I'm seeing a nutritionist; what should I expect?

MostlyWater
MostlyWater Posts: 4,294 Member
It's an hour long appointment. They didn't say to bring a food diary or anything ... any ideas what I should expect?

Thanks.
«1

Replies

  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 31,724 Member
    No idea, but I hope you'll report back: I'm curious!
  • MostlyWater
    MostlyWater Posts: 4,294 Member
    Ok, sure.
  • UncleMac
    UncleMac Posts: 12,814 Member
    If you have a food diary, bring it along.

    The dietitian will likely want to do a body composition analysis in order to figure out your basal metabolism rate in order to estimate what your daily calories consumption should be...

    Depending on the dietitian, they might do measurements, skin fold measurements, body comp scale and/or a resting breath test.
  • UncleMac
    UncleMac Posts: 12,814 Member
    @MostlyWater, how did it go?
  • MostlyWater
    MostlyWater Posts: 4,294 Member
    Thank you for asking!!!!

    It was scheduled for May 6th at 8 AM. Then, yesterday, DH tells me he needs me to escort him - and pick him up - from his cataract surgery that day, so I changed it to Wednesday morning, May 8th at 8 AM.

    I weighed myself this morning - I lost 7 lbs since I started, about 2 and a half weeks ago. I Googled how much calcium a woman my age needs, and read up about fiber and protein such, and I'm on Facebook groups that discuss macros and nutrition, so - I'm thinking to cancel the appointment.

    If my insurance doesn't cover it - which is a possibility - it's $250 for the first session plus $125 for each follow up session.

    Obviously I can't predict the future and Google isn't a licensed nutritionist with degrees like she is, but - what's she going to tell me? Eat more fiber? Get enough calcium? I know that already!!!!!
  • UncleMac
    UncleMac Posts: 12,814 Member
    Obviously I can't predict the future and Google isn't a licensed nutritionist with degrees like she is, but - what's she going to tell me? Eat more fiber? Get enough calcium? I know that already!!!!!
    In my case, learning about what the basal metabolic means and having mine measured was helpful but I'm fairly geeky so that kind of stuff is up my alley. Other than that, the dietitian gave me info on portion sizes etc... as well as some debunking about organic fruit & vegs.
  • MostlyWater
    MostlyWater Posts: 4,294 Member
    UncleMac wrote: »
    In my case, learning about what the basal metabolic means and having mine measured was helpful but I'm fairly geeky so that kind of stuff is up my alley.

    That's cool. So far I didn't cancel it but even if I did, I could make another appointment if I changed my mind. Again.
    UncleMac wrote: »
    Other than that, the dietitian gave me info on portion sizes etc... as well as some debunking about organic fruit & vegs.

    I'm assuming organic foods have calories too. Surprise! Portion control means eating less - or measuring portion size - so I think I get that.

  • UncleMac
    UncleMac Posts: 12,814 Member
    That's cool. So far I didn't cancel it but even if I did, I could make another appointment if I changed my mind. Again.
    I gotta say, the price they're asking seems steep compared to my experience but I'm in Canada so perhaps things are priced differently? It might be worthwhile to shop around.
    I'm assuming organic foods have calories too. Surprise! Portion control means eating less - or measuring portion size - so I think I get that.

    Yes and organics generally aren't worth the premium price. The dietitian said if I felt strongly enough about going organic to throw the extra price, great... but normal fruit & veg are equally nutritious... Credible studies showed little to no difference; well within normal deviance.

    Portion size talk was mostly about measuring because doing so by guess & gander means it's really easy to underestimate... How much you underestimate depends on how hungry you are... lol
  • IamProudofMe
    IamProudofMe Posts: 37 Member
    I buy certain foods organic due to pesticides etc. (And I work for an Agricultural Science Company!). Here is the chart I go by. h2k90upgiqyn.jpeg
  • d_thomas02
    d_thomas02 Posts: 9,044 Member
    Personally, I don't choose to spend the money on "organic" products, but have no objections if others choose to.

    What caught my attention was the use of 'trigger' words in the chart's text. I actual wrote a rant. I had the same reaction once in a discussion on water softeners, so it's not "buy organic" that triggered the rant, just the biased presentation of "information", i.e. I'm pretty sure non-organic produce are also grown in soils that aren't 'loaded' with toxins.

    Fortunately, ;) my son got me sidetracked with a hypothethical political discussion that pretty much exhausted me. :D
  • d_thomas02
    d_thomas02 Posts: 9,044 Member
    The very valid subject of avoiding pesticides in our foods is still on my mind, but I was looking for information from a more grounded source.

    Found this article from Popular Science on How to Actually Remove Pesticides From Your Fruit I thought I'd share. I thought it an interesting read.

  • UncleMac
    UncleMac Posts: 12,814 Member
    The rural area where I was born & raised is famed for their potatoes which I see on the chart. The farmers use fertilizers and insecticides but only as much as is necessary to cultivate & protect their crops.

    The government agency for food inspections does routine testing to ensure these chemicals don't end up in the food chain. The farmers don't protest because they recognize the threat to their livelihood should their crops end up being flagged as unsafe.

    My point about the dietitian's comments regarding organics was he'd rather see people eating non-processed foods regardless whether organic or not. When I asked specifically about organics, he said he wasn't aware of any studies showing dramatic differences in nutritional content between organics vs regular produce.

    The reason I asked the dietitian about organics was because of friends who insisted organics tasted better, had higher nutritional value and no chemicals. One even claimed he could eat less organic produce and be satiated than he ate of regular produce. I'd tried some organic produce and I didn't observe any difference so I wondered if there was an actual quantitative advantage.
  • d_thomas02
    d_thomas02 Posts: 9,044 Member
    edited April 2019
    Never underestimate the power of the placebo effect.

    If your friend really believed that eating organic vs. regular produce would have the effect he mentioned, he probably was more satiated. Money well spent in his case would be money wasted in mine.

  • UncleMac
    UncleMac Posts: 12,814 Member
    d_thomas02 wrote: »
    Never underestimate the power of the placebo effect.

    If your friend really believed that eating organic vs. regular produce would have the effect he mentioned, he probably was more satiated. Money well spent in his case would be money wasted in mine.
    Fair point. I hadn't considered that. I'm too cynical for the placebo effect to work well on me.
  • Farback
    Farback Posts: 1,055 Member
    I don’t spend extra on organic foods. I eat clean; fruit, vegatables and meat all locally sourced as possible. I’ve spoken to farmers here who say the whole organic thing is very misleading. As for the small amounts of chemical residue, 40 years in industry and 30 years firefighting have blessed me with one metric @#$&-ton more than I’m going to get off an apple. I don’t agonize over it, and certainly don’t spend more of my hard earned money than necessary. To each his own though. If it works for you, it’s your money.

    The only thing I’ll spend more for for quality is scotch.
  • d_thomas02
    d_thomas02 Posts: 9,044 Member
    UncleMac wrote: »
    Fair point. I hadn't considered that. I'm too cynical for the placebo effect to work well on me.

    You and me both, brother.

    When I see word to the effect 'X has been shown to be better than its counterparts', I always ask two questions.

    1) Who has shown... ?

    and

    2) Who paid for the study?
  • UncleMac
    UncleMac Posts: 12,814 Member
    Farback wrote: »
    The only thing I’ll spend more for for quality is scotch.

    Now we're talking!! I tend toward Glenlivet or Glenfiddich...

    Have you tried the single malts from Glenora Distillery? I got a bottle of their Glen Breton 14 Rare... very, very good.

    https://www.glenoradistillery.com/distillery
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 31,724 Member
    Do you think the nutritionist will recommend scotch? I'm doubtful . . . .

    ;)
  • UncleMac
    UncleMac Posts: 12,814 Member
    Farback wrote: »
    Any nutritionist who doesn’t recomment single malts is woefully incompetant, and should be summarily dismissed.
    Agreed.
    Farback wrote: »
    I like both those types Wayne. I try different top shelf types when I’m feeling a bit more rich. My favorite by far, but a rare treat is Lagavulin 16.
    When I travel internationally, I usually take a look in the duty-free shop to see if there's anything interesting at a reasonable price.