Seemingly Sketchy Recommendation from Nutritionist

24

Replies

  • norcal_yogi
    norcal_yogi Posts: 675 Member
    i don't think it's sketchy.... worth a try for at least a few weeks.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,421 Member
    You would be far better off to exercise 3-5 times a week for 30 minutes to an hour and eat those additional 200-300 calories each time. The Nutritionist tells you to exercise less and eat less. How about exercise more and eat more? Same/same.

    Losing weight should not be your only goal. How about general fitness.?

    The bonus with more exercise is you get to eat more food.
  • BrainyBurro
    BrainyBurro Posts: 6,129 Member
    Are you seeing a Nutritionist or a Registered Dietitian? There is a big difference, Dietitians are a registered health professional. Nutritionist are not, and not goverened by any laws and are not regulated.

    The terms “nutritionist” or “registered nutritionist” are not protected terms. This means that anybody can call themselves a nutritionist and there are no standards for their quality of care.

    yep!

    http://www.quackwatch.com/02ConsumerProtection/licensing.html
    http://www.credentialwatch.org/
  • BrainyBurro
    BrainyBurro Posts: 6,129 Member
    Are you seeing a Nutritionist or a Registered Dietitian? There is a big difference, Dietitians are a registered health professional. Nutritionist are not, and not goverened by any laws and are not regulated.

    The terms “nutritionist” or “registered nutritionist” are not protected terms. This means that anybody can call themselves a nutritionist and there are no standards for their quality of care.

    Technically, I could agree, but this Nutritionist is in her doctor's officer and was probably recommended by her own doctor. Weight might not be the only issue here if her doctor recommended this nutritionist. Maybe her cholesterol and blood pressure was so high that the doctor had to recommend her to a specialist. In any case, if she really doesn't like this plan from her nutritionist, go back and get a new plan, or new nutritionist. I know someone said it earlier but I just wanted to reiterate that this is what people call a medically supervised weight loss plan.

    .

    do you know for sure that no quid pro quo exists between the medical doctor and the nutritionist they recommend?

    lots of people assume that their doctors are impeccably ethical. i don't know why they assume that. doctors are people too.
  • AbsoluteNG
    AbsoluteNG Posts: 1,079 Member
    Are you seeing a Nutritionist or a Registered Dietitian? There is a big difference, Dietitians are a registered health professional. Nutritionist are not, and not goverened by any laws and are not regulated.

    The terms “nutritionist” or “registered nutritionist” are not protected terms. This means that anybody can call themselves a nutritionist and there are no standards for their quality of care.

    Technically, I could agree, but this Nutritionist is in her doctor's officer and was probably recommended by her own doctor. Weight might not be the only issue here if her doctor recommended this nutritionist. Maybe her cholesterol and blood pressure was so high that the doctor had to recommend her to a specialist. In any case, if she really doesn't like this plan from her nutritionist, go back and get a new plan, or new nutritionist. I know someone said it earlier but I just wanted to reiterate that this is what people call a medically supervised weight loss plan.

    .

    do you know for sure that no quid pro quo exists between the medical doctor and the nutritionist they recommend?

    lots of people assume that their doctors are impeccably ethical. i don't know why they assume that. doctors are people too.

    Just did a quick google search and U.S. federal law doesn't allow for referral fees so if the doctor is getting something out of this other then having a good relationship with the Nutritionist, it's illegal. It isn't uncommon for medical professionals to recommend sub 1k calorie diets for obese patients who have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or heart disease but the OP is still in the 1200 calorie range.

    .
  • hsnider29
    hsnider29 Posts: 394 Member
    Honestly, I wouldn't decrease your calories. I was doing exactly what you are doing 2 years ago and lost close to 40 lbs. I have since regained 30 pounds. I'm pretty sure I did a number on my metabolism and now I'm working really hard to repair it.

    I know that you are trying to do right but I would rethink your approach and maybe speak with a dietitian instead of a nutritionist. You are still losing weight so I wouldn't decrease your calories. I am eating around 1500 calories or more and losing about a pound a week. I lift weights 3 days a week and only do minimal cardio.
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  • __Di__
    __Di__ Posts: 1,658 Member
    Hi All,

    I was hoping someone could help me, or at least provide thoughts and suggestions. I have been seeing a nutritionist from my doctor's office for several months about every other week. I have over 50 lbs to lose. She put me on a high protein, low carb (100 carbs or less per day) diet of 1380 cals per day. At first I was consistently losing 2 lbs or more per week, and the past 2 weeks I have only lost 0.4 lbs each week. I exercise quite a bit regularly. She suggested the following:

    1) lowering my fat grams intake
    2) lowering my calorie limit to 1280 (this seems so low to me! I am 5'7)
    3) exercise less so I am less hungry and do not eat back my exercise calories/carbs.

    This seems to me like sketchy advice! Any suggestions from experience would be helpful. Thanks a bunch.

    It is not sketchy, it is sensible.

    Even on MFP, as people lose weight a little box pops up asking if they want to down their calories to go into their next phase of weightloss, this is precisely what your Nutritionist is doing.
  • __Di__
    __Di__ Posts: 1,658 Member
    I'm shocked, no flabbergasted, at the amount of credence you folks give to a doctor and his/her recommendation. It's laughable, to say the least. But, carry on. Basically, you're not eating enough, probably. And for her to tell you to workout less? Uh, yea, find someone else. What a dummy.

    What qualifications do you have re nutrition, just out of interest?

    I am surprised at the amount if psuedo-doctors on this site actually and the dangerous, stupid "advice" that some choose to give, again and again.
  • __Di__
    __Di__ Posts: 1,658 Member
    the TL;DR version? You need to re-evaluate what you are doing right/wrong and ignore your nutritionists advice to eat less and not eat your cals back. That is asking for a world of unhappiness unnecessarily. Good luck.

    Yikes, this is what I was afraid of. I have some thinking to do....more to follow up on this post later.

    and these two quotes above just answered the OPs own question.

    OP what you were really after was affirmation that you didn't want to follow your Nutritionists' advice and because somebody said to ignore the advice, you have immediately taken that on board.

    What are the credentials of the person telling you to ignore your Nutritionists' advice?

    You don't know, but you DO know the qualifications of your Nutritionist.

    People will always say Doctors can make mistakes - this is very true, but so can a hell of a lot of people on a relatively anonymous website forum, strangers on the internet.

    Be very careful.
  • LongIsland27itl
    LongIsland27itl Posts: 365 Member
    Looks fine to me
    Are you mad about the carbs
  • Natihilator
    Natihilator Posts: 1,778 Member
    To me, not eating back exercise calories on that plan makes that sounds like a recipe for failure and re-gain, and not a sustainable long-term weight loss plan which is what I am assuming you would prefer.

    You can run numbers with your nutritionist and MFP all you want, but at the end of the day every calorie that goes in and out is an estimate anyway, unless you are militant with your diet and get regular BMR testing. Don't put a time limit on your weight loss, eat enough so you feel energized and never deprived, and it will all pay off.
  • hsnider29
    hsnider29 Posts: 394 Member
    the TL;DR version? You need to re-evaluate what you are doing right/wrong and ignore your nutritionists advice to eat less and not eat your cals back. That is asking for a world of unhappiness unnecessarily. Good luck.

    Yikes, this is what I was afraid of. I have some thinking to do....more to follow up on this post later.

    and these two quotes above just answered the OPs own question.

    OP what you were really after was affirmation that you didn't want to follow your Nutritionists' advice and because somebody said to ignore the advice, you have immediately taken that on board.

    What are the credentials of the person telling you to ignore your Nutritionists' advice?

    You don't know, but you DO know the qualifications of your Nutritionist.

    People will always say Doctors can make mistakes - this is very true, but so can a hell of a lot of people on a relatively anonymous website forum, strangers on the internet.

    Be very careful.

    Maybe she is looking for validation because it is bad advice. A nutritionist is not a dietitian and is not regulated in any way by the Board of Health or other licensing agency. As a nurse, I have taken plenty of courses on Human Nutrition as well as anatomy and physiology and I think it is a recipe for failure. I'm sure the OP will lose weight but will she be able to maintain that weight loss on such a calorie restricted diet? Probably not. She is fairly tall and only consuming 1380 calories a day as it is and exercising. It really isn't sustainable and anyone educated in how the body works would know this.
  • hsnider29
    hsnider29 Posts: 394 Member
    Are you seeing a Nutritionist or a Registered Dietitian? There is a big difference, Dietitians are a registered health professional. Nutritionist are not, and not goverened by any laws and are not regulated.

