Should I work with a registered dietitian?

I've had both good and poor experiences with dietitians. The rotten one was truly horrid and I regret that she got paid a penny to not help me (and be a witch about it.). The good one was amazingly helpful, knew her business, had all kinds of helpful ideas and was a pleasure to visit. She made what was a very unpleasant task much more doable.

There are a lot of them out there. If you happens to get one who isn't pleasant and helpful, get another one.

Call the doctor and ask for a referral. They should have a name of someone they like and trust.

IMO, if you see a good one, it's a huge help - worth every penny and then some.

It's a good thing you distinguished that an RD is not a nutritionist. People often get these two terms confused as being the same.

It is possible to end up with a bad dietitian, just like it's possible to end up with a bad doctor or dentist. Just because they pass an accredited program doesn't mean they're able to use what they've learned effectively - they're just more likely to know what they're talking about than someone who simply printed out an Internet certificate after a two-hour, online course. I would definitely ask anyone you're considering working with for a consultation or interview - just time to sit down with them and find out what they know about nutrition in general, and your specific problems. My current dietitian is really good at letting me know what is and isn't in her field (e.g. she's able to give me advice for deficit eating, but has referred me to my doctor about how to eat around my specific allergies, as she's not familiar enough with them).

All of that being said, I loved both of the dietitians I worked with. They both had/have a great field of experience, and have both offered me a lot of emotional support along with their advice on how to handle a deficit. I had tremendous success with my last one; I've kind of screwed up in the last few months with my new one, but she's been really good at leading me down the right path again and I'm looking forward to seeing results with her as well. (For note: the only reason why I'm not working with my old one still is because I've moved out of state.)

catscats222 wrote: »

can take months to get your hormones or thyroid in order.
give the prescriptions time to work.
my thyroid was off, and a simple daily vitamin that contained iodine made a world of difference.
but it takes a while - no dietitian needed, just google healthy recipes and make them.
with severe medical problems a dietitian might not be much help.

I disagree. When there are medical issues...that's when the dietitians shine! That's their real plus! They get info on what you need from the doctor and then they take off. They know all about the many different medical diets that nobody else has heard of.

When I said, "I have to start this NASH diet," to most people, I got blank stares and heard, "What's that?" When I said it to the dietitian, she started nodding her head. She knew what it was immediately and how she could help. I got explanations and printouts and all kinds of jazz. Some of the printouts, she scratched out stuff that didn't apply to me and made notes about what I had to differently.

There are so many different medical diets that doctors prescribe and the dietitians know them all. They explain them in detail. They can adapt it to your needs (medical, allergies, preferences) and come up with a plan that you can work with.

Anyone who managed to learn 6th grade Health could give you the basics of how to lose weight. It's when you have unique problems that an RD becomes a godsend.

Kalikel wrote: »

Anyone who managed to learn 6th grade Health could give you the basics of how to lose weight. It's when you have unique problems that an RD becomes a godsend.

This is my thought. I don't really think it's necessary for most people, although if you want help and have the option and think it would benefit you, try it. I would recommend it to anyone with a medically-required diet.

OP, what I think is important is to remember that some are better than others and it's possible to get a bad one and, also, that you need someone you can talk to and ask questions of. My mother went to one due to health problems that required her to have a special diet, and it was so frustrating because she was confused and had what seemed to be wrong information. My mother is terrible about asking questions (I wish I'd been able to go with her), so this may not have been the RD, but if the RD is someone you don't feel comfortable asking questions of (including "why") or really talking to about what's working and not or what you are struggling with with the diet, then you need to find someone you can do that with. Not being able to have a dialogue is not good and simply doing something without trying to understand it doesn't work for many or most of us.

I enjoyed my dietitian assigned to me from the weight clinic. She was all about the maths, would review my diary, and suggest small changes. I'd had classes out my eyeballs, so she didn't bother trying to re-teach me the basics. Changes might be as simple as reducing or increasing the calorie target by 100 a day.

I am a Registered Dietitian.. And I say yes not only for job security but because RDs are going to give you the most up to date and correct information you will get about nutrition from any health professional out there.

Most likely there are tons in your area that can look at all your medical information and give you sound advice on how to kick that plateau to the curb. Start at the doctor office, and if that doesn't work, check out www.eatright.org to find an RD near you!

I had a bad experience with one as the plan he asked me to follow just wasn't realistic for me. But yes if you have several diet restrictions, I'd probably try it.