Had a meeting with a nutritionist

angrb
angrb Posts: 12
edited November 10 in Food and Nutrition
two weeks ago and he was very specific that i'm not to have red meats or bread as it sits too long in the stomach and doesnt help with weight loss and i feel terrible have no energy and feel sick. On here is says my daily calorie intake is 2000 but the workout he has done for me allows 11-1500 is that enough. Is this the right way about losing weight or should i be changing this???

Replies

  • xraychick77
    xraychick77 Posts: 1,775 Member
    never listen to 'nutritionists' they are NOT experts.

    anyone can call themselves a nutritionist. and if they knew anything, they'd know better than to give you advice like this. even doctors are not experts. the nutrition field has so many unknowns and its a growing science. if you seek any advice or help from anyone make sure its a registered dietician. they go to school and obtain degrees, even up to doctorate levels related to nutrition and biology/physiology.

    it really is a simple as calories in calories out. you need to choose the most nutrient dense foods, which means food that gives you the most nutrient/vitamin bang for your caloric buck. whole grains, legumes, veg, fruits, healthy fats etc. you need to have a good balance of the macro nutrients. typically 45-60% carbs, 10-30% protein, 20% fats. you also need to eat a varied diet. dont eat the same things everyday..to make sure you get all the required micronutrients (vitamins/minerals).

    we dont need meat of any sort to be healthy, but we need carbs, protein and fats. if we dont intake enough carbs our bodies break down and use our muscle for glucose. if we dont intake enough calories our bodies use fat for energy.

    if you want a fairly accurate estimate on how many calories you need to be eating, i suggest the harris benedict formula. its the most trusted recommended one. choose an appropriate activity level and there you have your energy expenditure requirments (daily caloric intake to maintain weight). from there you can reduce..i would only reduce by no more than 500 calories a day, as you dont want to go to low as your body will be forced to obtain energy/glucose from lean tissue. plus it gives you no wiggle room in case you stall.
  • jastrayh
    jastrayh Posts: 1 Member
    You usually don't want to drop below 1200 calories as this triggers a starvation response in the body. Basically, when you aren't getting enough calories your body goes "eep" and holds on to all the fat it can store, which is counter-productive when trying to lose weight. Also, unless you have an ethical problem with meat, I don't see any reason why it can't be in your diet, and I've never seen anything that says red meat specifically stays in your system any longer than any other meat. It's probably a good idea to cut down on red meat as it tends to be fattier, but there are lean cuts available that negate that problem. As for breads, I personally never see a difference between when I eat bread and when I don't. Wheat and whole grain breads are better for you because they have more fiber in the grains. Fiber is your friend. In my opinion, your nutritionist sounds like poop. Mine advocates balance and setting reasonable goals.
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,423 Member
    Why not go back to the nutritionist and tell him exactly how you are feeling. Ask for specific reasons why you can't have bread or meat and ask for alternatives that will make you feel better.
    If you don't get the kind of info that seems right to you, go see someone else.
  • 1a1a
    1a1a Posts: 761 Member
    My nutritionist told me to eat less dairy, choose low fat, and artificial sweetener and keep up my half hour runs daily (true I might have lost but they were too hard to sustain). She was no help at all! Half a year later I found mfp, counted calories and lost weight without resorting to artificial sweeteners or low fat options. She could have just sent me here instead and I'd be half a year ahead in weight loss.

    Gdamn nutritionists annoy me. Michael Pollen says it well when he likens 21st century nutrition science to being like medicine in the 1600s. Lots of good ideas but we are not there yet!

    What ever you do, eat more veg :-)
  • iKristine
    iKristine Posts: 288 Member
    never listen to 'nutritionists' they are NOT experts.

    anyone can call themselves a nutritionist. and if they knew anything, they'd know better than to give you advice like this. even doctors are not experts. the nutrition field has so many unknowns and its a growing science. if you seek any advice or help from anyone make sure its a registered dietician. they go to school and obtain degrees, even up to doctorate levels related to nutrition and biology/physiology.

    it really is a simple as calories in calories out. you need to choose the most nutrient dense foods, which means food that gives you the most nutrient/vitamin bang for your caloric buck. whole grains, legumes, veg, fruits, healthy fats etc. you need to have a good balance of the macro nutrients. typically 45-60% carbs, 10-30% protein, 20% fats. you also need to eat a varied diet. dont eat the same things everyday..to make sure you get all the required micronutrients (vitamins/minerals).

    we dont need meat of any sort to be healthy, but we need carbs, protein and fats. if we dont intake enough carbs our bodies break down and use our muscle for glucose. if we dont intake enough calories our bodies use fat for energy.

    if you want a fairly accurate estimate on how many calories you need to be eating, i suggest the harris benedict formula. its the most trusted recommended one. choose an appropriate activity level and there you have your energy expenditure requirments (daily caloric intake to maintain weight). from there you can reduce..i would only reduce by no more than 500 calories a day, as you dont want to go to low as your body will be forced to obtain energy/glucose from lean tissue. plus it gives you no wiggle room in case you stall.

    I one up this.

    However, I would add that formulas are one size fits all, they do't account for your fitness progression. In other words, the better you get at performing an activity and the more fit you become, the fewer calories you will burn doing that same activity - this phenomenon, called "exercise economy," is simply a standard mammalian adaptation to work and/or starvation. A formula cannot account for these changes. Not to say that those formulas cannot be guidelines, they just CAN be subject to variation that really only through practice and logging, then collaborating the results can show their true accuracy.
  • bluemist248
    bluemist248 Posts: 207 Member
    That's very odd advice, I haven't heard that one before! I eat both of these and still lose weight.
  • stephaniethomas80
    stephaniethomas80 Posts: 190 Member
    totally off the topic and I appologize but how do you get your weight loss ticker to show up on your comments like that?
  • fionarama
    fionarama Posts: 788 Member
    I think everyone knows from experience that bread doesn't go with weight loss, and should be eaten in moderation. too much red meat causes bowel cancer anyway but ok to eat once or twice a week.
  • angrb
    angrb Posts: 12
    Thanks everyone, its great to be able to talk and get advice from people who are like me trying to lose weight, Also is it true that you only lose weight if you exercise first thing in the morning on an empty stomach?
  • angrb
    angrb Posts: 12
    I think i clicked on my picture and there was a setting to turn it on, :)
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,423 Member
    Thanks everyone, its great to be able to talk and get advice from people who are like me trying to lose weight, Also is it true that you only lose weight if you exercise first thing in the morning on an empty stomach?

    Nope, when you exercise you burn calories. It doesn't matter what time of day.
    You lose weight because you are burning (from exercise plus daily activities) more than you are eating.
  • angrb
    angrb Posts: 12
    Thanks everyone, its great to be able to talk and get advice from people who are like me trying to lose weight, Also is it true that you only lose weight if you exercise first thing in the morning on an empty stomach?

    Nope, when you exercise you burn calories. It doesn't matter what time of day.
    You lose weight because you are burning (from exercise plus daily activities) more than you are eating.

    Thanks for that, i was also told this by my nutritionist,
  • angrb
    angrb Posts: 12
    totally off the topic and I appologize but how do you get your weight loss ticker to show up on your comments like that?

    Click on the "settings" at top of page :)
  • iKristine
    iKristine Posts: 288 Member
    Thanks everyone, its great to be able to talk and get advice from people who are like me trying to lose weight, Also is it true that you only lose weight if you exercise first thing in the morning on an empty stomach?

    No.

    Absurd.

    The idea behind this logic is that your system is free of carbs and food since it was digested overnight. Giving the "obvious" (sarcasm) logic that only thing left is fat to burn.

    When in reality, when you have no food to use, your body breaks down muscle first.

    You should eat a small to medium size meal before you workout, with veggies, carbs and lean protein. This way your body burns that, before other.

    Fitness is a tool you use in combination with proper diet to achieve weight loss. Fitness isn't a tool to be used exclusively for this. -- I cannot stress this enough

    Anything that tells you to "work it to burn it" as the ONLY instructions, is a half *kitten* example. Misleading lots of people. This is where you get people working out 7 days a week, eating none cals back, strictly eating 1200 and complaining they plateaued after a few weeks.
  • stephaniethomas80
    stephaniethomas80 Posts: 190 Member
    tried that but there was nothing on there about automatically adding my ticker to my comments
  • angrb
    angrb Posts: 12
    Hmm ok, so my plan is to go to gym 3-4 times per week and do cardio and weights, i want to lose around 25kg and then see how i feel after that, i have done diets before and either gotten so hungry and gone to mcdonalds or theres been an aftershock and i stress eat. This losing weight is hard work, any tips :)
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,423 Member
    Hmm ok, so my plan is to go to gym 3-4 times per week and do cardio and weights, i want to lose around 25kg and then see how i feel after that, i have done diets before and either gotten so hungry and gone to mcdonalds or theres been an aftershock and i stress eat. This losing weight is hard work, any tips :)

    My tips:
    - don't choose "lose 2 pounds a week". In my opinion, unless you have a LOT of weight to lose, then it's just going to give you a really small number of calories (typically 1200) to eat. If you hvae a history of dieting and giving up, then this would be the fastest way to do that all over again.
    - start off my logging everything you eat, then you will soon see where the high calories are coming from. It doesn't mean you have to get rid of these things - avocado, cheese, red meat all have pretty high cals but you're getting lots of nutrition. Better to lose the higher cal items that are full of sugar and artificial flavours that aren't giving you much nutrition.
    - if you go over calories - don't stress, just do better tomorrow.
    - don't give up! You AREN'T going to lose 25kg in a month. It's just not going to happen, so there is no point in setting yourself up for failure. It took me about 8 months to lose 20kg, but I've kept that off and lost another 2 since then. Like you, i've lost weight and gained it again so many times, so this is real victory.

    Good luck!
  • jhyan
    jhyan Posts: 59 Member
    Thanks everyone, its great to be able to talk and get advice from people who are like me trying to lose weight, Also is it true that you only lose weight if you exercise first thing in the morning on an empty stomach?

    Nope, when you exercise you burn calories. It doesn't matter what time of day.
    You lose weight because you are burning (from exercise plus daily activities) more than you are eating.


    Thanks for that, i was also told this by my nutritionist,

    Where did your nutritionist get an education? Baffling... severely.
  • CuteAndCurvy83
    CuteAndCurvy83 Posts: 570 Member
    Thanks everyone, its great to be able to talk and get advice from people who are like me trying to lose weight, Also is it true that you only lose weight if you exercise first thing in the morning on an empty stomach?

    Not at all I did almost all my workouts either before or after dinner, I lost 40lbs before I got pregnant, and will most likely go back to the same plan once baby is born.
  • DL121004
    DL121004 Posts: 214 Member
    it really is a simple as calories in calories out...you need to have a good balance of the macro nutrients.

    If the former were true the latter would be false. The former is not true, or more clearly, a vast oversimplification.
    we dont need meat of any sort to be healthy, but we need carbs, protein and fats.

    We don't need CHO.
  • DL121004
    DL121004 Posts: 214 Member
    When in reality, when you have no food to use, your body breaks down muscle first.

    Not true.
  • Sidesteal
    Sidesteal Posts: 5,510 Member
    two weeks ago and he was very specific that i'm not to have red meats or bread as it sits too long in the stomach and doesnt help with weight loss

    What method did your nutritionist use to determine the length which bread and meat sit in your stomach and did he or she say that this is true of everyone or do you have something unique going on?

    Think about this for a moment. If you ate a cheeseburger and a chocolate malt and some broccoli all in one sitting, when your stomach empties would just the bun and the patty stay behind, per your nutritionist's theory? IF THE ANSWER IS YES, why is this even a problem?

    Ask specifically why white bread is a problem but wheat bread isn't.

    Or better yet, stop paying that nutritionist and discard the info you were given.
  • Matt_Wild
    Matt_Wild Posts: 2,673 Member
    OP.

    Bread is readily absorbed by the body, can cause bloating in some people.

    Red meat is fine and contains lots of good protein and good saturated fats (which are good for the body and will help lose fat and maintain testosterone levels in you, which will aid you).

    He's talking guff.
  • apvalletta
    apvalletta Posts: 110 Member
    my trainer just told me yesterday to do the treadmill for 20 minutes first thing in the morning before you eat for more calorie burn, but not longer than 20 minutes or you may start to feel nauseous, then eat breakfast. Don't know if it really works, I just tried today for the first time.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    two weeks ago and he was very specific that i'm not to have red meats or bread as it sits too long in the stomach and doesnt help with weight loss and i feel terrible have no energy and feel sick. On here is says my daily calorie intake is 2000 but the workout he has done for me allows 11-1500 is that enough. Is this the right way about losing weight or should i be changing this???

    Was this nutritionist a licensed dietician? Were they giving advice based on your medical history, or just general advice they give to everyone. If you were referred by a doctor and the nutritionist is working with that doctor and making recommendations specifically for you based on your medical record, then my advice would be to follow that advice. Everyone is different and advice based on your personal history by a competent professional is about as good as you'll get.

    But if this nutritionist is not licensed and is not working with your medical history, I'd at least run the advice by your doctor before making any drastic changes.
  • Matt_Wild
    Matt_Wild Posts: 2,673 Member
    my trainer just told me yesterday to do the treadmill for 20 minutes first thing in the morning before you eat for more calorie burn, but not longer than 20 minutes or you may start to feel nauseous, then eat breakfast. Don't know if it really works, I just tried today for the first time.

    The theory is lower blood glucose = more fat burned. Reality? A few studies I've read show no difference.

    However best to do cardio when you can, get it done! I do 50 mins each morning when dieting for a show
  • Sidesteal
    Sidesteal Posts: 5,510 Member
    The theory is lower blood glucose = more fat burned. Reality? A few studies I've read show no difference.

    However best to do cardio when you can, get it done! I do 50 mins each morning when dieting for a show

    ^ This.

    Additionally, Lyle has a good write up on this but it has nothing to do with any additional caloric benefit to fasted cardio, it basically shows (via anecdote) that fatty acid mobilization can improve in SOME people by doing fasted cardio, but mobilization isn't typically an issue in people who aren't already "relatively" lean (15%). For all practical purposes, that info doesn't apply to the vast majority who are just trying to get into shape, as most people who aren't bodybuilding would be plenty happy at 15%.



    Do cardio whenever you will actually do it successfully regardless of AM or PM, fasted or fed. Get it done and burn calories.
  • BeeElMarvin
    BeeElMarvin Posts: 2,086 Member
    You usually don't want to drop below 1200 calories as this triggers a starvation response in the body. Basically, when you aren't getting enough calories your body goes "eep" and holds on to all the fat it can store, which is counter-productive when trying to lose weight. Also, unless you have an ethical problem with meat, I don't see any reason why it can't be in your diet, and I've never seen anything that says red meat specifically stays in your system any longer than any other meat. It's probably a good idea to cut down on red meat as it tends to be fattier, but there are lean cuts available that negate that problem. As for breads, I personally never see a difference between when I eat bread and when I don't. Wheat and whole grain breads are better for you because they have more fiber in the grains. Fiber is your friend. In my opinion, your nutritionist sounds like poop. Mine advocates balance and setting reasonable goals.

    Stop it! Dropping below 1200 calories does not automatically trigger a starvation response, even "usually"! A starvation response MAY occur at a certain maintained low caloric level (different for everybody), in which metabolism MAY slow down.
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