Dietitian frustration

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Alatariel75
Alatariel75 Posts: 17,959 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Just a vent.
I am back on the weight loss train after regaining a large amount of weight I lost 2014-2016 (thanks MFP!) but then fell off thanks to a diagnosis of MS, a new job with much longer hours, my TKD dojang moving too far away for me to keep going, and then the never-ending Melbourne Covid lockdowns.

Thing is, I *know* how to lose weight, what to eat, how to eat, what works for me and what my issues are (compliance, emotional eating etc).
But I wanted a referral to an exercise physiologist because of the MS issues and also some knee/hip issues and I don't want to injure myself coming back from the least fit I've been. My GP gave me a care plan which included 3 trips to the exercise physiologist but he also insisted it include 2 dietitian visits - no worries, maybe I'll learn something new, can't hurt, right?

I go, and she basically listens to nothing I say (that I know how to eat I'm just not good at adhering), explains the food pyramid to me, does the whole "fat makes you fat" thing, gives me lecture on how I must eat chicken breast and not thigh, and gives me a bog standard, non-customisable 1200 cal a day meal plan that includes Optifast products. Zero guidance on how to eat anything aside from meal replacements and "palm sized piece of meat, 1/2 plate of veg, fist sized starch". BUT then she tells me she only wants me to lose 1.4kg a month (on 1200 cal?? I'd do that per week!!) and to aim for 17kg loss in a year. For the record, I'm just shy of 120kg. Oh, she also told me, in response to me saying that the plan includes 2 pieces of fruit a day and that I don't eat fruit (I love all veg, I have an aversion to fruit) that I should just learn to like it.

Honestly, the plan is in the bin, and I'm back eating the way I did when I lost a ton of weight a few years ago, and relying on my knowledge from my own learning, and what I learned from the good folks on here.
But I feel so sorry for anyone who doesn't have that knowledge who paid money to go see this person. No wonder people struggle, if this is the professional advice.

Anyway. Just a vent and also a "Hi, I'm back!" post.

Replies

  • beabria
    beabria Posts: 541 Member
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    @Alatariel75 Ugh - sorry you're forced to see someone who doesn't listen and gives such unhelpful (and very outdated!) advice. I actually wanted to see a dietician to help with weightloss, but when I finally got up with one a month or so ago, she didn't want to see me because "studies show you can't maintain a loss of more than 10% of your bodyweight through dietary changes". Um - thanks? If your experience and mine are typical of dietitians' "help", then we're better off without it.
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 17,959 Member
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    beabria wrote: »
    @Alatariel75 Ugh - sorry you're forced to see someone who doesn't listen and gives such unhelpful (and very outdated!) advice. I actually wanted to see a dietician to help with weightloss, but when I finally got up with one a month or so ago, she didn't want to see me because "studies show you can't maintain a loss of more than 10% of your bodyweight through dietary changes". Um - thanks? If your experience and mine are typical of dietitians' "help", then we're better off without it.

    UGH, I'm sorry you had a bad experience too! What a thing to say??
    Honestly I was so surprised at how out of date the advice was, especially as she was quite young, so must have been taught this fairly recently.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,898 Member
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    Yeah, I'm a veteran in the US who has consulted with several dietitians through the VA and like you have received more valuable information here on the MFP forums.

    I wish I could advise you on compliance and emotional eating as that is a current struggle for me as well! I work on root causes with my therapist and the dietitians haven't been helpful.
  • dlr165
    dlr165 Posts: 118 Member
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    You do you. I wouldn’t follow those recommendations either. I do what works for me.
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 17,959 Member
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    dlr165 wrote: »
    You do you. I wouldn’t follow those recommendations either. I do what works for me.

    Absolutely, I just feel so bad for people who go to see them and don't know better or how to find what works for them. I can't imagine that even a small fraction of her clients stick to this plan for more than a few weeks at most - no flexibility, no advice on handling different circumstances, no advice on varied or interesting meals.

    She even completely ignored me specifically telling her that I am able to avoid sweet things altogether with little effort, but the smallest taste of sweet sets off epic cravings, and for that reason I wasn't interested in shakes and bars instead of meals. So disappointing.
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 17,959 Member
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    EliseTK1 wrote: »
    I am a Registered Dietitian and am appalled at the poor information and attitude of the one you saw. Just like any profession, there are good ones and not so good ones. I personally specialize in renal, but I frequently assist my patients with weight loss for transplant purposes. It can be quite tricky to help someone navigate weight loss with a renal diet, but the number one most important thing is to listen to the patient and help them tailor the recommendations to their preferences and lifestyle.

    I’m sorry your experience was so awful. I wish you the best in following a plan that works for you and makes you feel better.

    Oh, I definitely don't think all dietitians are like that! I saw one a while back (different city, sadly) for food intolerance who was fantastic. I'm just so disappointed that one can be *so* bad and still getting referrals from a good GP, and being employed in a decent allied health practice.
  • AlexandraFindsHerself1971
    AlexandraFindsHerself1971 Posts: 3,106 Member
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    This is why I've never been to a dietician.
    I have a fructose intolerance. Fructose is fruit sugar. This means I get sick like a hangover about two strawberries in, or one quarter of an apple. So....I don't eat much fruit.

    I also have IBS. Through food diary work about ten years ago I figured out that I cannot eat most legumes or cruciferous vegetables without my gut going crazy for about four days. (NOTHING is worth four days of that sort of misery.)

    I guarantee they will say, "OMG, where are your five fruits and veggies a day! You eat too many carbs! You eat too much protein!" At this point, I eat what doesn't make me sick, and yeah, it is pretty much bread, rice, and meat.

    But I've lost 60 pounds just eating less of that in small portions, so I know what works for me, and I don't need someone to waste an hour not listening to me when I say that fruits and vegetables make me sick and so I'm not going to eat them.
  • westrich20940
    westrich20940 Posts: 878 Member
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    I do not know almost anything about dieticians....especially not outside of the US...but if you are working with someone who is telling you to eat 1200 calories/day....fire them/get out/whatever.....get tf away from that person.
  • Azurite27
    Azurite27 Posts: 554 Member
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    That just sounds awful. I've had several bad experiences with doctors when I repeatedly asked for help with weight loss. If you haven't seen a psychiatrist yet, I'd really recommend it if you're still having trouble sticking to what you know works. Of course, there's always good ones and bad ones in that field like everything else. But it helped me or has so far

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