So, I went to a dietician....

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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
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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: 27,988 Member
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    ...

    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: 9,509 Member
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    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
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    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
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    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.