    The terms “nutritionist” or “registered nutritionist” are not protected terms. This means that anybody can call themselves a nutritionist and there are no standards for their quality of care.

    Technically, I could agree, but this Nutritionist is in her doctor's officer and was probably recommended by her own doctor. Weight might not be the only issue here if her doctor recommended this nutritionist. Maybe her cholesterol and blood pressure was so high that the doctor had to recommend her to a specialist. In any case, if she really doesn't like this plan from her nutritionist, go back and get a new plan, or new nutritionist. I know someone said it earlier but I just wanted to reiterate that this is what people call a medically supervised weight loss plan.

    .

    A nutritionist is not a medical entity in any way, shape or form. Joe Blow can call themselves a nutritionist here in the US and dole out "advice". They certainly aren't a specialist by any means.
  • __Di__
    __Di__ Posts: 1,658 Member
    the TL;DR version? You need to re-evaluate what you are doing right/wrong and ignore your nutritionists advice to eat less and not eat your cals back. That is asking for a world of unhappiness unnecessarily. Good luck.

    Yikes, this is what I was afraid of. I have some thinking to do....more to follow up on this post later.

    and these two quotes above just answered the OPs own question.

    OP what you were really after was affirmation that you didn't want to follow your Nutritionists' advice and because somebody said to ignore the advice, you have immediately taken that on board.

    What are the credentials of the person telling you to ignore your Nutritionists' advice?

    You don't know, but you DO know the qualifications of your Nutritionist.

    People will always say Doctors can make mistakes - this is very true, but so can a hell of a lot of people on a relatively anonymous website forum, strangers on the internet.

    Be very careful.

    Maybe she is looking for validation because it is bad advice. A nutritionist is not a dietitian and is not regulated in any way by the Board of Health or other licensing agency. As a nurse, I have taken plenty of courses on Human Nutrition as well as anatomy and physiology and I think it is a recipe for failure. I'm sure the OP will lose weight but will she be able to maintain that weight loss on such a calorie restricted diet? Probably not. She is fairly tall and only consuming 1380 calories a day as it is and exercising. It really isn't sustainable and anyone educated in how the body works would know this.

    But the Nutritionist IS qualified and is working in conjunction with her doctor.

    You may be a nurse and I respect that, but you do not have the patient's medical notes to hand nor her history.

    Sustainable for how long you thinking?
  • __Di__
    __Di__ Posts: 1,658 Member
    Are you seeing a Nutritionist or a Registered Dietitian? There is a big difference, Dietitians are a registered health professional. Nutritionist are not, and not goverened by any laws and are not regulated.

    The terms “nutritionist” or “registered nutritionist” are not protected terms. This means that anybody can call themselves a nutritionist and there are no standards for their quality of care.

    Technically, I could agree, but this Nutritionist is in her doctor's officer and was probably recommended by her own doctor. Weight might not be the only issue here if her doctor recommended this nutritionist. Maybe her cholesterol and blood pressure was so high that the doctor had to recommend her to a specialist. In any case, if she really doesn't like this plan from her nutritionist, go back and get a new plan, or new nutritionist. I know someone said it earlier but I just wanted to reiterate that this is what people call a medically supervised weight loss plan.

    .

    A nutritionist is not a medical entity in any way, shape or form. Joe Blow can call themselves a nutritionist here in the US and dole out "advice". They certainly aren't a specialist by any means.

    Do you think somebody off the street would be able to just waltz into a doctors office and take a job there without any credentials whatsoever though?
  • shorty35565
    shorty35565 Posts: 1,425 Member
    You could probably eat way more. Eat 20% of your TDEE. Carbs don't matter. I've lost all my weight not limiting my carbs.
  • hsnider29
    hsnider29 Posts: 394 Member
    the TL;DR version? You need to re-evaluate what you are doing right/wrong and ignore your nutritionists advice to eat less and not eat your cals back. That is asking for a world of unhappiness unnecessarily. Good luck.

    Yikes, this is what I was afraid of. I have some thinking to do....more to follow up on this post later.

    and these two quotes above just answered the OPs own question.

