First meeting with a dietitian

RedfootDaddy

Hello forum friends

I've got my first meeting with a dietitian coming up - by the way, for those in Canada Loblaws offers free dietitian services included guide walk-throughs of the grocery store, all you have to do is email them and set up an appointment - and my thoughts are kind of everywhere!

What should I be asking? Is there anything I should bring to the meeting?

crazyycatlady1

What are your goals with meeting a dietician? I'd start there and list out your concerns/questions. Are you dealing with a specific medical condition, want to lose weight, are working towards a fitness goal, want to learn how to cook more from scratch etc etc.

RodaRose

You could print out the four or five days of your diary so that you two have specifics to talk about.

annacole94

If you have an accurate food diary, definitely print a week and bring it.

What is your goal? I mean, they can tell you the things we all know (eat lots of vegetables! Not lots of chips!). The value in meeting a real person is to get advice specific to you: your lifestyle, your likes and dislikes, your prep abilities.

Misskcm

Line out your goals, foods you know you don't want to stop eating and food you know you need to stop eating. The biggest thing I think though is talk about how to curb cravings if you are planning on cutting out any major food. For example if you have a sweet tooth ask about what you can do to curb the cravings you'll get and what foods help curb those cravings.
Portion control is also important. Talk about the best way to portion foods, one of the top reasons for overeating is because people overestimate their portions.

Lou_trition

Your (honest) Diary- this will help him/her to start you off on the right track without shocking your body too much.
Your Goals- Realistic expectations
Your good habits/bad habits.

I now work with a nutrition coach and believe its the best decision i've made for myself. Im accountable and it is good to have someone who understands that nobody is perfect.

Good luck with it.

jenilla1

Everyone here has such great ideas (outlining your goals/needs ahead of time, bringing your food diary) I have nothing more to add. Just think it's really cool that you're taking advantage of this opportunity to learn more about nutrition. Let us know how it goes!

RedfootDaddy

Thanks for your insight, everyone! I'll definitely bring a copy of my food diary. Looking forward to it! Will post updates afterwards.

RedfootDaddy

Update time!

My meeting with the dietitian was awesome! Really recommend her if anyone is in the Toronto area, Shannon Richter. We went over my food journal for the last few days, and my food habits and philosophy. She said that I'm on the right track, and I'm already doing all the things she would tell me to do - get my water in, make sure half of my dishes are veg, limit caffeine to 4 cups a day, not eat too little, listen to my hunger cues. She also advocates an 80/20 approach to nutrition - make 80% healthy choices and enjoy 20% crap. Food should be enjoyed.

I'm feeling really good about my health plan now! And if I need the accountability or the check-in, she's only an email away.

RodaRose

What a great update.

Misskcm

Awesome!! I really hope you enjoy your fitness journey and get to where you set out to be!!

jenilla1

Awesome! Thanks for the update. Glad to see it went well for you!

trigden1991

This is the first dietician story/update where the advice has been good.

Best of luck with your journey OP!

A bit of personal advice but there is nothing inherently bad with caffeine (unless you have a medical condition) and many people find it a useful tool to help with supressing appetite during weight loss. Just be wary of calories in many "barista" style coffees. If you can drink it black with sweetener you're onto a winner.

Theo166

RedfootDaddy wrote: »

Hello forum friends

I've got my first meeting with a dietitian coming up - by the way, for those in Canada Loblaws offers free dietitian services included guide walk-throughs of the grocery store, all you have to do is email them and set up an appointment - and my thoughts are kind of everywhere!

What should I be asking? Is there anything I should bring to the meeting?

Think about it from her perspective, the more she knows about you then the more helpful she can be. You could send her an email with the below.
- your weight history and any medical concerns
- your previous diet vs what you are doing now (including macros if you are doing a special diet)
- any food issues or allergies
- you loss goals
- questions, or where you are struggling


EDIT - I see I'm late to the party, and the meeting already happened

ConquerAndBloom

I'm so glad to hear that you had a good experience! It also sounds like you got some really good support as well as some really good feedback/ideas! Great job!