Working with a nutrition coach - Anyone care to share experiences?
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mlewon
Posts: 343 Member
Hi everyone!
My name is Marisa, I'm 25, and I'm a full-time grad student and yoga instructor. Grad school has really been kicking my *kitten*, and I've been super inconsistent with eating, so I decided to get an online nutrition coach for three months starting up on Monday. I'm super excited about it, but I'd love to hear other people's experiences, what you felt was the best part of it/any challenges (mentally, etc), any advice! I've never worked with a nutrition coach before, only ever fitness trainers (I've been working in gyms for awhile now), but now I know the help I need is definitely in the kitchen/accountability.
Hopefully some of you have some experiences to share! Thanks
My name is Marisa, I'm 25, and I'm a full-time grad student and yoga instructor. Grad school has really been kicking my *kitten*, and I've been super inconsistent with eating, so I decided to get an online nutrition coach for three months starting up on Monday. I'm super excited about it, but I'd love to hear other people's experiences, what you felt was the best part of it/any challenges (mentally, etc), any advice! I've never worked with a nutrition coach before, only ever fitness trainers (I've been working in gyms for awhile now), but now I know the help I need is definitely in the kitchen/accountability.
Hopefully some of you have some experiences to share! Thanks
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Replies
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I can't afford to work with one but my exercise friend has one and he advised intermittent fasting. He told her to eat all of her food in an 8-10 hour window every day and fast the rest of the time. She looks really good.10
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Thanks for your reply! That’s great about your friend, and that it is working for her. I’ve saved up for awhile to be able to afford the coach.
I intermittent fasted all of last year-it can work, but there’s no scientific proven benefits for it other than just giving yourself a limited amount of time to consume calories. (https://www.muscleforlife.com/does-intermittent-fasting-work/). There’s also no proven negatives, so it’s all in what works for you! 4 -
I'd say put your money towards a registered dietitian, rather than an online nutrition coach, anyone with the internet and a little money can become a nutrition coach with a couple of online classes, whereas a registered dietitian must have degree level training and a pass a registration exam.
What is it you're hoping to get from the process?6 -
Total waste of money. Anyone can be a 'nutrition coach'. All you have to know is to eat 5 servings of fruit and veggies a day, and reach your protein and fat goals. MFP will help more with that than any nutrition coach, who might recommend something that doesn't work for you anyway (like the one above who thinks that you need to eat everything in a 8 to 10 hour window).5
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tinkerbellang83 wrote: »I'd say put your money towards a registered dietitian, rather than an online nutrition coach, anyone with the internet and a little money can become a nutrition coach with a couple of online classes, whereas a registered dietitian must have degree level training and a pass a registration exam.
What is it you're hoping to get from the process?
She has a degree in nutrition actually! And mostly the accountability. I lost 18lbs on my own last year, but with grad school it's been hard for me to prioritize my own health. I just really wanted the check-in system, as I'm finding that because of the stress of grad school and working two jobs, I've been making a million excuses.2 -
Total waste of money. Anyone can be a 'nutrition coach'. All you have to know is to eat 5 servings of fruit and veggies a day, and reach your protein and fat goals. MFP will help more with that than any nutrition coach, who might recommend something that doesn't work for you anyway (like the one above who thinks that you need to eat everything in a 8 to 10 hour window).
I've done it before on my own (lost 18lbs last year while beating previous PR's in S/B/D), but I know I need a little more accountability at this point in time due to grad school and working two jobs. You opinion is valid, but sometimes we all need a little extra help 0 -
tinkerbellang83 wrote: »I'd say put your money towards a registered dietitian, rather than an online nutrition coach, anyone with the internet and a little money can become a nutrition coach with a couple of online classes, whereas a registered dietitian must have degree level training and a pass a registration exam.
What is it you're hoping to get from the process?
She has a degree in nutrition actually! And mostly the accountability. I lost 18lbs on my own last year, but with grad school it's been hard for me to prioritize my own health. I just really wanted the check-in system, as I'm finding that because of the stress of grad school and working two jobs, I've been making a million excuses.
Glad you at least have someone who is qualified. Hope it works for you and is worth the spend and well done on your loss so far.
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tinkerbellang83 wrote: »tinkerbellang83 wrote: »I'd say put your money towards a registered dietitian, rather than an online nutrition coach, anyone with the internet and a little money can become a nutrition coach with a couple of online classes, whereas a registered dietitian must have degree level training and a pass a registration exam.
What is it you're hoping to get from the process?
She has a degree in nutrition actually! And mostly the accountability. I lost 18lbs on my own last year, but with grad school it's been hard for me to prioritize my own health. I just really wanted the check-in system, as I'm finding that because of the stress of grad school and working two jobs, I've been making a million excuses.
Glad you at least have someone who is qualified. Hope it works for you and is worth the spend and well done on your loss so far.
Thank you! 0 -
Hi everyone!
My name is Marisa, I'm 25, and I'm a full-time grad student and yoga instructor. Grad school has really been kicking my *kitten*, and I've been super inconsistent with eating, so I decided to get an online nutrition coach for three months starting up on Monday. I'm super excited about it, but I'd love to hear other people's experiences, what you felt was the best part of it/any challenges (mentally, etc), any advice! I've never worked with a nutrition coach before, only ever fitness trainers (I've been working in gyms for awhile now), but now I know the help I need is definitely in the kitchen/accountability.
Hopefully some of you have some experiences to share! Thanks
This place is very anti-nutritional coaching, as you are seeing. Hopefully your experience is good and let us know how it goes. The accountability factor can make all the difference for some people. Good luck!9 -
I worked with a registered dietician (who also happens to be a professional bodybuilder) and had great success. The specific area I needed help in was tweaking my diet during a period of high intensity training to allow for weight loss while still providing adequate fuel for long duration workouts. I had struggled on my own, so both the knowledge provided by the RD, together with the accountability of checking in with him twice weekly via email, worked very well for me. Good luck.
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I love my nutrition coach. I love that I have someone to check in with. She gives me a hard time if I'm not giving a *kitten* enough, and also helps support me when things are hard. She helps me make intelligent choices about the calorie deficit I run, and my macro split. She helps me figure out whether how much I'm eating is helping or hurting me in my training and overall life (ie. do I have enough energy to have good workouts? Am I eating enough carbs to fuel my every day activities, etc). So for someone like me, who is likely to just say "ok, I want to lose all the weight... 1200 calories a day! or Never eat carbs!" and then run myself into the ground and stall my training... it's a really useful service.
If you're the type of person who is happy to plug stuff into MFP and don't need the social connection of having a coach and the added accountability, then it's all good. You do you, man. Some of us just chose to pay for a service for a myriad of reasons. Clearly, the service is worth it to those who use it.6 -
Hi everyone!
My name is Marisa, I'm 25, and I'm a full-time grad student and yoga instructor. Grad school has really been kicking my *kitten*, and I've been super inconsistent with eating, so I decided to get an online nutrition coach for three months starting up on Monday. I'm super excited about it, but I'd love to hear other people's experiences, what you felt was the best part of it/any challenges (mentally, etc), any advice! I've never worked with a nutrition coach before, only ever fitness trainers (I've been working in gyms for awhile now), but now I know the help I need is definitely in the kitchen/accountability.
Hopefully some of you have some experiences to share! Thanks
This place is very anti-nutritional coaching, as you are seeing. Hopefully your experience is good and let us know how it goes. The accountability factor can make all the difference for some people. Good luck!
It's because loads of them are clueless.10 -
This depends on where you are fitness wise. If just starting out and completely ignorant you can either pay for someone else to inform you or you can get informed yourself. Personally I would simply read the stickied forum posts on MFP before investing, simply for the purpose of fact checking.
For the average person I would say this is a bad investment as specific nutrition is not required. Now that I'm considering seriously competing in adventure racing I am looking at what a nutrition coach has to offer, but first I'm investing in a biking coach.
Assess your priorities and goals and make an informed decision.8 -
This depends on where you are fitness wise. If just starting out and completely ignorant you can either pay for someone else to inform you or you can get informed yourself. Personally I would simply read the stickied forum posts on MFP before investing, simply for the purpose of fact checking.
For the average person I would say this is a bad investment as specific nutrition is not required. Now that I'm considering seriously competing in adventure racing I am looking at what a nutrition coach has to offer, but first I'm investing in a biking coach.
Assess your priorities and goals and make an informed decision.
This ^
Although I can see OP's appeal of the accountability that comes with a coach. Especially given the financial compensation factor and not wanting to waste it.RuNaRoUnDaFiEld wrote: »Hi everyone!
My name is Marisa, I'm 25, and I'm a full-time grad student and yoga instructor. Grad school has really been kicking my *kitten*, and I've been super inconsistent with eating, so I decided to get an online nutrition coach for three months starting up on Monday. I'm super excited about it, but I'd love to hear other people's experiences, what you felt was the best part of it/any challenges (mentally, etc), any advice! I've never worked with a nutrition coach before, only ever fitness trainers (I've been working in gyms for awhile now), but now I know the help I need is definitely in the kitchen/accountability.
Hopefully some of you have some experiences to share! Thanks
This place is very anti-nutritional coaching, as you are seeing. Hopefully your experience is good and let us know how it goes. The accountability factor can make all the difference for some people. Good luck!
It's because loads of them are clueless.
Funny story, my brother is a Type-1 Diabetic (that's not what's funny) and while the average person not affected by or knows anyone affected by Diabetes really shouldn't know the difference, you'd think a pompous, holier than thou, trainer/nutritionist employed by a reputable chain of gyms (that I shall not name) would know THERE IS a difference.
My brother was lectured by a guy one time after making the mistake of asking the "expert" about strategies to body build as a Type-1. He could smell the cookie cutter *kitten* spewing out this guy's mouth instantly. So he then proceeded to call him out, to which I am saddened I wasn't there to witness... and laugh.
I don't want to paint them all with the same brush but sheesh, that company needs to distance themselves from that guy quick (if they haven't already).4 -
RuNaRoUnDaFiEld wrote: »Hi everyone!
My name is Marisa, I'm 25, and I'm a full-time grad student and yoga instructor. Grad school has really been kicking my *kitten*, and I've been super inconsistent with eating, so I decided to get an online nutrition coach for three months starting up on Monday. I'm super excited about it, but I'd love to hear other people's experiences, what you felt was the best part of it/any challenges (mentally, etc), any advice! I've never worked with a nutrition coach before, only ever fitness trainers (I've been working in gyms for awhile now), but now I know the help I need is definitely in the kitchen/accountability.
Hopefully some of you have some experiences to share! Thanks
This place is very anti-nutritional coaching, as you are seeing. Hopefully your experience is good and let us know how it goes. The accountability factor can make all the difference for some people. Good luck!
It's because loads of them are clueless.
The cluelessness is not understanding different people are motivated in different ways. You and OP may thrive having another person tell you what to eat and evaluate your choices; that's my idea of hell.
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RuNaRoUnDaFiEld wrote: »Hi everyone!
My name is Marisa, I'm 25, and I'm a full-time grad student and yoga instructor. Grad school has really been kicking my *kitten*, and I've been super inconsistent with eating, so I decided to get an online nutrition coach for three months starting up on Monday. I'm super excited about it, but I'd love to hear other people's experiences, what you felt was the best part of it/any challenges (mentally, etc), any advice! I've never worked with a nutrition coach before, only ever fitness trainers (I've been working in gyms for awhile now), but now I know the help I need is definitely in the kitchen/accountability.
Hopefully some of you have some experiences to share! Thanks
This place is very anti-nutritional coaching, as you are seeing. Hopefully your experience is good and let us know how it goes. The accountability factor can make all the difference for some people. Good luck!
It's because loads of them are clueless.
The cluelessness is not understanding different people are motivated in different ways. You and OP may thrive having another person tell you what to eat and evaluate your choices; that's my idea of hell.
I really did a fouble take at this post and it took me several reads to figure out what made you say that.
FYI I think the poster meant that most nutrition coaches are clueless (I am taking that to mean clueless about MFP or simply lacking real qualifications).3 -
This place is very anti-nutritional coaching, as you are seeing. Hopefully your experience is good and let us know how it goes. The accountability factor can make all the difference for some people. Good luck!I worked with a registered dietician (who also happens to be a professional bodybuilder) and had great success.Katiebear_81 wrote: »I love my nutrition coach.
Thanks for the positive responses guys! I really appreciate it.
For the record, I'm definitely not clueless when it comes to diet/nutrition/fitness. I've been working as a yoga/pilates/bootcamp instructor for a few years (with about a six-month break when I moved/started grad school. I just started teaching again tonight, actually!). I definitely did my research on a coach, and I chose one who understands my goals. I'm not just simply trying to lose weight, it's more about body recomp at this point, and finding what works best with my insane schedule.
Thanks to all the responses as well, we all clearly have different views, but they're all valid! I understand everyone has had different experiences, and that's definitely why I started this thread.
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Fairly sure the cluelessness reference is not about OP but to the many "nutritional coaches" out there who tell their clients things like "You're not losing weight because you're not eating enough", "Buy my product, it's the best way to lose weight" or put people on VLCDs. That's why the forums are so anti-nutrition coach, it's like anything that's not regulated properly, we don't like to see people lose money without having done proper research into who they are giving the money to.
OP seems to have done a decent job with doing her research, but there are plenty of posts on the forums where people haven't. Nothing wrong with a bit of caution.
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RuNaRoUnDaFiEld wrote: »Hi everyone!
My name is Marisa, I'm 25, and I'm a full-time grad student and yoga instructor. Grad school has really been kicking my *kitten*, and I've been super inconsistent with eating, so I decided to get an online nutrition coach for three months starting up on Monday. I'm super excited about it, but I'd love to hear other people's experiences, what you felt was the best part of it/any challenges (mentally, etc), any advice! I've never worked with a nutrition coach before, only ever fitness trainers (I've been working in gyms for awhile now), but now I know the help I need is definitely in the kitchen/accountability.
Hopefully some of you have some experiences to share! Thanks
This place is very anti-nutritional coaching, as you are seeing. Hopefully your experience is good and let us know how it goes. The accountability factor can make all the difference for some people. Good luck!
It's because loads of them are clueless.
The cluelessness is not understanding different people are motivated in different ways. You and OP may thrive having another person tell you what to eat and evaluate your choices; that's my idea of hell.
You've misunderstood me.
Most nutritional coaches are clueless.
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Personally why waste money on a coach when all the tools are here for you on MFP.0
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