    OP what you were really after was affirmation that you didn't want to follow your Nutritionists' advice and because somebody said to ignore the advice, you have immediately taken that on board.

    What are the credentials of the person telling you to ignore your Nutritionists' advice?

    You don't know, but you DO know the qualifications of your Nutritionist.

    People will always say Doctors can make mistakes - this is very true, but so can a hell of a lot of people on a relatively anonymous website forum, strangers on the internet.

    Be very careful.

    Maybe she is looking for validation because it is bad advice. A nutritionist is not a dietitian and is not regulated in any way by the Board of Health or other licensing agency. As a nurse, I have taken plenty of courses on Human Nutrition as well as anatomy and physiology and I think it is a recipe for failure. I'm sure the OP will lose weight but will she be able to maintain that weight loss on such a calorie restricted diet? Probably not. She is fairly tall and only consuming 1380 calories a day as it is and exercising. It really isn't sustainable and anyone educated in how the body works would know this.

    But the Nutritionist IS qualified and is working in conjunction with her doctor.

    You may be a nurse and I respect that, but you do not have the patient's medical notes to hand nor her history.

    Sustainable for how long you thinking?

    But a nutritionist has no qualifications is the point I'm making. I have more qualification as a nurse. I'm sure there are some that have educated themselves and could give decent advice. Her doctor probably referred her to a nutritionist without knowing the nutritionist. I've worked with doctors for 12 years, they don't know everything and most don't know much about nutrition. If her doctor was a little wiser, he would have referred her to a dietitian who is a licensed medical professional.
  • hsnider29
    hsnider29 Posts: 394 Member
    Are you seeing a Nutritionist or a Registered Dietitian? There is a big difference, Dietitians are a registered health professional. Nutritionist are not, and not goverened by any laws and are not regulated.

    The terms “nutritionist” or “registered nutritionist” are not protected terms. This means that anybody can call themselves a nutritionist and there are no standards for their quality of care.

    Technically, I could agree, but this Nutritionist is in her doctor's officer and was probably recommended by her own doctor. Weight might not be the only issue here if her doctor recommended this nutritionist. Maybe her cholesterol and blood pressure was so high that the doctor had to recommend her to a specialist. In any case, if she really doesn't like this plan from her nutritionist, go back and get a new plan, or new nutritionist. I know someone said it earlier but I just wanted to reiterate that this is what people call a medically supervised weight loss plan.

    .

    A nutritionist is not a medical entity in any way, shape or form. Joe Blow can call themselves a nutritionist here in the US and dole out "advice". They certainly aren't a specialist by any means.

    Do you think somebody off the street would be able to just waltz into a doctors office and take a job there without any credentials whatsoever though?

    I don't think she ever said that the person worked in the office just that she received a recommendation or a referral from the doc.

    Edited to add: I just went back a read that she said she was working with a nutritionist from her doctor's office so I'm not sure if she means that the person is employed by the doctor or it was a referral. I wonder what kind of doctor she is seeing.
  • Velum_cado
    Velum_cado Posts: 1,608 Member
    I don't know why it would be sketchy if you got it from a doctor's office?

    Advice I've gotten from doctors:

    1. It's ok that you're anorexic. You need to lose weight anyway.
    2. Be careful about having too many gay male friends. It'll turn you into a lesbian.
    3. You won't get over this depression until you find a boyfriend.

    Aaaaaand I rest my case.
  • I've been told that muscles weigh a lot, so maybe you're getting more muscles, which is great for the long run.
  • __Di__
    __Di__ Posts: 1,658 Member
    the TL;DR version? You need to re-evaluate what you are doing right/wrong and ignore your nutritionists advice to eat less and not eat your cals back. That is asking for a world of unhappiness unnecessarily. Good luck.

    Yikes, this is what I was afraid of. I have some thinking to do....more to follow up on this post later.

    and these two quotes above just answered the OPs own question.

    OP what you were really after was affirmation that you didn't want to follow your Nutritionists' advice and because somebody said to ignore the advice, you have immediately taken that on board.

    What are the credentials of the person telling you to ignore your Nutritionists' advice?

    You don't know, but you DO know the qualifications of your Nutritionist.

