My meeting with a Sports Nutritionist

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Replies

  • Cranquistador
    Cranquistador Posts: 39,744 Member
    I have coffee for breakfast every day and usually dont eat until after noon.

    I am doing quite well.
  • wheird
    wheird Posts: 7,963 Member
    In dieting, like comedy, timing is everything. That’s the conclusion of a new Spanish study that suggests that when you eat might be just as important as what you eat.
    During the first few weeks of the 20-week study, run by researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital in collaboration with Tufts University and the University of Murcia, all 420 subjects lost weight at about the same rate. But starting around week five, weight loss for dieters who ate their main meal after 3 p.m. began to stall and remained sluggish for the duration of the study. In the end, they lost 22 percent less weight than dieters who ate the bulk of their calories earlier in the day.

    (Please don't be subject recall to determine intake...please don't be subject recall to determine intake...please don't be subject recall to determine intake...please don't be subject recall to determine intake...)

    I can't find a free copy of the full study, but from the abstract there appears to have been no attempt to even calculate caloric intake at all.

    Same here. And I'll be damned if I haven't been trying.
  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
    In dieting, like comedy, timing is everything. That’s the conclusion of a new Spanish study that suggests that when you eat might be just as important as what you eat.
    During the first few weeks of the 20-week study, run by researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital in collaboration with Tufts University and the University of Murcia, all 420 subjects lost weight at about the same rate. But starting around week five, weight loss for dieters who ate their main meal after 3 p.m. began to stall and remained sluggish for the duration of the study. In the end, they lost 22 percent less weight than dieters who ate the bulk of their calories earlier in the day.

    (Please don't be subject recall to determine intake...please don't be subject recall to determine intake...please don't be subject recall to determine intake...please don't be subject recall to determine intake...)

    I can't find a free copy of the full study, but from the abstract there appears to have been no attempt to even calculate caloric intake at all.

    Egads. That would explain it though. (As you and so many others already know, when not controlling for calories...(you know, like the entire premise of this whole MFP approach?)...it isn't surprising that meal timing might have an impact...but when controlling for calories? Not so much.
  • wheird
    wheird Posts: 7,963 Member
    yes...but is it worth arguing about? thanks for posting, wonderwoman

    Yes, yes it is. I gave a fair assessment and she is the one who told me that -I- was wrong.



    Yet, it remains. Breakfast consumption and calorie spread only correlate to successful weight loss and are in no way necessary.
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
    In dieting, like comedy, timing is everything. That’s the conclusion of a new Spanish study that suggests that when you eat might be just as important as what you eat.
    During the first few weeks of the 20-week study, run by researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital in collaboration with Tufts University and the University of Murcia, all 420 subjects lost weight at about the same rate. But starting around week five, weight loss for dieters who ate their main meal after 3 p.m. began to stall and remained sluggish for the duration of the study. In the end, they lost 22 percent less weight than dieters who ate the bulk of their calories earlier in the day.

    (Please don't be subject recall to determine intake...please don't be subject recall to determine intake...please don't be subject recall to determine intake...please don't be subject recall to determine intake...)

    I can't find a free copy of the full study, but from the abstract there appears to have been no attempt to even calculate caloric intake at all.

    Egads. That would explain it though. (As you and so many others already know, when not controlling for calories...(you know, like the entire premise of this whole MFP approach?)...it isn't surprising that meal timing might have an impact...but when controlling for calories? Not so much.

    "To evaluate habitual dietary intake before the treatment, intake was determined by the “24-h dietary recall”"

    "Dietary intake was assessed in all participants before the beginning of the treatment and results were monitored during a 20-week treatment period."

    "After excluding atypical weeks due to vacations, sickness etc. we randomly selected one week from the total treatment in each patient to analyze data in order to cover the 20 weeks of treatment and to obtain an overall picture of the dietary intake along the whole weigh loss period."
  • ythannah
    ythannah Posts: 4,371 Member
    With all due respect, I don't think the guidance applies to you. I think it's more for people who have had (over)weight issues and learn to manage them with new habits.

