Which to use? Dietician or nutritionist?
Fishinrich
Posts: 4 Member
Okay so I love the MyFitnessPal app and have used it on and off for several years and love it. I live below my calorie goal for weight loss and don't lose much. I'm considering paying a dietician or nutritionist for that added information on what I'm doing wrong. Could anyone please recommend either a dietician or nutritionist. If they use the my fitness app it's a bonus. Thanks
0
Replies
-
Fishinrich wrote: »Okay so I love the MyFitnessPal app and have used it on and off for several years and love it. I live below my calorie goal for weight loss and don't lose much. I'm considering paying a dietician or nutritionist for that added information on what I'm doing wrong. Could anyone please recommend either a dietician or nutritionist. If they use the my fitness app it's a bonus. Thanks
In the US, a registered dietitian has to go through a specific curriculum and get an accredited college degree, as well as participate in continuing ed. While nutritionists can be well educated, there are no national standards, though some states do have their own. And there are lots of "nutrition certification" selling companies that call themselves a very official school sounding name so a layman won't realize it isn't actually a school.
Before you go spending money though, read through some of these, your answer might be there:
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p1
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10503681/exercise-calories-do-i-eat-these-a-video-explanation/p1
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1234699/logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide/p1
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10012907/logging-accuracy-consistency-and-youre-probably-eating-more-than-you-think/p12 -
A dietitian has to have a minimum of a bachelors degree in dietetics and most will have a masters and most states require them to be licensed and certified requiring a variety of testing and continuing education.
A nutritionist may or may not have any education in dietetics and can get an online certification. In most cases, nutritionists can practice without any previous education, training, or experience though some states do require a license.
Personally, I don't think you need either...you say "off and on" which means you are inconsistent...consistency is the key. What does not losing much mean...weight loss is a slow process and most often the rate of loss is just fine and it's expectations that need to be adjusted. Also, people are kind of bad where accuracy of logging is concerned...tighten that up and use a food scale and make sure you're not picking erroneous entries from the database.5 -
Giving your stats and opening your diary would help people be able to give you some advice...3
-
Fishinrich wrote: »Okay so I love the MyFitnessPal app and have used it on and off for several years and love it. I live below my calorie goal for weight loss and don't lose much. I'm considering paying a dietician or nutritionist for that added information on what I'm doing wrong. Could anyone please recommend either a dietician or nutritionist. If they use the my fitness app it's a bonus. Thanks
How long is off and on? How long are you staying on your calorie goal when you decide you haven't lost enough? A RD or nutritionist are 2 different professions. I would refer to an RD if I had a patient with co-morbid conditions (kidney disease, diabetes), but for most of the population who just wants to lose weight they will probably not impart any information you would not find on here. They would recommend a reasonable calorie deficit. Paying attention to portion sizes. Moving more. Drinking water. They may even recommend MFP or something of the like.3 -
How long is off and on? On 3-4 months off for 4-6 months after being on plateau for 5 weeks and discouraged. My longest stretch was 5 months working out 2 days a week each an hour long 30 minutes of cardio 30 minutes of resistance on top of 20,000+ steps a day 5 days a week. I don't consider myself morbid as I'm 5'10 225lbs 50yrs old and feel I have 40 to lose. HBP & Cholesterol run in the family history tree and I'm no exception. I currently average a 500 (based on 2050) calorie deficit, walk 6000 -10,000 steps a day after my 10hr a day desk job. (This is biggest hurdle) Drink at least 50oz a day of water (unsweet tea occasionally). I have done weight watchers, keto, Atkins, and calorie counting. Atkins got me to 196 but that is not sustainable life long. I feel it's got to be the macros and why I feel professional help is needed and created this post. Thank you Kimny72 I will read each of those links.0
-
Dietician for a diet or nutritionist for nutrition suggestions, You tell us which one1
-
Dietician for a diet or nutritionist for nutrition suggestions, You tell us which one
An RD will actually work with people for a diet (AKA, weight loss) or nutritional planning.
They both study the same subjects, it's just that RDs have often received more training and there is greater oversight of their qualifications to practice (this will vary by state).1 -
Fishinrich wrote: »Okay so I love the MyFitnessPal app and have used it on and off for several years and love it. I live below my calorie goal for weight loss and don't lose much. I'm considering paying a dietician or nutritionist for that added information on what I'm doing wrong. Could anyone please recommend either a dietician or nutritionist. If they use the my fitness app it's a bonus. Thanks
In the US, a registered dietitian has to go through a specific curriculum and get an accredited college degree, as well as participate in continuing ed. While nutritionists can be well educated, there are no national standards, though some states do have their own. And there are lots of "nutrition certification" selling companies that call themselves a very official school sounding name so a layman won't realize it isn't actually a school.
To confuse matters more, some schools who train Registered Dieticians have begun using the designation "Registered Dietician Nutritionist" (same education, just a change in the name). As long as RD is part of the professional designation you are good. Just be cautious with anyone using "Nutritionist" without the RD part.1 -
So part of my original question, Could anyone please recommend either a dietician or nutritionist. Name, address phone or website you have used and should recommend. Thanks in advance.0
-
Fishinrich wrote: »So part of my original question, Could anyone please recommend either a dietician or nutritionist. Name, address phone or website you have used and should recommend. Thanks in advance.
I'm a Registered Dietitian. If you want to find someone in your area go to https://www.eatright.org/find-an-expert or contact your local hospitals for suggestions. Sometimes hospitals employ RDs to meet with people in an office/outpatient setting, and often they know where to refer you. You could also contact your doctor to find out if they know someone.
Seeing an RD may be covered by insurance if your BMI is high enough or you have a comorbid condition like high blood pressure, diabetes, etc. Your insurance company or employer may even be able to connect you with someone- I know Cigna offers multiple programs.
I've heard of some RDs doing private consultations via phone/online/apps, but I don't know any of them personally.
I'd offer to help, but my specialty is renal, and I'm not insured for private practice.
Many people fare great without the help of an RD. We can be a fountain of knowledge and support for you though, so I think your quest is a good one.3 -
The only diet advice I would ever get is from a Registered Dietitian. People who "claim" to be Nutritionists or have "diet expertise" should never be allowed to sell people diets. I can't tell you how many bios I've seen on IG with people claiming to be so knowledgeable about dieting clients just because it worked for them2
-
Fishinrich wrote: »So part of my original question, Could anyone please recommend either a dietician or nutritionist. Name, address phone or website you have used and should recommend. Thanks in advance.
Contact your primary care physician. Usually insurance will cover it if it is a physician referral and a specific diagnosis (high BMI, diabetes or pre-diabetes, food sensitivities, etc)0 -
Fishinrich wrote: »How long is off and on? On 3-4 months off for 4-6 months after being on plateau for 5 weeks and discouraged. My longest stretch was 5 months working out 2 days a week each an hour long 30 minutes of cardio 30 minutes of resistance on top of 20,000+ steps a day 5 days a week. I don't consider myself morbid as I'm 5'10 225lbs 50yrs old and feel I have 40 to lose. HBP & Cholesterol run in the family history tree and I'm no exception. I currently average a 500 (based on 2050) calorie deficit, walk 6000 -10,000 steps a day after my 10hr a day desk job. (This is biggest hurdle) Drink at least 50oz a day of water (unsweet tea occasionally). I have done weight watchers, keto, Atkins, and calorie counting. Atkins got me to 196 but that is not sustainable life long. I feel it's got to be the macros and why I feel professional help is needed and created this post. Thank you Kimny72 I will read each of those links.
In those 5 months how much weight did you lose?0 -
TavistockToad wrote: »Fishinrich wrote: »How long is off and on? On 3-4 months off for 4-6 months after being on plateau for 5 weeks and discouraged. My longest stretch was 5 months working out 2 days a week each an hour long 30 minutes of cardio 30 minutes of resistance on top of 20,000+ steps a day 5 days a week. I don't consider myself morbid as I'm 5'10 225lbs 50yrs old and feel I have 40 to lose. HBP & Cholesterol run in the family history tree and I'm no exception. I currently average a 500 (based on 2050) calorie deficit, walk 6000 -10,000 steps a day after my 10hr a day desk job. (This is biggest hurdle) Drink at least 50oz a day of water (unsweet tea occasionally). I have done weight watchers, keto, Atkins, and calorie counting. Atkins got me to 196 but that is not sustainable life long. I feel it's got to be the macros and why I feel professional help is needed and created this post. Thank you Kimny72 I will read each of those links.
In those 5 months how much weight did you lose?
21lbs than it plateaued for 5 weeks with no changes to my exorcise or diet and soon after lost the will to continue.0 -
you need to change your diet and your exercise routine because your body has become used to it. that's where almost everyone plateaus.
Clearly you get plenty of exercise so it may all be diet related. Having said that try dropping carbs in favor of protein and get your cars exclusively from fruits and vegetables. Cut out bread, pasta, rice and potatoes.
with that, if you are still looking for a referral, you have been to vague...you would have to at least narrow the recommendation by city otherwise people can't refer you because they may live in an whole other country!11 -
Some 5 our 6 years ago I lost about 45 kg (100 pounds) - slowly, but I lost that weight. Then I hit a massive plateau - tried everything I knew (obviously too little) and after about 6 months gave up and slowly the weight was creeping on again, ending up on 170 kg (375 pounds.) "I should have, I could have"....well, I could have made an appointment with a dietitian nearby and brought along all those excellent data from MFP and I could have been shown in the right direction. But I had to learn the hard way - started in March 2018 and so far I have lost just over 25 kg (about 56 pounds) and should I sit on a plateau again, I will see a dietitian right away.1
-
Fishinrich wrote: »TavistockToad wrote: »Fishinrich wrote: »How long is off and on? On 3-4 months off for 4-6 months after being on plateau for 5 weeks and discouraged. My longest stretch was 5 months working out 2 days a week each an hour long 30 minutes of cardio 30 minutes of resistance on top of 20,000+ steps a day 5 days a week. I don't consider myself morbid as I'm 5'10 225lbs 50yrs old and feel I have 40 to lose. HBP & Cholesterol run in the family history tree and I'm no exception. I currently average a 500 (based on 2050) calorie deficit, walk 6000 -10,000 steps a day after my 10hr a day desk job. (This is biggest hurdle) Drink at least 50oz a day of water (unsweet tea occasionally). I have done weight watchers, keto, Atkins, and calorie counting. Atkins got me to 196 but that is not sustainable life long. I feel it's got to be the macros and why I feel professional help is needed and created this post. Thank you Kimny72 I will read each of those links.
In those 5 months how much weight did you lose?
21lbs than it plateaued for 5 weeks with no changes to my exorcise or diet and soon after lost the will to continue.
and did you recalculate your calories after losing 21lbs?
it sounds like normal weight loss fluctuations and normal impatience to me.
consistency is really important so that when the scales are being stubborn you know that you just need to wait it out.
i went 11 weeks in the summer without losing even though i knew i was being consistent and eating in a deficit - turns out it was the ridiculous heatwave causing me to retain water and as my deficit is small (0.5lbs per week) it was easily masked by water weight.
i don't think you need a nutritionist or dietitian, just more perseverance.2
This discussion has been closed.
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 393.8K Introduce Yourself
- 43.9K Getting Started
- 260.3K Health and Weight Loss
- 176K Food and Nutrition
- 47.5K Recipes
- 232.6K Fitness and Exercise
- 428 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.5K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.6K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 153.1K Motivation and Support
- 8.1K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.4K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.8K MyFitnessPal Information
- 15 News and Announcements
- 1.2K Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.6K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions