The Nutritionist is WRONG! Please please help me.

kanga410

my first question is how tall are you? that would help determine what a good weight is for you. But like the others have said - listen to your body and how you feel, how your clothes fit, etc.
Bariatric surgery is a tricky place. you said it yourself. you are malasorbing things you eat. It's tricky. I would find another Registered Dietitian and one that will actually listen to you and your concerns. I would suggest greek yogurt as it doesn't have the sugar content of regular yogurt, and the sugar it does have is very natural.

Keiko385

Please get a 2nd or even a 3rd professional opinion till you find a nutritionist you have some confidence in, you are setting yourself up for utter confusion and possibly very bad medical advise here

jenluvsushi

I wouldn't listen to her at all.....go see a registered dietician. Anyone can be a nutritionist...including the kid working part time as a trainer at the gym. Her entire plan seems to be completely outdated....

carpetbagger12000

I just glanced at your food diary for yesterday (didn't go past that, sorry) and my first comment is: your sodium intake seems higher than it needs to be. You are eating a lot of processed foods (i.e. store-bought) and not enough fresh fruits and vegetables. Calories are not the only important things to be counting. Too much sodium means water bloat and ushers in a whole host of health problems, not the least of which is high blood pressure. You may be feeling good right now, but that is not an indication of what is going on inside your veins. I agree with everyone else: go see more health care professionals. We are not in a good position to advise you specifically because of the bypass surgery. By all means continue exercising: cardio for your heart, strength training for your muscles. But my only advice would be: CUT THE JUNK FOOD; EAT NATURALLY!

zmzmzm19

Get an opinion from a DIETICIAN. Nutritionist's don't need to be licensed.

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

I totally agree with this.....

mamalosunshine

Id look in to the diet solution plan. It's all very natural and it all makes sense.

becoming_a_new_me

I am post-op 9 years. I've been stuck at right around 190 lbs lost for about three of it. I started at the beginning of the year and doing my own thing, I kept losing the same 10 lbs over and over again....my own thing being what you are doing too. Once I dropped my cals to 1300 ish and not bother tracking veggies, I dropped 7 lbs in the last three weeks...which is healthy. I know it's not what you want to hear, but I think she is pretty much right.

bpwparents

My cousin is a certified dietician that recomended this site to me. She was who warned me not to go under 1200 calories a day for long term weight loss. She had me adjust the carb numbers slightly on here (bring them down), otherwise she told me to stick to it. I'm also is the morbidly obese category (5'5" cw 239). We all know what's right for our own bodies and how we feel I believe speaks volumes more than anything else. BTW, by GP also agreed with the 1200-1300 calorie/day diet.

rukus1

I'm tired of people telling me, oh, you don't look like you weight that much and geez you carry your weight good blah blah blah when I have to lay on the bed to size zip my pant I know better. Find another professional to help you. Maybe its a personality conflict.

secretlobster

How many calories was your "very limited" calorie intake, can I ask?

Have you tried keeping a more consistent calorie intake? Your diary is all over the place. Some people have found a lot of success in consistency.

It's very possible that a 600 calorie diet is fine for you, short-term. As others have said, the fact that you've had bariatric surgery subjects you to the possibility that your ideal diet for weight-loss is something that might be unhealthy for other people.

Cardio may also not be your friend, especially if you're working off a low-calorie diet.

Hannah_Jo

dont worry about the weight or BMI! BMI is a bad number to look at. because that includes muscle bone and everything. lets put it this way, a body builder can have a BMI that says he's fat and overweight! you should go by Body Fat %! my body fat percent shows that i'm on the verge of obesity! but i dont look like it, there a thing called "skinny fat" when most of your fat you store in your stomach area so it can throw you off. my trainer didnt believe it when she saw that i was 32% BF. she checked it 3 times!

if you're finding it hard to lose, you could have a thyroid problem? i have a thyroid problem (even tho after takin a test from my doctor, he said i did not, because i was in the "normal range") there are foods you can eat to support your thyroid, i cant think of them off the top of my head, but you can google it. and remember when supporting your thyroid, you have to support your liver as well, because somehow they're linked. you can do that through vitamins and diet as well.

Just keep up the hard work, and always increase the intensity of your workouts so that you don't plateau! good luck!

bbaker172

This was information from the nutritionist at the surgeons office and she's great at recommending nutrition 101 and that's about it. I don't think what I'm doing is right and that's why I'm looking for advice. And yes, I basically lost 21 pounds the first three weeks on MFP with very limited caloric intake (which IS NOT healthy). And finally in reply, she basically said 600 net calories is ok if I'm representing all the foods groups!

Finally, I'm not condemning all doctors and nutritionists, just my primary doc and the bariatic nutritionist. The bariatric surgeon was fantastic, but I don't see him anymore as he concentrates his time on upcoming surgical cases.

I get much better advice here from people in weight training and that have weight issues than from the so-called professionals.

Please only respond if you're willing to give helpful advice and please don't criticize my looking to you for help. Thanks!

How many meals a day do you eat? With the surgery you should be eating at least 5 small meals a day, plus a snack to kick your metabolism up. You should have veggies with all of them, some protein and small amount of "good carbs". And exercise... you should google "chris powell" I love that guy, and he's very helpful.

goldfinger88

I think she gave you mostly good advice and the advice you get here will be all over the board. We all think we're right. I personally do not count calories. I eat low glycemic food, all I want. But, because it's about equal in protein, carbs, and good fats, I don't get hungry. Therefore, I eat less.

The number of the scales really isn't important. Many people here eat so little that they lose weight but it's all muscle. That's sad. The tape measure is far better at gauging your fitness. As is the way you feel.

I don't want to offer advice but I don't see much wrong in what she advised you to do. On the other hand, it's your body and your health and you have to do what you feel is right for you.

I suggest you get some good books on health and fitness such as The Smarter Science of Slim and find your own path to fitness. There are other good books too. Just make sure the information is backed by science.

VogtAndrea

My suggestion isn't going to be really popular but here it is anyway.
Take some time and read up on diet after bypass surgery. Here's what the Mayo Clinic has to say on their site: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/gastric-bypass-diet/MY00827 Google "diet after bypass surgery" and read everything that you can find.
By listening to people who don't know about what you CANNOT eat after bypass surgery, you could be making problems for yourself.

DanaDark

She's crazy.

She wants you to use HER portion control guide? Basically, she's selling you something, even if its free, it boosts her reputation to have you use it over something else.

Given you have problems absorbing food, liquids will be a good source of nutrition for you. You should look into Slim Fast instead of the protein shake. Slim fast is incredibly high in nutrition.

I do agree you should seek a second opinion.

Do keep in mind a nutritionist is technically more concerned with a healthy diet rather than weight loss. She works for YOU, so you could tell her next time that it may be all fine and dandy that SHE thinks you're fine at your weight, YOU don't, and YOU want to lose some fat. If she does not see fit to aid in the goals of her clients, then take your business elsewhere.

Captain_Tightpants

Yep, very hard to give advice since you've got a post surgery metabolism which I presume makes your body function dramatically differently to that of an everyday person.

The bariatric nutritionist may actually be right. I would listen to them, at least at first.

They may be steering you away from being so focused on the numbers because they have spotted a tendency in your character for you to obsess over them. They are not "technically" correct that the calories don't matter, of course the calories matter - that's basic thermodynamics - but the advice they are giving you to focus on macros could be well founded since your body is now only capable of consuming small amounts of calories anyway.

What I would talk to a doc about, is that working out most days of the week might possibly be too much for a body that has received such a traumatic blow to its caloric intake system (can you tell I'm not a fan of bariatric surgey yet?). You might find that your weight loss resumes if you lay off the workouts a little. If you are only netting <900 cals per day but burning a lot then you may becausing a very high deficit, which will in turn throw out all manner of subtle metabolic adjustments to conserve energy (read "to keep you fat"). I may be wrong, but ask the doc.

MissShancey

This was information from the nutritionist at the surgeons office and she's great at recommending nutrition 101 and that's about it. I don't think what I'm doing is right and that's why I'm looking for advice. And yes, I basically lost 21 pounds the first three weeks on MFP with very limited caloric intake (which IS NOT healthy). And finally in reply, she basically said 600 net calories is ok if I'm representing all the foods groups!

Finally, I'm not condemning all doctors and nutritionists, just my primary doc and the bariatic nutritionist. The bariatric surgeon was fantastic, but I don't see him anymore as he concentrates his time on upcoming surgical cases.

I get much better advice here from people in weight training and that have weight issues than from the so-called professionals.

Please only respond if you're willing to give helpful advice and please don't criticize my looking to you for help. Thanks!

^lol
you asked a PROFESSIONAL for advice, but didnt like it .. so you asked strangers for advice but didnt like it ..
you dont want to get advice u want to be told you are right ...

you need to listed to the doctor you are not trained in nutrition PLUS all the information u are getting on MFP is for normal people not people who have had surgery ... u really need to just listen to your doctor...

BUT at the end of the day u arnt looking for what u need to do u are just looking to be told u are right and keep doing what u want .. SOOOOOOO

YOU ARE RIGHT FORGET THAT SILLY DOCTOR! doctors want you to be fat and unhealthy so they can keep making money off you!

how dare they tell you how to be healthy! they have never been nearly as unhealthy as you so how would they possibly know how to get healthy from that point!

instead of taking advise from an educated & healthy doctor take it from other obese people wthl access to google ..

and dr oz ... u strike me as somebody who could get a lot of help from google and dr oz

missprincessgina

I think a second opinion is a good suggestion. Maybe you'll find a nutritionist you'll really like and "click" with.

jinglett

How about doing some independent research on the web. Search for diet after bariatric surgery. Meet with another nutritionist and pose the same questions to her/him that you are to us. Or, even contact the one you saw and ask why not protein drinks--maybe they are too hard on your digestive system or maybe they are too hard on your kidneys or maybe they are moving you towards more "real" food that is eaten and not drank. If exercise is an important part of who you want to be--voice that LOUDLY to your nutritionist and have them develop a plan with you that is realistic and sustainable in the long run. Make a list in advance and take someone with you for an extra set of ears. I have sat through many doctor visits with others and I have found each person receives & perceives the information differently depending where their own personal focus is on any given day. Best of luck! Believe in yourself and don't let a professional bully you but really listen and give what they have to say a try.

jcstanton

I would do some research and find a Registered Dietician who is both experienced and has a history of success working with people who have had bariatric surgery. Even if you have to drive an hour or two once a month to get there, it's worth it if it means seeing success. Like the others have said, I hesitate to give advice on something like this because your body works so much differently post surgery than the average person. What works for me, could be ineffective or downright dangerous for you. I know it's frustrating, but eating right and exercising is never a bad thing, even if you're not losing weight. Don't give up hope. With or without surgery, there have been many others who have been where you are, and they eventually succeeded in reaching their goals through hard work, perseverance, and having the strength of will to make the right choices. One of those choices being to surround yourself with the right people who know how to help you succeed. :flowerforyou: You've come a long way already, don't get discouraged. Keep putting one foot in front of the other. :drinker: