Opinions on Nutritionists

24

Replies

  • Ironandwine69
    Ironandwine69 Posts: 2,432 Member
    I don't have any experience with it, but I think it would make sense in two cases:
    1. You have terrible eating habits.
    2. You have a medical condition.
  • CattOfTheGarage
    CattOfTheGarage Posts: 2,745 Member
    When I saw a dietitian, I didn't even know I was obese. I was referred by my midwife in early pregnancy. The dietitian explained a lot of the basics, corrected some of my misconceptions and gave me some invaluable tips that I still use (eg use a smaller plate, keep a food diary). I think I'm fine flying solo now, but it gave me a good start.
  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
    I work with RD's to tailor my nutrition to optimal for endurance athletics - but I know on their clientele they have folks who are everything from Olympic lifters to sedentary with T2D - so I think it can work for everyone, if you can afford it (or if its covered by insurance)
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    I think it depends on how much you currently know about nutrition and your goals.
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    Lounmoun wrote: »
    If you do not have a medical condition I think it is a waste of money to pay someone to tell you what to eat. It isn't that hard to use something like MFP and log your food. Stick to your calorie goal. See that you get the suggested amount of protein, fats, fiber. Eat a variety of vegetables and fruits. Try whole grains. Not that complicated and it is free.

    If you do have a medical condition that needs a special diet then a registered dietician could be helpful.

    Some people just do not know where to start. They grew up or fell into poor diets and really have no inkling as to what constitutes balanced. An RD is a good place to get started with an understanding in basic nutrition. I agree that using a database and food diary like MFP is extremely helpful but for those with no nutrition understanding they need to start with the basics and THEN the logging will help.
  • acorsaut89
    acorsaut89 Posts: 1,147 Member
    Lounmoun wrote: »
    If you do not have a medical condition I think it is a waste of money to pay someone to tell you what to eat. It isn't that hard to use something like MFP and log your food. Stick to your calorie goal. See that you get the suggested amount of protein, fats, fiber. Eat a variety of vegetables and fruits. Try whole grains. Not that complicated and it is free.

    If you do have a medical condition that needs a special diet then a registered dietician could be helpful.

    But if you don't have the food knowledge then it's a great place to start. If you need help, guidance, or coaching to achieve your goals then it can be really valuable.

    It's like home renovations - some you can do yourself, some you need professional advice and some you should never attempt yourself even though you get what needs to be done. She probably won't go forever, but if she needs a starting point it can be useful especially if she is going to be open to advice.
  • ccruz985
    ccruz985 Posts: 646 Member
    Lou_trition wrote: »
    vespiquenn wrote: »
    Skip the nutritionist and see a registered dietitian. Anyone could basically get a nutrition certification and not have a clue how weight loss works.

    Or she could get herself a nutritionist who specialises in weightloss- or even better, has actually been through losing over 100lbs. Ive become a nutritionist to help people lose weight and most of all I have the empathy as I've been there. All of my clients are smashing their targets and they are on MORE calories than they have been before.

    This is the exact reason I'm studying to be an RD. I feel like my patients will be so much more successful because I can totally relate (my personal total loss is 140lbs).
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    HarlemNY17 wrote: »
    How about seeing your doctor first before you spend your money

    GPs have very little in the way of training/education on nutrition unless they go out of their way to get that education...the only reason to see a doctor would be to get a referral to see an RD.
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
    ccruz985 wrote: »
    Lou_trition wrote: »
    vespiquenn wrote: »
    Skip the nutritionist and see a registered dietitian. Anyone could basically get a nutrition certification and not have a clue how weight loss works.

    Or she could get herself a nutritionist who specialises in weightloss- or even better, has actually been through losing over 100lbs. Ive become a nutritionist to help people lose weight and most of all I have the empathy as I've been there. All of my clients are smashing their targets and they are on MORE calories than they have been before.

    This is the exact reason I'm studying to be an RD. I feel like my patients will be so much more successful because I can totally relate (my personal total loss is 140lbs).

    Congrats--and you are doing it the right way to make the commitment and do the work to become a legitimate professional.

  • doittoitgirl
    doittoitgirl Posts: 157 Member
    I saw a nutritionist recently. It was all I could afford because I don't have insurance. I didn't feel like I got much from it. I showed her my meal plans and all we did was tweak a couple small things but I didn't get my big questions and concerns answered well. But every care provider is different. I'm sure there are some bang up nutritionists that were just out of my price range.
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,423 Member
    earlnabby wrote: »
    Lounmoun wrote: »
    If you do not have a medical condition I think it is a waste of money to pay someone to tell you what to eat. It isn't that hard to use something like MFP and log your food. Stick to your calorie goal. See that you get the suggested amount of protein, fats, fiber. Eat a variety of vegetables and fruits. Try whole grains. Not that complicated and it is free.

    If you do have a medical condition that needs a special diet then a registered dietician could be helpful.

    Some people just do not know where to start. They grew up or fell into poor diets and really have no inkling as to what constitutes balanced. An RD is a good place to get started with an understanding in basic nutrition. I agree that using a database and food diary like MFP is extremely helpful but for those with no nutrition understanding they need to start with the basics and THEN the logging will help.

    People can do whatever they like. OP asked for opinions.
    I think it is a waste of money to see a nutritionist unless you need help with a special complicated diet.
    Information on basic nutrition and tools like MFP are out there for free. You can pick up a book at the library about basic nutrition. You probably don't have to pay someone a bunch of money to tell you to eat 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day even if you grew up eating canned ravioli every meal.
    A site like MFP will tell you how much protein to eat for your calorie goal. When you log if you are not meeting your goal you can clearly see that and change what you eat so you do. I don't think you need to know exactly what to eat before logging will help you.

    https://www.choosemyplate.gov

    http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/HealthyLiving/HealthyEating/Nutrition/Nutrition-Basics_UCM_461228_Article.jsp#mainContent

    https://mynutrition.wsu.edu/nutrition-basics/

    http://m.kidshealth.org/en/parents/habits.html?WT.ac=ctg

    https://cronometer.com
    acorsaut89 wrote: »
    Lounmoun wrote: »
    If you do not have a medical condition I think it is a waste of money to pay someone to tell you what to eat. It isn't that hard to use something like MFP and log your food. Stick to your calorie goal. See that you get the suggested amount of protein, fats, fiber. Eat a variety of vegetables and fruits. Try whole grains. Not that complicated and it is free.

    If you do have a medical condition that needs a special diet then a registered dietician could be helpful.

    But if you don't have the food knowledge then it's a great place to start. If you need help, guidance, or coaching to achieve your goals then it can be really valuable.

    It's like home renovations - some you can do yourself, some you need professional advice and some you should never attempt yourself even though you get what needs to be done. She probably won't go forever, but if she needs a starting point it can be useful especially if she is going to be open to advice.

    If you are only looking for basic nutrition advice that is equivalent to painting a normal wall in your home renovation example. You sure can hire someone to paint your wall but it doesn't really require a professional. Information on basic wall painting is easy to get and not hard to learn how to do even if you never painted a wall before though. If someone asked me if they should hire an expensive interior designer when they only need their wall painted beige I'd say no, that is a waste of money.




  • nowine4me
    nowine4me Posts: 3,985 Member
    Learning about proper nutrition will be key to your success, so do whatever it takes to educate yourself. I saw a dietician well into my second year and while it was nice to have someone to talk to, she didn't provide any intel that I hadn't seen or heard online. But it was free as part of my primary care plan, so that was nice.
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    Lounmoun wrote: »
    earlnabby wrote: »
    Lounmoun wrote: »
    If you do not have a medical condition I think it is a waste of money to pay someone to tell you what to eat. It isn't that hard to use something like MFP and log your food. Stick to your calorie goal. See that you get the suggested amount of protein, fats, fiber. Eat a variety of vegetables and fruits. Try whole grains. Not that complicated and it is free.

    If you do have a medical condition that needs a special diet then a registered dietician could be helpful.

    Some people just do not know where to start. They grew up or fell into poor diets and really have no inkling as to what constitutes balanced. An RD is a good place to get started with an understanding in basic nutrition. I agree that using a database and food diary like MFP is extremely helpful but for those with no nutrition understanding they need to start with the basics and THEN the logging will help.

    People can do whatever they like. OP asked for opinions.
    I think it is a waste of money to see a nutritionist unless you need help with a special complicated diet.
    Information on basic nutrition and tools like MFP are out there for free. You can pick up a book at the library about basic nutrition. You probably don't have to pay someone a bunch of money to tell you to eat 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day even if you grew up eating canned ravioli every meal.
    A site like MFP will tell you how much protein to eat for your calorie goal. When you log if you are not meeting your goal you can clearly see that and change what you eat so you do. I don't think you need to know exactly what to eat before logging will help you.

    https://www.choosemyplate.gov

    http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/HealthyLiving/HealthyEating/Nutrition/Nutrition-Basics_UCM_461228_Article.jsp#mainContent

    https://mynutrition.wsu.edu/nutrition-basics/

    http://m.kidshealth.org/en/parents/habits.html?WT.ac=ctg

    https://cronometer.com
    acorsaut89 wrote: »
    Lounmoun wrote: »
    If you do not have a medical condition I think it is a waste of money to pay someone to tell you what to eat. It isn't that hard to use something like MFP and log your food. Stick to your calorie goal. See that you get the suggested amount of protein, fats, fiber. Eat a variety of vegetables and fruits. Try whole grains. Not that complicated and it is free.

    If you do have a medical condition that needs a special diet then a registered dietician could be helpful.

    But if you don't have the food knowledge then it's a great place to start. If you need help, guidance, or coaching to achieve your goals then it can be really valuable.

    It's like home renovations - some you can do yourself, some you need professional advice and some you should never attempt yourself even though you get what needs to be done. She probably won't go forever, but if she needs a starting point it can be useful especially if she is going to be open to advice.

    If you are only looking for basic nutrition advice that is equivalent to painting a normal wall in your home renovation example. You sure can hire someone to paint your wall but it doesn't really require a professional. Information on basic wall painting is easy to get and not hard to learn how to do even if you never painted a wall before though. If someone asked me if they should hire an expensive interior designer when they only need their wall painted beige I'd say no, that is a waste of money.




    But some people are just clueless or scared to try to paint that wall. They can have someone come in and paint it and also show them how it is done so they can then go on and paint any other wall themselves.
  • xvolution
    xvolution Posts: 721 Member
    My experiences with RDs and nutritionists are pretty hit and miss. The last time I met with my RD she gave me a booklet with recipes that were low sodium/low potassium/low phosphates. But she failed to notice that the tradeoff with these recipes was that a lot of them were very high in fat.
  • newheavensearth
    newheavensearth Posts: 870 Member
    My RD gave me excellent advice on selecting and maintaining a goal weight. She confirmed that I am already at a healthy weight. She commended me on my 70 lb loss and suggested I continue my present calorie range after reviewing my food diary. I see her for managenent of hypoglycemia.

    She gave me an excellent plan for monitoring physical signs of low blood sugar, and how to eat to balance protein and carbs to stabilize my blood sugar. She also warned about dangers like unconciousness to coma, which I disregarded until now.

    Another very important, yet controversial in the MFP world, piece of advice was the usage of exercise calories. After reviewing my diary she found patterns indicative of overexercising to work off carb binges (binges often triggered by hunger and low blood sugar), and asked me if I practiced other purging behavior. So she advised me to stop using exercise calories. So I am beginning to scale it back. I'm glad she caught that.

    I'm very satisfied with her. She is very kind and knowledgeable in her approach.
  • VeronicaA76
    VeronicaA76 Posts: 1,116 Member
    A registered dietician is required to have at least a bachelor's with a biology/anatomy base and food and chemistry courses. A nutritionist is someone who spent $49.95 online and took a course, and there is no regulation as to what is required to get "certified".

    Best thing to find is an MD that is a registered dietician. But, they tend to be a but pricier and usually have a waiting list as they generally work with worst case scenarios, such as someone recovering from a stab wound to the stomach, have severe intestinal trauma, or has a ton of weird true food allergies (such as having allergic reactions to water: and that's a real condition!)
  • xvolution
    xvolution Posts: 721 Member
    livingleanlivingclean wrote: »
    xvolution wrote: »
    My experiences with RDs and nutritionists are pretty hit and miss. The last time I met with my RD she gave me a booklet with recipes that were low sodium/low potassium/low phosphates. But she failed to notice that the tradeoff with these recipes was that a lot of them were very high in fat.

    What's wrong with fat?

    Nothing wrong with fat in moderation, but when a single serving has 30 grams of it...

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