    People will always say Doctors can make mistakes - this is very true, but so can a hell of a lot of people on a relatively anonymous website forum, strangers on the internet.

    Be very careful.

    Maybe she is looking for validation because it is bad advice. A nutritionist is not a dietitian and is not regulated in any way by the Board of Health or other licensing agency. As a nurse, I have taken plenty of courses on Human Nutrition as well as anatomy and physiology and I think it is a recipe for failure. I'm sure the OP will lose weight but will she be able to maintain that weight loss on such a calorie restricted diet? Probably not. She is fairly tall and only consuming 1380 calories a day as it is and exercising. It really isn't sustainable and anyone educated in how the body works would know this.

    But the Nutritionist IS qualified and is working in conjunction with her doctor.

    You may be a nurse and I respect that, but you do not have the patient's medical notes to hand nor her history.

    Sustainable for how long you thinking?

    But a nutritionist has no qualifications is the point I'm making. I have more qualification as a nurse. I'm sure there are some that have educated themselves and could give decent advice. Her doctor probably referred her to a nutritionist without knowing the nutritionist. I've worked with doctors for 12 years, they don't know everything and most don't know much about nutrition. If her doctor was a little wiser, he would have referred her to a dietitian who is a licensed medical professional.


    For all we know the Nutrionist may be a Clinical Nutritionist, who must be quaified.

    Doctors may not know much about nutrition, that is true, that is why they sent the OP to a Nutritionist.

    Everybody is taking it for granted that the Nutritionist in question is not qualified............

    OP on the wall of your Nutritionists' office, she should have her qualifications displayed - has she any there?
  • Deathangl13
    Deathangl13 Posts: 38 Member
    Current intake is 1380
    Current Weight is 206
    I exercise about 6x per week, 30-45 minutes or so per day cardio workouts.

    Not for nothing but you're 206lbs. 1,380 calories is entirely too low even if you were not working out. If you can tell me you're goal weight I can get a better idea of where to put you. Right now though, you're too low.
  • hsnider29
    hsnider29 Posts: 394 Member
    the TL;DR version? You need to re-evaluate what you are doing right/wrong and ignore your nutritionists advice to eat less and not eat your cals back. That is asking for a world of unhappiness unnecessarily. Good luck.

    Yikes, this is what I was afraid of. I have some thinking to do....more to follow up on this post later.

    and these two quotes above just answered the OPs own question.

    OP what you were really after was affirmation that you didn't want to follow your Nutritionists' advice and because somebody said to ignore the advice, you have immediately taken that on board.

    What are the credentials of the person telling you to ignore your Nutritionists' advice?

    You don't know, but you DO know the qualifications of your Nutritionist.

    People will always say Doctors can make mistakes - this is very true, but so can a hell of a lot of people on a relatively anonymous website forum, strangers on the internet.

    Be very careful.

    Maybe she is looking for validation because it is bad advice. A nutritionist is not a dietitian and is not regulated in any way by the Board of Health or other licensing agency. As a nurse, I have taken plenty of courses on Human Nutrition as well as anatomy and physiology and I think it is a recipe for failure. I'm sure the OP will lose weight but will she be able to maintain that weight loss on such a calorie restricted diet? Probably not. She is fairly tall and only consuming 1380 calories a day as it is and exercising. It really isn't sustainable and anyone educated in how the body works would know this.

    But the Nutritionist IS qualified and is working in conjunction with her doctor.

    You may be a nurse and I respect that, but you do not have the patient's medical notes to hand nor her history.

    Sustainable for how long you thinking?

    But a nutritionist has no qualifications is the point I'm making. I have more qualification as a nurse. I'm sure there are some that have educated themselves and could give decent advice. Her doctor probably referred her to a nutritionist without knowing the nutritionist. I've worked with doctors for 12 years, they don't know everything and most don't know much about nutrition. If her doctor was a little wiser, he would have referred her to a dietitian who is a licensed medical professional.


    For all we know the Nutrionist may be a Clinical Nutritionist, who must be quaified.

    Doctors may not know much about nutrition, that is true, that is why they sent the OP to a Nutritionist.

    Everybody is taking it for granted that the Nutritionist in question is not qualified............

    OP on the wall of your Nutritionists' office, she should have her qualifications displayed - has she any there?

