sure Mrs. Cox won’t mind.” This seemed less than fun to Britt, but once she shed that 35 pounds that she needed this would be all over. And she was already doing such a good job, this would be behind her before she knew it. “Well it was very nice to meet you, and I look forward to helping you get healthy this summer.” Wendy flashed a big smile and saw Britt out of the room.

It was true that Wendy had never met Britt before, but she did know of her. Britt had been less than pleasant to her daughter back in high school, especially about her weight. One of the things that helped push Wendy into nutrition was the drive to help her daughter lead a healthier life. But that was only after it became a bigger problem at the start of high school. The former biologist turned nutritionist was more than happy to be involved in Mrs. Cox ploy as a little bit of a way to avenge her now healthy daughter. Wendy couldn’t go against her hippocratic oath, but she could certainly bend the rules of nutrition a little bit just this once.

Mrs. Cox was pleased to see Britt as she exited the exam area. “Hi there dear! I hope Wendy was as enlightening as ever.” Britt stayed quiet, but had a feeling that the visit wasn’t as scary as she had built up in her head for the little time she knew about it. “How about some lunch before we get back to work, what do you say?” Britt’s face lit up. Perfect opportunity to put into practice some of the things Wendy discussed with her.