Do you/Did you trust your NUT/Dietitian?

[SoulGlo 75]

I was just wondering how many forum members really had faith in their NUT/Dietician and that their prescribed advice would not only help them progress through their journey but also make sure that their plan would assist them in achieving the best outcome possible?

During my time on Bariatric pal, I noticed that whenever a question is posed, someone will often respond with 'check with your nut/dietician' but what if that person's nut is incompetent and not forthcoming with needed information?

I personally don't trust or have much faith in my Dietician team or their prescribed plan. First all, the diet plan that they give to patients is too relaxed and imo is not that conducive to those really want to reach their ideal goal weight and maintain it. The plan is too carb friendly, they give diet examples using rice, Pasta or bread and no real emphasis on keeping carbs low in order to better facilitate weight loss. I thank my lucky stars that I decided to really do research and go on bariatric forums or else I would have been still chowing down on breads and pasta like nobody's business.

Also they're a reluctant on giving you an answer to a lot of questions, Tbh I have given up on asking them anything because I’m always left unenlightened. On a number of occasions, I have asked about ideal carb and fats allowance per day and they always hit you with ' Just focus on Proteins and water' which isn't entirely wrong but I feel that they fail to realise that there's many loopholes in just hawking that advice and ignoring other finer details . For example, I could eat a McLand, sea and air burger from McDonald’s with loads of Water and be covering the objective of getting my Protein and fluids. Technically I would be following their advice to a tee but in actual fact I would have just congested 116g of carbohydrates. If I could change my dietician team I would but things are not that easy with the NHS (UK).

What about you guys? Do you trust your NUT/Dietician?

[LipstickLady 25,682]

My NUT was ridiculous. She had no knowledge of WLS and she tried hawking her MLM Vitamin catalog on me.

I saw her the required amount of times, assembled nutritious portions of plastic veggies and meats on a plastic tray under her direction for 15 minutes and was approved for competency.

My surgeon and his NP were my sources for diet and follow up meal plans. I loved my NP. She was helpful, knowledgable and in tune with my process.

[Inner Surfer Girl 12,015]

My NUT is great and yes, her primary instructions for me have always been "focus on Protein and water".

[missheidi47 127]

I am lucky that the NUT is part of the surgeon's practice and they are a "Bariatric Center of Excellence." I saw 2 different NUTs in my required appointments, and both were really helpful.

[chasingpolaris321 214]

This isn't specific to WLS, but I find that nutritionists in general have vastly different opinions about what a typical diet should look like. The education background and degree requirements for nutritionists don't seem to be particularly standardized. That being said, I think more often than not NUTs at bariatric clinics at least agree on lots of Protein and Water. I have a pretty balanced one who feels that healthy carbs are fine and don't need to be limited as long as you get protein in. The idea is that it isn't possible to overeat carbs if you are actually getting the amount of protein in that they say. Also, it is important to eat fruits and vegetables, both of which have carbs, to have a nutrient rich diet. I am suspicious of any NUT who says no to all carbs and any NUT that says bread and Pasta are okay, especially in the beginning.

[Babbs 14,681]

I've done this all without using any kind of NUT post surgery. I find the bariatric forums much more informative.

[Rizzle01 54]

My nutritionist means well but I don't think he has ever struggled with weight and he has given me some pretty inaccurate information. What he tells me and what the my doctor tells me are two rather different things. It is hard to tell when he is correct or not now. To top things off the person I was working with went on military leave a week before my surgery and has never answered my emails since then. He gave me a number of someone else I could talk to but I don't feel like starting over from ground zero with another nutritionist. I feel like I am mostly on my own.

Edited July 19, 2015 by Rizzle01

[OutsideMatchInside 10,166]

Nutritionist/dietitians as a whole are hacks. Sorry. That is how I feel about them. Most of them just repeat the food pyramid or whatever they have been told.

That being said at a bariatric center of excellence, they have most knowledge, are specifically trained in this area and know what works best for patient outcomes.

I do think they include too many carbs, but I have been and off and on low carber for years. I know that most carbs are a trigger for me so I avoid them.

A lot of people would entirely avoid the whole thing if they thought they could never have carbs again. Some people just can't function like that, but they can control themselves maybe. It seems like they design these plans to make them appealing to most people but when you talk to them one and on one and tell them your personal concerns they will easily tailor something to your needs.

It is really just about finding what works for you. I have a whole book on what to eat and not to eat, There are some things I am ignoring because they are triggers for me, but I am not stepping outside the weekly limitations either.

I think people just need to apply some common sense to these recommendations so they work for you and your needs.

