Meeting an RD for the first time on August 14th

estherdragonbat
estherdragonbat Posts: 5,285 Member
edited July 2017 in Health and Weight Loss
I'm not really sure what to expect or what to ask. I think I'm probably going to bring in some pages from my MFP food diary, but beyond that? Any suggestions?

ETA: Also, hanging out in these forums has been great for helping me separate the 'woo' from the 'wow', but I'm curious as to what some obvious red flags might be. I would expect that if I'm seeing a professional, they're going to know their stuff. But this is a referral; I've never met them. At this point, I don't even know their name. I'm to report to an accredited weight clinic for a preliminary consultation in just under three weeks and that's all I know.

Replies

  • L1zardQueen
    L1zardQueen Posts: 8,754 Member
    Let us know what they say though, very curious.
  • estherdragonbat
    estherdragonbat Posts: 5,285 Member
    Will do!
  • fuzzylop72
    fuzzylop72 Posts: 651 Member
    My first appointment was just my dietitian asking me about what I like to eat, what sort of things I eat now, what sort of things I won't eat, and generally looking at what sort of macros and micronutrients I currently get, as well as the general caloric range i'm in. BF was tested (skin-fold calipers).

    In my case, she wanted me to get a bit more fat and protein into my diet, and be more diligent about calcium consumption. She recommended a checkup w/ bloodwork done as well to ensure my b12 was in good shape (i'm vegan) which all seemed pretty reasonable to me.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,843 Member
    Well, a red flag would be anything contained in an OP here that says, "My trainer told me to eat/not to eat..." :lol:

    Hopefully you won't hear these sorts of things from an RD though. Do keep us posted!
  • estherdragonbat
    estherdragonbat Posts: 5,285 Member
    My first appointment was just my dietitian asking me about what I like to eat, what sort of things I eat now, what sort of things I won't eat, and generally looking at what sort of macros and micronutrients I currently get, as well as the general caloric range i'm in. BF was tested (skin-fold calipers).

    In my case, she wanted me to get a bit more fat and protein into my diet, and be more diligent about calcium consumption. She recommended a checkup w/ bloodwork done as well to ensure my b12 was in good shape (i'm vegan) which all seemed pretty reasonable to me.

    Good to know! I'm vegetarian myself.
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    Well, a red flag would be anything contained in an OP here that says, "My trainer told me to eat/not to eat..." :lol:

    Hopefully you won't hear these sorts of things from an RD though. Do keep us posted!

    I shall! Thanks!

  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
    That's a great idea to take your food log. Make a list of any questions. I'm sure it will go well.
  • MichelleSilverleaf
    MichelleSilverleaf Posts: 2,028 Member
    I started seeing a dietician and so far it's been great. I see him once a month. My first visit was basically him asking me what exactly I was looking to get out of the appointments, and he also asked me things like what I eat now, my exercise level, where I had been looking for info on health and weight loss when I brought the topic up. He was the one who recommended I use this site :smile:
  • estherdragonbat
    estherdragonbat Posts: 5,285 Member
    Good to know! There was a thread started last night about grants available in Canada for weight loss. Googling brought me to http://www.weightlossgrants.org/program-guidelines

    They reimburse 80% of fees associated with weight loss (e.g. RDs, gyms and health clubs, programs like WW, Bernstein clinic) to a max of 1,800 once weight loss is completed. I figured nothing ventured nothing gained and applied. They booked me an appointment at a weight loss clinic with an RD for a one-time, no fee, no commitment consult. So, we shall see.

    MFP is working great for me so far, but I've been thinking about getting some expert help before. If I can get a break on the fees, why not?
  • MichelleSilverleaf
    MichelleSilverleaf Posts: 2,028 Member
    Certainly nothing wrong with it, I lucked out that the dietician operates in the same building as my doctor, so I can take advantage of that little inner network (doctor referred me to him). Funnily enough a friend of mine told me about the weight loss grant the other night, was considering it too. Might try and find a yoga practice near enough to me through it (half considered gyms, but I know I'd never stick to it :confused: )
  • newheavensearth
    newheavensearth Posts: 870 Member
    I have an appointment with an RD in 2 weeks but I've seen one before. Things addressed were food preferences, meal timing and daily schedule, eating habits, weight history, and physical activity. We also discussed who does the grocery shopping and meal prep, then discussed goal setting, which is where portion control and calorie levels came in.

    My appointment is for weight loss and hypoglycemia management, so my goals and outcome will probably be different. Good idea to show them your MFP journal. :)

    Hope all goes well.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    I'd expect a good RD to want to find out about what you currently do and what stumbling blocks for YOU are and what you know about nutrition. Then I'd expect suggestions based on what you said and aimed at helping with the stumbling blocks and straight information about nutrition. I'd be happy to hear "I understand that overeating because hungry is an issue, many people find that adding in a balanced breakfast and some snacks with protein help with that, is that something you'd be interested in trying" and would be alarmed to hear "it's important to eat 5-8 meals a day as you will eat less" and even more alarmed to hear something about metabolism for example.

    Many things can be helpful but are not going to work for everyone, and can be based on bad information.

    I'd also be really focused on whether the person seemed to be listened to the answers to the questions asked and responding to the information given or was just applying a one-size-fits-all template AND I'd want to feel comfortable asking questions and feel like my questions were being answered.

    (On the whole I think an RD should do a good job of this, but this is what I'd be wary of. I'd also definitely ask some questions to be sure you were communicating well -- my mom was on a special diet (medical) and never really understood it and never felt comfortable asking questions which drove me mad. I think this was largely her, but I also think it's a common problem with older people (my mom, not you!) and they should have been more attuned to the fact that she didn't understand and was resistant to asking for more information/better explanations.)
  • estherdragonbat
    estherdragonbat Posts: 5,285 Member
    Thanks, both. That's helpful. I've rarely been good with questioning authority, to be honest. It's something I'm working on.