    Thank you for disagreeing so tactfully and diplomatically! :smile:

    You make a good point.
  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
    .
  • _Zardoz_
    _Zardoz_ Posts: 3,987 Member
    WOW. There sure is a lot of negativity. I appreciate the time you took to post this information. It's a shame that some people want to bash what you said. If the info is not applicable to you...move on. This is supposed to be a supportive group. Thanks for sharing. Maybe not all of it will be applicable to me but some is. Thanks!
    So what you're saying is we should all ignore inaccurate or misleading information? Questioning information that is given is not 'Bashing' A supportive group is a group that points out if something is incorrect or misleading. To ignore or not question things and except anything at face value is why a lot of people get unfit or over weight.

    There are some interesting points but a others have said there are some conclusions and geralisations that really have no causal basis
  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
    (Please don't be subject recall to determine intake...please don't be subject recall to determine intake...please don't be subject recall to determine intake...please don't be subject recall to determine intake...)

    What's the problem jof? People are surprisingly accurate it reporting their own caloric intake!

    I'd cite specific studies but there are just too many to support my claim! See...

    http://scholar.google.com.au/scholar?q=caloric+self+reporting&hl=en&as_sdt=0&as_vis=1&oi=scholart&sa=X&ei=X0giU82FCYf1kQXXl4C4CA&ved=0CCkQgQMwAA

    :laugh:

    LOL

    I don't even have to follow your link to know what's on the other side.

    :laugh:
  • Rayman79
    Rayman79 Posts: 2,009 Member
    yes...but is it worth arguing about? thanks for posting, wonderwoman

    Arguing? no. Discussing? Definitely!

    The fact is that the habits listed may work for a lot of people, no one is disputing that. Many people benefit from eating breakfast and having smaller dinners. It CAN reduce mindless snacking during the day and control portions of potentially carb and fat laden meals at night (or at least gets people thinking about what they're eating).

    The problem some of us have with this is it is taken as gospel because it has come from an 'industry leading' professional. This does not make the practices optimal, or even necessary. It is simply something that can be rolled out to the masses who don't want to do the research on their own.

    The simple fact is there is only one way to lose weight that is PROVEN and undisputed. Caloric Deficit. The rest (eg meal timing, training types and frequency, macro breakdowns etc) will continue to be debated for as long as we're around.
  • first01
    first01 Posts: 20
    I had a great meeting with one of the top Sports Nutritionists in the country today. I went in expecting to discuss how many calories I should be eating, macros, etc. Here are the highlights of the meeting:

    - weight loss of more than 1 lb. per week is 97% likely to be regained and lost muscle tissue is replaced by fat when regained
    - people who KEEP weight off do the following: eat breakfast, don't allow themselves to get overly hungry, eat everything in moderation, exercise, weigh themselves regularly and keep a food journal.
    - when ovulating, women can need an additional 300-500 calories, so instead of feeling like you have no willpower when you are PMS'ing, you should eat more.....your body needs it
    - eating protein AND carbs after working out is essential - carbs fuel, protein rebuilds....we need both
    - saving all your calories until dinner causes you to gain weight; you are supposed to fuel during the day and lose weight while you are sleeping - so eat the majority of your calories throughout the day and SPOIL YOUR APPETITE for dinner and then just have something light
    - you CAN gain muscle on a deficit for the first 6 months of starting a weightlifting program and then you plateau
    - using a scale as the only method to assess your progress is a BAD idea, especially if you are weight training; instead, use your mirror, tape measure, and how your clothes fit. if you see less fat, you are losing fat, even if the scale is not moving much.
    - sustainable weight loss is about managing your intake and NOT allowing yourself to get overly hungry is really important. When you allow yourself to get overly hungry, your body has a physiological response that causes you to overeat, and you ultimately take in more calories than you would have consumed if you had just kept up with your hunger
    - you should eat when your body is showing signs of hunger - it is a sign that all the energy you gave it has been used up and it needs more fuel to keep going. You should stay in the 4-5 range, where 1 is starving and 10 is stuffed and 5 is content. Most dieters stay in the 3 range, are always hungry, and "blow" their eating because their body rebels eventually and they overeat. That is why managing your hunger is hugely important.
    - you need to eat just as many calories on your rest day as your workout days to rebuild your muscles, so go ahead and eat when you are hungry on your off day....it's beneficial
    - metabolic damage is a REAL thing, but you have to eat very little to cause it - and you will know it's happening because you will be hungry all the time, day in and day out.....and that is not sustainable. Most people underestimate the calories they are consuming....for example, my 80 calorie apple I was munching while we met was really 140 calories, she told me!
    - You DO NOT need to eat when you aren't hungry just to meet a calorie goal (unless you are underweight). Your body is the best calorie counter there is, she said. And apparently I am right on track!

    Her name is Nancy Clark, in case anyone wants to check out her credentials and website. Hope this is helpful. The meeting has changed the way I've been looking at my weight loss, for the better! The diet industry has made all of us afraid to trust ourselves...and they make billions as a result.
    Bump
  • Soccermavrick
    Soccermavrick Posts: 405 Member
    Bump
  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
    WOW. There sure is a lot of negativity. I appreciate the time you took to post this information. It's a shame that some people want to bash what you said. If the info is not applicable to you...move on. This is supposed to be a supportive group. Thanks for sharing. Maybe not all of it will be applicable to me but some is. Thanks!
    So what you're saying is we should all ignore inaccurate or misleading information? Questioning information that is given is not 'Bashing' A supportive group is a group that points out if something is incorrect or misleading. To ignore or not question things and except anything at face value is why a lot of people get unfit or over weight.

    There are some interesting points but a others have said there are some conclusions and geralisations that really have no causal basis

    Wow. You are such a hater.


    Don't you realize that we're all here for the same reason...


    ...and that each of us has to figure out what works for each of us individually?


    It's myfitnessPAL, not myfitnessHATE.


    :grumble:
  • vjohn04
    vjohn04 Posts: 2,276 Member
    Meh. Some of her information is good, and some is flat out wrong.
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
    Meh. Some of her information is good, and some is flat out wrong.

    This
  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
    Meh. Some of her information is good, and some is flat out wrong.

    Hater.


    Why are you so filled with hate???
  • SunofaBeach14
    SunofaBeach14 Posts: 4,899 Member
    Meh. Some of her information is good, and some is flat out wrong.

    Very true. I have to admit that it's difficult to tell whether some of these experts are simply misinformed themselves or whether they are using rules of thumb to help guide people without going into great detail. Let's face it, the group in here cares deeply about learning detail, and most people don't.
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
    I think she's probably not misinformed but sticking to "tips" that she can sell. She has a product to sell and it needs a hook.
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
    Honestly it reads to me like she's mostly using correlations. Which are fine if a person isn't counting calories, but counting negates a lot of it. For example, having a small dinner seems mostly intended to cause a person to eat less calories overall without bothering to count. But if a person keeps calories equal there's no difference between a small breakfast/large dinner and the inverse.
  • Achrya
    Achrya Posts: 16,913 Member
    LOL I would like to see scientific evidence that woman need extra calories when they release a microscopic egg during ovulation. The rest of this is common sense. Hope you didn't pay too much money for this "consultation".

    Well, she is a scientist and nutritionist who trained at Mass General, so I do think she is basing this on research, darlin'.....just because you don't understand it doesn't mean it isn't true.

    Aren't you charming.
  • Cre8veLifeR
    Cre8veLifeR Posts: 1,062 Member
    Meh. Some of her information is good, and some is flat out wrong.

    Very true. I have to admit that it's difficult to tell whether some of these experts are simply misinformed themselves or whether they are using rules of thumb to help guide people without going into great detail. Let's face it, the group in here cares deeply about learning detail, and most people don't.

    The more your study and learn about nutrition, the more diverse and complicated the information!!! I say it's simply due to Bio Individuality. I would agree with most of what she had to say though, based on my own nutrition beliefs and research. Definitely not sure about the extra PMS calories lol - but I will use it as my PMS chocolate excuse.:wink:
  • SunofaBeach14
    SunofaBeach14 Posts: 4,899 Member
    That's my point. I'm not going to disparage someone for making a buck if they are not crossing the line. Making information palatable to the average person is part of getting a message across to a wider audience. Are such tips good for this group in here? Absolutely not. But to the average joe/jane? Perhaps. I'll be the first to admit that messaging is tricky, and while I have an ideological slant myself to telling people the truth and the whole truth, I'm not entirely sure I'm correct.

    That's an entirely different topic but it's relevant to what is happening here.
  • SunofaBeach14
    SunofaBeach14 Posts: 4,899 Member
    Honestly it reads to me like she's mostly using correlations. Which are fine if a person isn't counting calories, but counting negates a lot of it. For example, having a small dinner seems mostly intended to cause a person to eat less calories overall without bothering to count. But if a person keeps calories equal there's no difference between a small breakfast/large dinner and the inverse.

    The question is whether she is targeting calorie counters and I'm going to guess that she isn't. It's the same issue with the American Heart Association's message on refined sugar. We all (the self identified group here) agree that refined sugar isn't "bad" but what is being said is to cut it down because it's an easy way to cut calories.
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
    Honestly it reads to me like she's mostly using correlations. Which are fine if a person isn't counting calories, but counting negates a lot of it. For example, having a small dinner seems mostly intended to cause a person to eat less calories overall without bothering to count. But if a person keeps calories equal there's no difference between a small breakfast/large dinner and the inverse.

    The question is whether she is targeting calorie counters and I'm going to guess that she isn't. It's the same issue with the American Heart Association's message on refined sugar. We all (the self identified group here) agree that refined sugar isn't "bad" but what is being said is to cut it down because it's an easy way to cut calories.

    Exactly
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
    Honestly it reads to me like she's mostly using correlations. Which are fine if a person isn't counting calories, but counting negates a lot of it. For example, having a small dinner seems mostly intended to cause a person to eat less calories overall without bothering to count. But if a person keeps calories equal there's no difference between a small breakfast/large dinner and the inverse.

    The question is whether she is targeting calorie counters and I'm going to guess that she isn't. It's the same issue with the American Heart Association's message on refined sugar. We all (the self identified group here) agree that refined sugar isn't "bad" but what is being said is to cut it down because it's an easy way to cut calories.

    Her main thing isn't even weight loss. Almost all of her materials are aimed at athletes, not obese people.

    http://www.nancyclarkrd.com/books/index.asp
  • tombetlej
    tombetlej Posts: 61 Member
    When an egg is released but isn’t fertilized, the body secretes progesterone to start the menstrual flow.

    This is incorrect.
    Progesterone is secreted starting with ovulation to prepare the uterus for implantation of the fertilized egg. If there is a pregnancy, progesterone secretion continues.
    If the egg isn't fertilized, progesterone secretion drops off and the uterine lining sloughed off.
  • Natmarie73
    Natmarie73 Posts: 287 Member
    Well thanks for posting that info. It is very much similar to what my sports nutritionist has said as well. I guess most people here are smart enough to do their own research and choose what they want to believe in. As new research is done we learn more and more and some things we think are true will be disproved and some wont.
  • Galatea_Stone
    Galatea_Stone Posts: 2,037 Member
    Wouldn't it be more helpful to the OP to point out the tips that are valid and good and the parts that are generally not necessary?

    None of the advice will exactly stall weight loss (she's not advising taking raspberry ketones or VLCDs here), it is just that some of it (such as eating breakfast or avoiding large dinners) isn't necessary. The advice about large dinners would be good advice for someone who doesn't count calories because it's likely to lead to a surplus. For people who track and count calories, they can eat all of their calories before bed and find success.

    Regaining weight and percentages, while flawed, must necessarily be based on statistics. How many of the people on here recommend TDEE and not eating too great of a deficit? How is that advice different from what this nutritionist has given.

    The progesterone issue probably doesn't come into play for most women. It might, however, for someone who is under medical care and needs extra calories to deal with shedding meconium, blood loss, iron depletion, etc.

    The advice about eating when your hungry is something that applies to people who have been at it for a while and pay attention to their actual hunger cues. Intuitive eating doesn't seem to work for dieters, though.

    The rest of her advice seems to be "learn moderation, don't lose too fast, strength train and step away from the scale and pick up the tape measure." Honestly, is that any different from the advice given here daily?

    I could go into more detail, but TL; DR. It's not completely wasted advice, but some of it isn't necessary, either.
  • sparkie51
    sparkie51 Posts: 98 Member
    I lost my weight following almost everything said in this article and I have kept it off for 2 1/2 years as well.Why the nasty comments from some of you? Thank you for sharing! I believe in her ideas.