    These are private non-profit groups that provide continuing education. They are not recognized by the Board of Health and not licensed. I still wouldn't trust their "qualifications".
  • __Di__
    __Di__ Posts: 1,658 Member


    Do you think somebody off the street would be able to just waltz into a doctors office and take a job there without any credentials whatsoever though?
    I don't think she ever said that the person worked in the office just that she received a recommendation or a referral from the doc.

    Edited to add: I just went back a read that she said she was working with a nutritionist from her doctor's office so I'm not sure if she means that the person is employed by the doctor or it was a referral. I wonder what kind of doctor she is seeing.

    Well I had the impression it was her own GP to be honest.

    I seriously believe the Nutritionist is more than likely a Dietician or Clinical Nutritionist. I wanna know the outcome of all this now :laugh:
  • mamosh81
    mamosh81 Posts: 409 Member
    id say give it time i have weeks where i only lose half a pound but i keep working on it and continue what i am doing and it will start dropping again our body needs time to catch up. But id listen to my doctor and not some experts on the internet, maybe try it see how it works out for you and if its to low go back to the old plan
  • hsnider29
    hsnider29 Posts: 394 Member
    A dietitian can call themselves a nutritionist but I have always heard them referred to as RD or registered dietitian. A dietitian will have excellent training in nutrition and how the human body works. It requires a Master's Degree. A clinical nutritionist still doesn't mean diddly.

    I am curious of the outcome too.
  • mareeee1234
    mareeee1234 Posts: 674 Member

    3) exercise less so I am less hungry and do not eat back my exercise calories/carbs.

    yeahh thats low for your height for sure!
  • thatjulesgirl
    thatjulesgirl Posts: 200 Member
    I have been seeing a nutritionist from my doctor's office for several months about every other week. I have over 50 lbs to lose. She put me on a high protein, low carb (100 carbs or less per day) diet of 1380 cals per day. At first I was consistently losing 2 lbs or more per week, and the past 2 weeks I have only lost 0.4 lbs each week. I exercise quite a bit regularly. She suggested the following:

    1) lowering my fat grams intake
    2) lowering my calorie limit to 1280 (this seems so low to me! I am 5'7)
    3) exercise less so I am less hungry and do not eat back my exercise calories/carbs.

    This seems to me like sketchy advice! Any suggestions from experience would be helpful. Thanks a bunch.

    hFA94892A

    Errrr... I call BS :happy:

    I have 100lbs to lose, 52 of which I've already happily released and I've done so eating between 1900 and 2300 calories a day. Granted, I lift heavy weights, but even on a cardio-only exercise programme... at your height and weight *I* personally wouldn't *dare* eat less than 1600 calories a day.
    And as another poster said... carbs are irrelevant. As long as you're not eating huge amounts of (added) SUGAR, and you're hitting your protein targets (1g per 1lb of lean body mass)... then there's no reason to limit carbs... OR FATS. Good fats (nuts, avo etc etc) don't make you fat. Unless you have major unmentioned medical issues, particularly relating to cholesterol or liver problems, there's no reason to not get all the yummy natural fats your body *needs*.

    Super restrictive diets are really dangerous especially long term. You're basically saying to your body "give me all this stuff (normal brain function, 6 intense cardio workouts a week) but I'm only going to give you half of what you need to do it". Not to mention the psychological crap it does. Do some research on TDEE (Katch-McArdle method), BMR and maybe even look into some weight training if you're so inclined. Sounds like this 'nutritionist' is the one who needs to see a specialist :):drinker:
  • jenilla1
    jenilla1 Posts: 11,118 Member
    ... WHEN you get to your ideal weight your TDEE is going to be around 1600/1700 (not including your workout calories.) I am 5'7" - I've done some homework on it...

    I am 5'7" and 130 pounds (and at goal) and I can confirm that MY maintenance is 1680 PLUS exercise cals. I have been on maintenance successfully for over 2 years at this level. I lost weight at 1280 -1350 PLUS exercise cals. The rate was sometimes fast, sometimes it slowed down, but I eventually got there. I was in no rush because I wanted to do it right and be healthy. The only thing that sounds questionable to me is not eating exercise cals. I need those to repair and refuel. I couldn't be active if I starved myself...