RD, PT, or MD?

yoginimary

I've been counting calories since September of last year. I'm on the lb a week program. As far as I can tell, I do everything the way I should. I exercise lots, eat plenty of fiber (40-50g daily), eat my exercise calories, etc. etc. I've been at a stand still for a while - about 2 months. I never lost quickly, but it was somewhat regular. I also had my physical last November, and everything checked out ok. I'm going on vacation in 2 weeks, for 2 weeks, so I'll take a calorie break and see if that helps.

If my break doesn't help, I think it's time for a professional to come in. I need someone to look at what I'm doing and find the problem area. So do I go for a RD, PT, or MD? or maybe try to find a combo RD & PT? I know I will automatically reject anyone that tells me to go on a fad diet or take a pill. Any other requirements?

All advice and gut feelings welcome.

:bigsmile:

yoginimary

I've been counting calories since September of last year. I'm on the lb a week program. As far as I can tell, I do everything the way I should. I exercise lots, eat plenty of fiber (40-50g daily), eat my exercise calories, etc. etc. I've been at a stand still for a while - about 2 months. I never lost quickly, but it was somewhat regular. I also had my physical last November, and everything checked out ok. I'm going on vacation in 2 weeks, for 2 weeks, so I'll take a calorie break and see if that helps.

If my break doesn't help, I think it's time for a professional to come in. I need someone to look at what I'm doing and find the problem area. So do I go for a RD, PT, or MD? or maybe try to find a combo RD & PT? I know I will automatically reject anyone that tells me to go on a fad diet or take a pill. Any other requirements?

All advice and gut feelings welcome.

:bigsmile:

Kimosabe

Try talking to a nutritionist as well, because they can look at exactly what ur eating and maybe help u with a food alternative that will help. That way you steer clear of the fad diets as well as the pills.

Good luck!!!

Have a awesome vacation.
:flowerforyou:

yoginimary

What is the difference between a Nutritionist and a RD?

lotusfromthemud

I would find a good, certified trainer with a knowledge of nutrition. I'm going to try to treat myself to one later in the summer, just to check my form and everything. I know my gym has "tiers" of trainers based on years of experience and training level. I would go for the most expensive one, even if it means less sessions.

I've actually been "spying" on the trainers at my gym, going different times of day and scoping them out a bit. It's helped me to discover their attitudes and styles a little bit. I already have one picked out (he's pre-med, so he's very injury conscious, which is important for me. I want to be punished, but not injured.) Also, once I was just chatting with the receptionist about the class I just took, and he gave me advice in a friendly way about how not to be sore the next few days. It really impressed me that he would volunteer info. (even though it was basic and I already knew it)

I'd also see, before you invest in a package, if you can have a single session with a few different ones. It's all about your personality and priorities matching theirs.:flowerforyou:

Those are my gut feelings (my gut is apparently quite verbose today).

mkeithley

I looked at your profile, it saysyou've lost 15(WOOHOO:drinker: ) and that you have 15 to go. If you are down to your last 10-15 I think it's harder to lose, there are posts on here about that, I'm sorry I don't know what they are titled, maybe someone can help out with that???
I had less than 15 to lose when I came to the site, I was completely annoyed by my lack of loss. Everyone I talked to said , "don' t worry about it, you're healthy, you eat right you exercise, you're gaining muscle, blah, blah, blah", everything was true but didn't matter b/c I wasn't losing, so I just decided not to weigh myself anymore and just measure body fat %, well that turned out to be a similar demon, so I decided to change my focus, instead of "dieting" I chose to look at it from the health angle, a lifestyle change if you will. I did not want to lose all the weight the wrong way quickly only to have it come back, so I was going to do what ever I had to do to keep it off, the only way was to change my lifestyle. I got rid of most of my cable channels, I quit smoking, I eat clean, no fast food(only on RARE occasions, upped my water intake and just decided exercise was part of my routine like brushing my teeth. This week I went to my mom's and she had a new scale(I don't own one) and got on it and lo and behold I've lost weight, CRAZY! Long story short, maybe changing your outlook on all of it might help. I allow myself to cheat, I measure every thing that goes in my mouth and it all gets logged, even tiny mushrooms in my salads Quick fixes aren't permanent fixes.
I know you don't want to hear this b/c it pises me off everytime I hear it, the older we get the harder it is, the slower our metabolism and let's not even talk about what our little angel babies do to our bodies during pregnancy:laugh:
Hang in there, maybe just tweak whatever you are doing a little, II'd start with the water, I thought I was drinking enough until I measured it one day, nope only about 1/2 of what I was supposed to be, i reasd divide your weight in half and that's how many ounces minimum you should be drinking:flowerforyou:

sr2000

I think as long as your physical went well that you would be ok to move onto personal trainer, they may also work along side a nutritionist who could give you advice. I'm at the same point myself. It's taken me nearly 5 months to drop 16 pounds. I want to see what else I should or could be doing to get the very best results, and hopefully get in better shape a bit faster, especially now that summer (shorts and tank tops) is approaching.
One of my good freinds is a personal trainer at Lifetime fitness (in MN) Her clients often meet with a nutritionist at that gym as well. At this point most of us know the basics of eating healthy and exercising but I think meeting with a couple professionals like this to get some more advice will greatly boost us towards our goal. (even just one session)
Enjoy your vacation, do enjoy some special treats, it IS vaction. Try not to worry too much about counting calories, but do be aware of what you are eating. (Way too much fried, buttered, sauced food may upset your healthy system.)

yoginimary

BTW - I'm 5'3" at 155 - so the goal of 140 is on the high end. I don't eat fast food (haven't in years), drink lots of water, quit smoking, don't eat: HFCS, refined flour or sugar (unless it's my one dessert a week), or meat, there are few processed foods in my diet as well. I do weights 2 hours a week, hard cardio at least 3 x a week, easy cardio at least 3x a week, and yoga. I usually eat about 1,900-2,300 calories a day with all my exercise.

I will enjoy my vacation - I don't eat fried foods anyway - but I'm going through the deep south, so wish this veggie luck!

yoginimary

Shameless bump - I would like some more opinions please. So far the PT wins.

songbyrdsweet

There are many different types of personal trainers...some specialize in strength and conditioning, others specialize in aerobic fitness, and others are more like fitness instructors who do a little of both. So even if you go with a PT, there will be variation in their credentials, certifications, and areas of expertise. Most don't know as much about diet as a dietician, and strength/conditioning specialists will probably have very different opinions since they value protein much more than the American Dietetics Association.

A dietician generally treats clinically...they're there for eating disorders, extreme food allergies, and extreme weight loss under the care of a medical doctor. They're not really used for normal fat loss.

A nutritionist knows plenty about diet and nutrition for the everyday person...they won't know nearly as much about training as a PT would, and they don't diagnose or treat diseases associated with food.

I think vivia has the right idea...first make sure you know what sounds fishy so you know what NOT to listen to. Believe me, I'm going to be a PT, and it's not hard to be one if you have a lot of money and access to the internet. There are some real idiots out there who (unfortunately) found some crappy certification and just barely passed (you only need an 80%), and now they're out there teaching people bad form and telling them to eat 400g of protein a day.

MontanaGirl

Hope you have a wonderful vacation!!!

Also - a RD - registered dietition will have actual training. Some nutritionists do, but pretty much anyone can call themselves a nutritionist. I think the PT is a great idea - especially if you can find one who is knowledgable about nutrition. ( I sure wish I could spell today - lol) Good luck and have a great vacation.

tracypaprocki

I was stuck 15 lbs from goal weight for about 4 months. I increased my calorie intake and I have lost 7 in the last three weeks. I also had a sessions with the trainer at the gym and I started a weight routine 3 days a week which I believe has helped. just stick with it. good luck

yoginimary

Thanks everyone. This week I'm cutting back on the exercise, to what normal people do - one class, 90 minutes of walking, an hour of weights - not all in the same day. I was over by 100 or so calories and may go another 50-100 more if I'm hungry - so we'll see how this works.

Maybe next week I can amp it up really high and do all three the same day, everyday :bigsmile: