So, I went to a dietician....

MarilynCurves
MarilynCurves Posts: 25 Member
edited November 13 in Health and Weight Loss
Hi everyone,
I've been a member here for years, and have lurked on the boards, never posting, all this time. To start with, I want to thank so many of you for all I've learned! This might be kind of a long post, I'm sorry. I guess I just need to give a little background before I make my point.

I've been yo-yoing for many years now, losing up to 12kg (26lb), then gaining them back due to ZERO discipline. I'm so "all or nothing" and it's something I really need to work on. Currently I weigh 92.5kg (203lb), having gone up to 97.3kg (214.5lb), my all-time heaviest weight. Ideally, I'd like to be closer to 60kg (132lb), being around 172cm (5ft8/9). My doctor referred me to a dietician, where I can have 5 free sessions, so I thought "why not, this might be the thing that helps me reach my goal". I had reservations, however, because I'm kind of a veteran at this game, even if I have struggled with adherence, I feel I know enough to succeed.

I work full-time in a shop, so I'm on my feet all day. I also perform in a band some weekends, which is pretty active. I help to load in/out the equipment, and I move around onstage.

I joined a gym in July, and was eating 1740cal a day, while doing both cardio and weights (the pulley machine kind) 3 times a week. The scale wasn't moving (which frustrated me to no end, as I can lose 1.5kg (3.3lb) a week with NO exercise), but I was shrinking and looking much better. After a couple of months of no tangible loss, I decided to drop to 1550cal in an effort to get the scale moving again. I got sick though, a chest infection, and have fallen off the wagon completely. Eating like a pig and no gym at all. I feel terrible about myself and am still mentally very motivated, I just can't get my "a" into "g".

Anyhoo, I went to my first session yesterday, and came away so confused and frustrated. Basically this guy (whose tummy overflowed his jeans, btw) told me I should stop doing weights completely for a few months, eat no more than 1500cal a day, and stick with 45min- 1 hour of cardio, 4 times a week. He didn't listen at all when I told him I just feel hungry all day, and recommended I eat 3 small meals, and no snacks. He then started going on about how muscle weighs 4 times more than fat.

How much of this advice do you think I should take into account? The idea of not doing weights at all sounds wrong to me. Yes, I want to lose fat, I desperately do, but I want to maintain as much muscle mass as possible. Your thoughts or advice would be much appreciated. If you've made it this far, thank you!!!
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Replies

  • MarilynCurves
    MarilynCurves Posts: 25 Member
    I am reading this, but just...wat? I think I'd have started to pop a vein after five minutes.

    Honestly, I was nearly in tears. I was hoping for genuine help :-( it shouldn't feel like I know more than him!
  • MarilynCurves
    MarilynCurves Posts: 25 Member
    I'd just enter your current stats here into MFP and then follow the calorie deficit that it gives you (I'd chose the 1lb a week option). Make sure you're using a food scale, set to grams, and then track all your food in the tracker.

    As for exercise, it's nice, but it's not what matters for weight loss-eating at the correct calorie deficit is. If you haven't been losing weight then you've been eating too many calories.

    As for meal frequency/timing-that's a preference thing and again, is not important for weight loss. If you do better with more frequent, smaller meals/snacks then do that. If you do better with a couple bigger meals, then do that. All that matters is that at the end of the day/week you've hit your calorie deficit target.

    Many thanks for your advice. You're right. MFP has worked for me just fine in the past. I need to get back to basics. It just feels like everything got LESS effective when I joined the gym. I'll have to pick it all back up and stick with it!
  • staticsplit
    staticsplit Posts: 538 Member
    That dietician sounds mneh. I had one when I was recovering from an eating disorder and she was great--made me a meal plan, said I was fine to exercise as long as I wasn't going into a calorie deficit.

    MFP always works for me, but then like you I give up and gain it back. This time I'm trying to consistently log even when I'm over, and try to have more moderation and balance.
  • red99ryder
    red99ryder Posts: 399 Member
    Sounds like he wanted to make sure you were eating less than you burned . I am surprised he didn't talk about macros. I went to a therapist once for marriage counseling, found out they were divorced ... And it didn't help lol

    Good luck
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    ...

    Anyhoo, I went to my first session yesterday, and came away so confused and frustrated. Basically this guy (whose tummy overflowed his jeans, btw) told me I should stop doing weights completely for a few months, eat no more than 1500 cal a day, and stick with 45 min - 1 hour of cardio, 4 times a week. He didn't listen at all when I told him I just feel hungry all day, and recommended I eat 3 small meals, and no snacks. He then started going on about how muscle weighs 4 times more than fat.

    How much of this advice do you think I should take into account? The idea of not doing weights at all sounds wrong to me. Yes, I want to lose fat, I desperately do, but I want to maintain as much muscle mass as possible. Your thoughts or advice would be much appreciated. If you've made it this far, thank you!!!

    I'm sorry this guy was a waste of your time. You could ask to see someone else. When I wanted talk therapy, it took a while to find someone who was a good fit.

    I was with the VA's TeleMOVE program and could have seen a nutritionist for free but didn't bother. I had already learned what foods satiate me the most for the least calories and that when I focus on them, and exercise, I can stay within my calorie budget and lose weight at a reasonable rate.

    Sounds like a big part of your problem is the "all or nothing" mindset you mentioned - inability to moderate. You don't weigh enough that losing 3.3 pounds per week is sustainable. Try setting a calorie goal that will give you a 1.5 pound per week loss and drop it to a pound a week when you're down to wanting to lose 50 pounds.

    I'm sure you're aware that we can retain water when we start a new exercise program? I "gained" 7 pounds when I started lifting weights again last fall. You just have to work through that psychological block and focus on feeling stronger and clothes fitting better.
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,944 Member
    Just a thought. Looking through my diary I'm usually heaviest at the end of the week and lightest on Monday morning. Why? I exercise during the week. Exercising makes me hold more onto water (muscles repair). I get rid of this water over the weekend. Plus, sitting in an office all week probably plays a role there as well. Water weight can mask weight loss. But indeed the most important thing is eating at a calorie deficit. And you can only be sure if you're in one if you weigh all your food on a scale in grams and chose the right entries.
  • LiminalAscendance
    LiminalAscendance Posts: 489 Member
    According to you, you already know what to do; your issue is adherence. Therefore, it doesn't matter what the dietician recommends, since you're not going to follow his advice anyway (I love these "bash the so-called-professionals" posts).

    And I wouldn't worry about losing muscle mass, if you're not losing any weight.
  • DaniCanadian
    DaniCanadian Posts: 261 Member
    edited November 2016
    If you aren't, you need to use a food scale and weigh everything you eat. I was stuck in what I thought was a plateau, then I took the advice from here to use a digital food scale. That made me realize I wasn't at a plateau, I was eating a butt load more than I thought.
  • charlenekapf
    charlenekapf Posts: 309 Member
    There are so many better dietitians. Can you see another one with those free consults? Of course I'm not saying that you need to always seek someone who agrees with your own beliefs as sometimes they will have different opinions. However, It is important that you feel they are giving you sound advice. Advising you not to lift weights may help the scale read less sure, but you will also lose muscle and possibly bone mass over time. Maybe see if you can find a trainer or a dietician with a fitness background? Having good role models has been motivating for me. I have also had doctors telling me to do an hour of cardio, eat 1400-1600 calories a day and no lifting, low fat vegetarian etc and it contradicted a lot of things i know my body does not respond well to. Seek 2nd opinions, and 3rd, etc.
  • everher
    everher Posts: 909 Member
    I'd bet the reason the scale wasn't moving when you were going to the gym was because you were eating more than you thought. Exercise tends to make most people hungrier.

    I'm a (hopefully) former yo-yo dieter myself and one of my problems in the past with logging was I always log after I eat, but sometimes I would mean to do it after a snack and forget and forget I ate said item. I would make sure you are logging every piece of food and liquid that goes in your mouth and weighing everything accurately.

    I've always felt personally that dieticians were a waste of time unless you had a special circumstance were you couldn't eat a lot of fat or gluten or had to be low carb. Otherwise, what exactly are they suppose to tell you ? My best friend who is heavily obese went and saw one and the advice was basically, "eat less move more."
  • dawnemjh
    dawnemjh Posts: 1,465 Member
    it can be frustrating when you are working out and trying hard and then don't lose! I can relate. I agree with getting a food scale. Also for your height 132 is pretty aggressive. Maybe shoot for 150 or make mini goals...
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
    Did you ask why he suggested to stop lifting?
  • vingogly
    vingogly Posts: 1,785 Member
    edited November 2016
    You sure this isn't a personal trainer being marketed by the gym as a dietician? What are his credentials as a dietician? Almost all the advice he gave you was exercise related -- what does advice on weight training have to do with nutrition?

    You're paying him, you're his employer -- the relationship isn't working so it's time to fire him. Just as you would get rid of a mental health professional who wasn't helping you, or a financial advisor who was giving you bad advice.
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