[SkinnyDown 409]

I kept getting shuffled around to different NUTs through the entire process. Some were leaving, new one's coming in. So I don't feel I got any solid information or formed a good connection with anyone where nutrition was concerned. The NP is always better for me to talk to, than anyone. I have a new NUT now, who is fresh and new, and tells me, "we don't count carbs" and we want you off all Protein shakes. Well, not counting carbs....that's kind of how I got here to begin with. I count carbs, calories and Protein and see how I am doing at the end of the day.

[James Marusek 5,244]

I trust my nutritionist. They are specialized towards bariatric surgery. When you consider that there are two phases to bariatric weight loss surgery - the losing phase and the maintenance phase. I found their advice spot on when it came to the weight loss phase. But after you reach the maintenance phase, I don't observe a well defined plan in place.

My body changes as I transition through the process. In the beginning fats and sugars were rejected because that portion of my stomach was cut away. But after about a year, my intestines have evolved to process fats and sugars. Therefore what might be good advise at the beginning is bad advice later on.

[DavidK 19]

My nutritionist was in to the whole low carb approach. That wasn't the plan I wanted to go with so I've just been doing my own thing. I just make sure I get enough Protein, take my Vitamins, and then try to focus on things that make me full. My weight loss has been steady so far.

[BLERDgirl 6,417]

I trust mine but I have had several horrible nutritionist in the past. Prior to looking into WLS I saw 3 separate nutritionist. One insane lady kept asking me to eat chicken breast even after I had explained I was vegetarian. The worst one was one I was sent to by my endocrinologist. Once she started telling people it was okay to drink diet soda, I knew I was done with her. I then saw a holistic nutritionist who I really liked. Unfortunately her practice was nearly 2 hours away and she was too pricey for my budget.

Finding a program that was willing to actually have a conversation with me about food options and work with my allergies & vegetarianism was a deal breaker. I don't like to eat a lot of processed and artificial foods no matter what the calorie count. I needed someone who understood and could accept that. If I felt that wasn't going to happen I would have kept researching programs. I do think you we need to take some responsibility and do a little research on our own, but I expected to have a reasonable conversation with my nutritionist. I like and trust the person I have now, but I understand why many don't.

Speaking for my self, I am limited in what knowledge I can share in an online forum. When someone post that they aren't losing but they are following a good eating plan, however they also have medical issues, I think the wise thing to do is direct them to their medical team or nutritionist. It's not a cop out, it's just understanding the limitations of how much support you can provide in an online forum like this.

[OutsideMatchInside 10,166]

Speaking for my self, I am limited in what knowledge I can share in an online forum. When someone post that they aren't losing but they are following a good eating plan, however they also have medical issues, I think the wise thing to do is direct them to their medical team or nutritionist. It's not a cop out, it's just understanding the limitations of how much support you can provide in an online forum like this.

This is a really important point. I see so many people asking questions that should be answered by their Drs office. It seems like a lot of people are having surgery done places where they don't have the full long term support of the Dr and the office. Even if I don't think everything my Dr office says is absolutely right in all cases, I know I can call and get answers to my questions.

After reading WLS forums for years, it seems like there are a lot of doctors that are just in it for the quick money. There are so many people that have surgery and just seem lost without any direct. It makes me incredibly sad that so many people are taken advantage of when they are vulnerable and need help.

[B-52 7,113]

The ones I had to use for my surgery where no help at all.....it was the same old thing I have heard time and time again, right from the book......and they were asking me about Bariatric Surgery.

I see a lot of patients in my job, and more common than not we get stumped as to why a patient is gaining so much weight...going through the patients file, we see a NUT/Dietician has put the patient on an appropriate diet...a diet for a normal healthy person should follow, right from the book, very standard.......however there are people who have various disorders and/or are on certain medications.....you can't follow the book with everyone.

I feel the same way about people who have undergone WLS....a standard plan right from the book is NOT for everyone...people are different. And lets face it, if you qualify for WLS, you are not normal/healthy....

[SoulGlo 75]

I kept getting shuffled around to different NUTs through the entire process. Some were leaving, new one's coming in. So I don't feel I got any solid information or formed a good connection with anyone where nutrition was concerned. The NP is always better for me to talk to, than anyone. I have a new NUT now, who is fresh and new, and tells me, "we don't count carbs" and we want you off all Protein shakes. Well, not counting carbs....that's kind of how I got here to begin with. I count carbs, calories and Protein and see how I am doing at the end of the day.

My NUT was ridiculous. She had no knowledge of WLS and she tried hawking her MLM Vitamin catalog on me.

I saw her the required amount of times, assembled nutritious portions of plastic veggies and meats on a plastic tray under her direction for 15 minutes and was approved for competency.

My surgeon and his NP were my sources for diet and follow up meal plans. I loved my NP. She was helpful, knowledgable and in tune with my process.

Forgive my ignorance but what's a NP?