Irresponsible advice from dietitian?

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  • sloth3toes
    sloth3toes Posts: 2,212 Member
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    My best friend is a dietician who puts EVERY SINGLE ONE of her clients on MFP.

    I was just gonna say, she sounds lazy.... and that's coming from a sloth.

    But, this post, made me remember, it was my dietician who put me onto MFP. She was using it to figure out my macros. And not that I regret the $$$ I paid her, ( and I will likely still visit her again... ) after I learned about MFP, I probably could have just worked it all out myself. Dieticians should probably be paying a royalty to MFP, since it's made their jobs a lot easier.
  • MoreBean13
    MoreBean13 Posts: 8,701 Member
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    Are you familiar with the names Robert Lustig, MD and Gary Taubes, PhD? Check them out on YouTube and Google them. Their research (controversial to many in the "establishment") may be of interest to you.

    And....we're off.

    OP I hope you got the info you needed, because this thread is about to take a left turn.
  • ashleyisgreat
    ashleyisgreat Posts: 586 Member
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    Yep, she's terrible.

    Aside from the dietitian, did the doc talk to you about medication for the hypertension while you're trying to lose the weight? Really you shouldn't let that go unchecked even in the short term, the vascular damage needs to be controlled.

    She said that I should try to make dietary changes (though she didn't say what...) and I have an appointment to come back in three months. I'll get all new blood work then and see where I'm at with it. If it's not better, then she wants to talk about meds. :(

    I'm going to work hard to get this under control. I don't want to be taking meds--I'm only 27 and I don't want to rely on them for the rest of my life.
  • CarolinkaCjj
    CarolinkaCjj Posts: 622 Member
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    My best friend is a dietician who puts EVERY SINGLE ONE of her clients on MFP.

    I was just gonna say, she sounds lazy.... and that's coming from a sloth.

    But, this post, made me remember, it was my dietician who put me onto MFP. She was using it to figure out my macros. And not that I regret the $$$ I paid her, ( and I will likely still visit her again... ) after I learned about MFP, I probably could have just worked it all out myself. Dieticians should probably be paying a royalty to MFP, since it's made their jobs a lot easier.

    +1 My dietician tried to get me to use MFP for over a year (I was using another site previously) - she said that "many clients have had a great deal of success with this site". She appears to have been right.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
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    I'd say she has a point!

    Especially that bit about lifestyle versus diet. If you measure everything forever you do become obsessed. She was suggesting you tried a more holistic approach - look at the whole range of food you eat rather than focussing on the micronutrients and kcals.

    But if you have cholesterol and hypertension troubles then, yes, a whole life change needs to be made, not just a quick tweak of what food group you eat/ignore.


    Then again I am a Brit and don't get the whole micromanaging, tight focus, sugar is the devil thing, nutrient density, eat weird none food foods thing.

    who says weighing your food=obsessed please.

    Macro nutrients are what is important and calories.

    the fact she didn't even address the actually issues is a problem...

    NOthing to do with being a brit...I don't think sugar is the devil either....

    to the OP...what do you call a RD that graduated last in their class...think about it...

    As well just because they have a degree doesn't mean they are staying current. I yanked my son out of an accounting class because his instructor didn't know the new reporting standards and told him his calculations were wrong...when in fact they were done by a CA...so they weren't...just not current
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
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    Are you familiar with the names Robert Lustig, MD and Gary Taubes, PhD? Check them out on YouTube and Google them. Their research (controversial to many in the "establishment") may be of interest to you.

    And....we're off.

    OP I hope you got the info you needed, because this thread is about to take a left turn.

    +1

    here we goooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo....grab something heavy folks
  • parkscs
    parkscs Posts: 1,639 Member
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    I think you should find a different dietician. There are tons of different schools of thought when it comes to nutrition and weight loss, and there is no single right answer. It sounds to me like you already have an approach in place that works for you and need someone who is willing to work with you to adjust your existing approach, rather than trying to get you to replace your existing routine with something completely different. Shop around and find a dietician who's on the same level, and I think you'll be much happier with the results.
  • stefjc
    stefjc Posts: 484 Member
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    Isn't it though. Darned Sugar Monster!!

    OP... You might have to start another, let us know, I'd like to continue with the question you DID ask.

    I think the fact that you think about having and meeting macro goals may have been a point for her. As in do it the easy way, by eye, without having to fuss. Use the food pyramid or plate as a guide. That way you won't rely on having an accurate, up to date measure and may become less focussed/obsessed. I know I measure by eye all the time - I weighed food for a while and then stopped in order to get a normal relationship with food again.

    As for specific foods to do specific jobs, I think that too might be one of those things that do not translate. The regular, common or garden info in the food pyramid does cover that and, again, she may have meant that you don't need to focus so much on the little things.

    I am getting the sense that she is flying in the face of the loudest advice and so has made you feel unsure. Go back and tell her that. Ask her more questions. From my perspective she is trying to help you over your lifetime. Help you get a doable, forever change, rather than a quick fix, long term client.
  • TrailRunner61
    TrailRunner61 Posts: 2,505 Member
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    Yeah that was dumb of them. I don't trust a government who approves of feeding PINK hamburger to our school children! Along with nuggets made of anything..
    I'm also frustrated and going through the same thing, only I'm already on blood pressure meds. My cholesterol was 240 and has ALWAYS been 165 or lower, total. My Dr. only told me to drink more water, 'watch' my cholesterol and to come back in 3 months for a recheck. I wish she would have given me more info, but I was in shock and didn't even think about it.
    As for the measuring food, we got fat because we ate the wrong types and TOO much food and/or didn't move enough. The only way to relearn portion control is to weigh and measure our food, log what we eat, etc. It opens our eyes. Yes, we know how we got fat, but sometimes we just need a wakeup call.
    As far as my plan goes, I'm going to keep logging, keep trying to eat fresh, whole foods and keep moving. I'm going to watch the cholesterol but I know I need to learn a lot more about what types of food to avoid, what I can have, etc. I know that they have changed their views about eggs and that is one thing I probably eat too much of.
    Anyway, I'd go see someone else. That or try to incorporate 'that plate' into your MFP. I think I could do that.
    Good luck and I hope your BP and cholesterol goes down!
    Add me as a friend if you want. Maybe we can help each other.
  • wyattj99
    wyattj99 Posts: 454 Member
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    I went to the website...and within a 30-second skim I saw a calorie tracking section, where it has bmi calculators and the like so I'm not sure this person actually knows what's on the site haha.

    That being said, I remember learning about the food pyramid too and the government has changed its mind so much since then, I say go with your gut. I don't know what the line between dietician and psychologist is, if she's so worried about the "diet mode" vs "lifestyle change mode", especially if she had no real advice about lowering your cholesterol and blood pressure. Seems like that's the kind of stuff she should know hehe.

    I'm no expert, but I'd say keep on keepin' on, tracking your food and calories

    BMI cal was on there, just got to spend more then 30 secs...not that I don't blame ya.
  • ashleyisgreat
    ashleyisgreat Posts: 586 Member
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    I think you should find a different dietician. There are tons of different schools of thought when it comes to nutrition and weight loss, and there is no single right answer. It sounds to me like you already have an approach in place that works for you and need someone who is willing to work with you to adjust your existing approach, rather than trying to get you to replace your existing routine with something completely different. Shop around and find a dietician who's on the same level, and I think you'll be much happier with the results.

    Yeah, you're right. Instead of working with me and the system I have in place (MFP!), she wanted me to do something completely different, and totally general. I think I will look into other people. The reason I went to her is because it is free for students. I guess you get what you pay for, eh?
  • jayjay12345654321
    jayjay12345654321 Posts: 653 Member
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    OP, what medication was she hinting at? I'm assuming she didn't give you a name since the rest of what she told you was so vague, but was it for BP or cholesterol?
  • ashleyisgreat
    ashleyisgreat Posts: 586 Member
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    OP, what medication was she hinting at? I'm assuming she didn't give you a name since the rest of what she told you was so vague, but was it for BP or cholesterol?

    Both, I think. I'm not sure, though. She brought it up right after we went over my blood work results, and we had talked about how both my BP and cholesterol were too high.
  • jayjay12345654321
    jayjay12345654321 Posts: 653 Member
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    Though I'm not a proponent of Big Pharm, I took BP meds because that's something that can kill instantly without warning. It took 2 trips to the ER before I finally took them seriously when the docs told me I was lucky I hadn't already stroked out. But losing weight brought that into check and I was able to come off the drugs (Metaprolol 100mg daily and Clonidine when my BP got over 200 for emergencies).

    Cholesterol, on the other hand, is something you can spend a few months or a year slowly working on. I never took the statin drugs. My mom takes them, my dad chose dietary changes. I went his route. The first time it was an issue 8 years ago it was 242. I bought a box of instant flavored oatmeal and ate one packet each morning at work. It took six months, but it dropped to 180. That was the only change I made. I didn't quit eating anything else or start exercising. I was 31 back then.

    When I developed hypoT, high cholesterol is a side effect. I'd long since quit eating oatmeal and my cholesterol hit 356. I got it back down into the 100s through diet again, this time adding a walk around the block every night and making major lifestyle changes. (I became vegan, but that isn't necessary for everyone. It was a personal choice that just happened to be the right one for me.)

    Long explanation short - BP meds for a short time might be the safest thing for you. A stroke is not something to take lightly. The only warning sign is already there. Cholesterol meds are when all else fails, and you have time to try "all else." I know you don't want to take a pill for the rest of your life, so keep doing what you're doing and you should be able to avoid both. Either way, see a medical doctor if it involves taking a drug to get the best advice.
  • castelluzzo99
    castelluzzo99 Posts: 313 Member
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    And I'm back. But I think I'm not going to share the ideas I had here. If you want to hear them, pm me. I'm not a dietician or nutritionist, but I am taking a course in natural hygiene, and diet is one of the issues that we have been covering very thoroughly, and it's backed up by science. So pm me if you're interested, or not if you're not. :)
  • NRSPAM
    NRSPAM Posts: 961 Member
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    Yeah, in my opinion, I don't care for the government guidelines either. They put too much emphasis on carbs for me. I aim for higher protein intake, but I also lift. There are many people on here who weigh their food, and count calories, and consider it a lifestyle. I plan on doing this forever. ;)
  • sloth3toes
    sloth3toes Posts: 2,212 Member
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    Anyway, when I met with her, the first things she told me to do were 1) stop counting calories and 2) stop weighing/measuring my food.

    Think you could get her to start a thread here, at MFP, about that? I think the replies would be priceless.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    I've had a bad experience with dietitians. Bottom line is... if you follow MFP, you don't need them.

    I kinda DO get her point though. I mean how many people here are planning on counting calories forever? I know a lot plan to stop... and that's where she has a point. I know if I stopped now, I would probably fail too. .. because I love my treats, and I need to be able to count calories to make sure I don't eat too many of those.

    But it's silly. I use MFP but I still know to load my plate with veggies if I go out somewhere to eat.
  • wolfsbayne
    wolfsbayne Posts: 3,116 Member
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    I lost weight and got my cholesterol under control without counting calories. I did, however, count my fat grams and looked into heart healthy diets. That's what worked for me.
  • Whambam087
    Whambam087 Posts: 170
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    I think you should at least weigh and measure foods until you get a feel for what proper portions sizes are...and even after you have an idea it's still easy to overestimate and weighing and measuring hardly takes any time to do

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