Irresponsible advice from dietitian?

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Replies

  • ashleyisgreat
    ashleyisgreat Posts: 586 Member
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
  • LiftAllThePizzas
    LiftAllThePizzas Posts: 17,857 Member
    Yeah, that's pretty bad.

    I've also seen people claiming to be dieticians here lack even a basic understanding of human biology, so clearly that degree isn't everything. Find a new dietician.
    Yeah I saw one who didn't know the difference between cellular respiration and the respiratory system. Apparently that title can be found in a Cracker Jack box.
  • krawhitham
    krawhitham Posts: 831 Member
    I saw an excellent nutritionist in the Bay Area, California. I think she mostly works out of San Francisco. I only saw her twice, but she was very communicative via email and she had me write down everything I ate for 6 months. I had never done this before, and it was an eye opener. She gave me realistic things that I could easily prepare/eat at work and told me where I was lacking in my macros simply by looking at my food diary. She is NOT a fan of restricting ANY type of food!

    After a year of correspondence, and over the year I had only been gaining weight at a slow but steady rate (and all normal blood tests) she concluded with "your job is killing you"

    She was right. The stress and ridiculous hours of my job were precluding me from losing any weight. I wasn't sleeping right because of it, even if I exercised before work every day and ate as "right" as I possibly could, it was an uphill battle.

    I finally got laid off from my job, and in the first month I lost 5 lbs and I didn't change much of anything with my diet and exercise. If any of you need a face to face interaction with an excellent nutritionist who will tell it like it is in the Bay Area, PM me and I'd be happy to share her information!
  • ztaitaifufu
    ztaitaifufu Posts: 77 Member
    jeez that dietician sounds atrocious ! how do these people get degrees and licences... the bar is definitely way too low. in terms of high cholesterol/blood pressure beyond the whole exercise, and stress management among other lifestyle changes, for particular things you can tweek with your diet, i don't know your tastes obv :) but some things that are excellent at lowering cholesterol & BP are bitter melon and red yeast rice. i know when i;m making something that will raise my hubby's cholesterol and BP i'll often make it with red yeast rice wine lees to balance things out for him. also watch your salt (processed foods/ cured meat can be pretty problematic in terms of heart, ect health. however the link between dietary cholesterol and sterum cholesterol is not actually a sure thing. ... but yeah definitely find someone else. good luck !
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  • tea4rose
    tea4rose Posts: 12 Member
    Sadly this is common advice given from dieticians. :-(

    I went to see the school dietician in the fall for help with NES and she designed a meal plan identical to the one I used to gain with recovering from anorexia.

    I feel your frustration.
  • tea4rose
    tea4rose Posts: 12 Member
    ***I am fifteen pounds overweight
  • msf74
    msf74 Posts: 3,498 Member
    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.

    Pretty much this. There are many roads to Rome (or a calorie deficit / healthy lifestyle in this regard.)

    The problem comes when you cannot see a client as an individual with specific strengths and weaknesses and instead of coming up with an individualised approach to cater to that you try and impose your favoured approach or beliefs on to them.

    Can calorie counting and weighing food lead to obsessive behaviour? Yes, of course but that depends on the individual. They are simply tools at the end of the day. If you like them and they work for you then keep it, if not find another way.

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