Have you worked with a nutritionist?

finchest
finchest Posts: 245 Member
edited December 20 in Food and Nutrition
I see a lot of people give each other advice on this site, and I feel we all learn a lot from each other here on the forums. However, I'm wondering - have any of you turned to a nutritionist? And did that change the way you perceive the forum advice?

I have an appointment with a nutritionist this week, and don't know whether it will be redundant (my hunch - I feel like the MFP general forum consensus is informed, and a nutritionist might not have anything new to share with me) or whether it will be eye-opening & drastically differ from the MFP advice I see bounce around.

The first appointment is really a consultation, so the question is: go for the gold and put my faith in this nutritionist, or forget about it and stick with MFP advice and save myself some money?

Replies

  • wftiger
    wftiger Posts: 1,283 Member
    Go.

    The problem with the internet is that everyone can have it. Even those that shouldn't even have scissors in their homes. There are many people on this site that mean well but they are stuck on their way or the highway. Even though their way is not according to any reputable site for nutrition/wellness.

    Do yourself a favor. Take everything on this site for what it is, opinions by non-qualified anonymous people. Use reputable sites for your information (Mayo Clinic, American Heart Association, etc.). They are not swayed by public opinion and the human need to fit in and be cool.

    Good luck at your appointment. I like my nutritionist and would not be at almost 100 lbs gone with the guidance from my entire medical group.
  • vanishingirl77
    vanishingirl77 Posts: 37
    yes, but not the way you mean. i'm earning my bachelor's degree in health education and my senior practicum was in a weight loss clinic owned & ran by a registered dietician. (i have one class left!!!) part of my duties were to be a weight loss coach so i helped with a lot of nutrition advice. i set up a meal plan for a couple training for a marathon, helped children who were obese & overweight, helped women who'd been overweight all of their lives, and men who were getting fit for the first time.

    there is a lot of really good advice here, but i think it gets more detailed from a nutritionist. just having the personal support of someone in real life can make a huge difference. the problem is that even the professionals can be wrong.

    the place i worked at started promoting a lot of weight loss methods that i was not comfortable with (emotional freedom technique & eastern medicines). i hated it and refused to join in.

    and i did see one when i was younger (at the student health center in college) and was advised to never eat more than 15-20 grams of fat per day. so bad information is out there.
  • mightymom2
    mightymom2 Posts: 312 Member
    I've been to a nutritionist and the information I received is what I use to base my goals on MFP, I would recommend you go, theres no such thing as getting too much input
  • Fit_Canuck
    Fit_Canuck Posts: 788 Member
    Go, get advice from a trainer professional who will evaluate you personally and provide insight on what would work for you and then helps you tweak and perfect your meal plan.

    There are more armchair experts on this site that I can count and you'll get so much conflicting information, go get a professional evaluation and plan and you'll be so much happier.
  • TheFunBun
    TheFunBun Posts: 793 Member
    I've been to a nutritionist.. and ... honestly, I have learned a lot more by looking up studies after receiving bits of info from MFP members. The nutritionist I went to seemed to usually have to deal with people with blood conditions/metabolic issues, whereas I am just a fat person who has a hard time losing weight despite my eating habits and activity.

    It reminded me of BBC health channel - he actually had little plastic food items and asked me what I would choose. After discovering I wasn't eating cinnamon rolls and mayo for every meal, he just did the same "Try this number of calories per day and come back in a few weeks" that people on MFP do.

    I'm going to try a dietician next. :)
  • Fit_Canuck
    Fit_Canuck Posts: 788 Member
    I've been to a nutritionist.. and ... honestly, I have learned a lot more by looking up studies after receiving bits of info from MFP members. The nutritionist I went to seemed to usually have to deal with people with blood conditions/metabolic issues, whereas I am just a fat person who has a hard time losing weight despite my eating habits and activity.

    It reminded me of BBC health channel - he actually had little plastic food items and asked me what I would choose. After discovering I wasn't eating cinnamon rolls and mayo for every meal, he just did the same "Try this number of calories per day and come back in a few weeks" that people on MFP do.

    I'm going to try a dietician next. :)

    I should have been more precise too in my answer, in my case it was a Sports Dietician, she's worked with sports teams, olympic committees and she is phenomenal , I would take her advice over MFP any day of the week, she has the credentials and the knowledge to back her advice.
  • finchest
    finchest Posts: 245 Member
    thanks for your input! I think I'm going to just go into this appointment with an open mind and trust my gut from there. One good sign to me was that in her web log, this nutritionist advocates using MFP in conjunction with her guidance, which tells me it hopefully won't be an either/or situation. I'll report back.
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