Had an appt with my Dietician and I am so peeved!

[AmberFL 813]

Had an appt with my Dietician and I am so irritated, like so bothered! I told her that I weight train 6x a week on top of cardio 6x a week. Went over how much I ate and what type of foods and she told me I am eating too much Protein, and I need to stop drinking my proffee in the morning only have Decaf coffee.

She said I need to eat under 100g of protein even though I am weight training. I could not respond, I am not trying to be thin my goal is to get fit and shapely which is why I weight train. My Multivitamins I have to adjust which I knew I needed to.

I feel so discouraged by what she said, she told me that the 1000 cal is "ok". I asked what that meant, she said I am on the higher scale of what I should eat at 5months post op, I told her but I workout for an hour plus a day? If I ate less I would pass out from exhaustion. My post surgeon team completely left me to figure this all out on my own. I was supposed to have a 6 week and 3 month group appt which she asked why I didn't attend....I told her because your team never called me to set them up and I didn't know that was even a thing. So I have been on my own since week 2. I thought I was kicking ass and taking names, now I am so bummed.

Just venting

[NickelChip 1,254]

I have to be honest about my experience so far with dietitians, and with post-bariatric advice and counseling in general. If you ask 100 dietitians what we are supposed to be doing, you will get 101 different responses. And if you ask them a second time, you will probably get even more. Too much Protein, not enough protein, carbs are the devil, carbs are fine, low fat, don't worry about fat, count calories, only count macros, work out more, don't exercise too much...

You've lost over 100 pounds. You are 12.8 pounds from your goal at only 5 months post-op, work out 6 days a week, and look and feel great. You seem really happy. I fail to see why you should change anything if you are happy with your results, unless you think the advice will benefit you. You know your body and what works for you, and unless your dietitian is a bariatric patient, she's never been through what you are doing first hand.

Take what she says with a grain of salt, except salt is bad, unless it isn't because electrolytes are good...who knows?

[ms.sss 15,664]

1 hour ago, NickelChip said:

I have to be honest about my experience so far with dietitians, and with post-bariatric advice and counseling in general. If you ask 100 dietitians what we are supposed to be doing, you will get 101 different responses. And if you ask them a second time, you will probably get even more. Too much Protein, not enough Protein, carbs are the devil, carbs are fine, low fat, don't worry about fat, count calories, only count macros, work out more, don't exercise too much...

You've lost over 100 pounds. You are 12.8 pounds from your goal at only 5 months post-op, work out 6 days a week, and look and feel great. You seem really happy. I fail to see why you should change anything if you are happy with your results, unless you think the advice will benefit you. You know your body and what works for you, and unless your dietitian is a bariatric patient, she's never been through what you are doing first hand.

Take what she says with a grain of salt, except salt is bad, unless it isn't because electrolytes are good...who knows?

love this spot on answer.

not totally proud of this, but i often treated my NUT like a child that needed to be placated. i let her say her peace and nod and say ok and then just left. she often had so much (unuseful) things to say that sometimes i just wanted to pat her on the head and say "good girl" for her (unuseful) efforts.

you totally figured out a winning strategy already (with zero help from NUT even), no need the fix what ain't broke. just pat her on the head next time.

[JennyBeez 287]

Keep in mind that most nutritionists, it's their job to tell you to stay within certain limits that were decided by prior care teams who-knows how many years ago, based on individuals who could be much different than you. Those limits may be absolute BS, but they have to cover their own ass and give you these 'healthy guidelines'.

In my care team, I have three different nutritionists I've seen so far. One of them seems very open, very with it, and all her advice so far has been really helpful. The other two have been absolutely useless. (Ironically, one is constantly looking at my food logs and saying things like "and where do you see that you could have added more Protein here" even though I'm usually already in the 80-100g range -- and I DO NOT work out)

For what it's worth, I think you're doing exceedingly well. Every time I see you post around here, I pay attention because you really seem to be in tune with your own body. If you're not having any protein over-consumption symptoms and your labs are good, I would take what's useful from the NUT and throw the rest away.

(Are they sending you for bloodwork routinely, or has that fallen through the cracks too?)

[SleeverSk 635]

6 hours ago, ms.sss said:

love this spot on answer.

not totally proud of this, but i often treated my NUT like a child that needed to be placated. i let her say her peace and nod and say ok and then just left. she often had so much (unuseful) things to say that sometimes i just wanted to pat her on the head and say "good girl" for her (unuseful) efforts.

you totally figured out a winning strategy already (with zero help from NUT even), no need the fix what ain't broke. just pat her on the head next time.

Why pay good money to see the NUT is that's how you feel about them (although I am guessing you no longer go)? I stopped after my 3rd or 4 th appointment after I realised, she wasn't telling me anything I didn't already know. To The OP if you're not happy with what she is telling you and you are doing well on your own don't waste your money or time on appointments you don't need.

[SleeveToBypass2023 2,637]

I think in the last 2 years I talked to my nutritionist 3 times. And that was because I had to. It was included with the surgeries and she worked in my surgeon's office. She's nice and helped me come up with some cool recipes, but that's really it. I stayed mostly within the surgeon's dietary recommendations, but as time went on, I learned what my body likes and dislikes.

For example, I'm extremely sensitive to carbs but not at all to sugar. I still stay away from sugar for the most part, but I'm not afraid of it like I was. I won't turn something away if it has sugar, but I typically go sugar free as much as I can. As for carbs, I use to do Keto, so I was ok with low carb meals (I would have maybe 60-80 carbs per day). Now, though, I can't have more than 25 without feeling sick. On heavy workout days, I tend to go higher (45-50) but I pay for it because, again, I'm SUPER sensitive to them now.

I respond well to high Protein, moderate healthy fats, and high Fiber foods. I'd say just do what you're doing, ignore the nutritionist, and keep kicking ass and taking names. You're doing AWESOME, so don't worry about the rest of it.

[SecretAgentDD 50]

On 6/13/2024 at 6:35 PM, AmberFL said:

Had an appt with my Dietician and I am so irritated, like so bothered! I told her that I weight train 6x a week on top of cardio 6x a week. Went over how much I ate and what type of foods and she told me I am eating too much Protein, and I need to stop drinking my proffee in the morning only have Decaf coffee.

She said I need to eat under 100g of Protein even though I am weight training. I could not respond, I am not trying to be thin my goal is to get fit and shapely which is why I weight train. My Multivitamins I have to adjust which I knew I needed to.

I feel so discouraged by what she said, she told me that the 1000 cal is "ok". I asked what that meant, she said I am on the higher scale of what I should eat at 5months post op, I told her but I workout for an hour plus a day? If I ate less I would pass out from exhaustion. My post surgeon team completely left me to figure this all out on my own. I was supposed to have a 6 week and 3 month group appt which she asked why I didn't attend....I told her because your team never called me to set them up and I didn't know that was even a thing. So I have been on my own since week 2. I thought I was kicking ass and taking names, now I am so bummed.

Just venting

My Gosh! Look at how far you have come. Seriously, it's AMAZING!

To second what everyone else has said, it sounds like you have your sh*t together here. You're on it. You ARE kicking butt and taking names. You're tearing it up. Why on earth would she tell you to change things? You sound like the poster child for success stories.

I do understand following orders, but I also understand that no one knows you better than you. What you are doing is working beautifully. Please don't feel discouraged. You should feel proud and amazing of what you have done. Working out that much has to make you feel so great and you DO need fuel for that.

Sometimes I think dieticians may be afraid of the "slippery slope" of things and forewarn us about things that might never apply to us. Like others have said, she tells you what she "has to" but again, what you are doing is clearly working!

You have to find your own path and find a way to make this life change work for you, permanently. It's not her life. Trust in yourself and enjoy your progress. You have so much to be proud of.

[Arabesque 7,332]

Sometimes I think they talk from a standardised sheet (like help desk support). There are good ones around though there are a lot that aren’t.

Mine didn’t even weigh me & as a didn’t have to track my intake just took my word for what I ate. She did come out with some interesting & helpful tidbits now & again. I did a lot of my own reading & then would have questions to ask her & would ask for alternative food sources, strategies, etc. Looking back I guess I was advocating for myself & taking control of the appointment & the direction it went in.

Maybe find a dietician vs a nutritionalist (a dietician is more qualified & specialised than a nut).

And if they tell you to do or change something ask why & what are the benefits for you specifically not a generic justification.

Good luck.

[ms.sss 15,664]

7 hours ago, SleeverSk said:

Why pay good money to see the NUT is that's how you feel about them (although I am guessing you no longer go)? I stopped after my 3rd or 4 th appointment after I realised, she wasn't telling me anything I didn't already know. To The OP if you're not happy with what she is telling you and you are doing well on your own don't waste your money or time on appointments you don't need.

i wasn't paying for my REQUIRED nutritionist appointments. my whole WLS was covered by provincial insurance and it was just something i was told i had to do, so i did. all my NUT appointments were on the same days/times as my followups with my surgeon and lab appointments so it wasn't too much of an inconvenience since i was already there...just annoying really.

i saw my nutritionist for about 15 or so appts over 5 years. once my surgeon follow ups were done, so were my NUTs (thank goodness!).

didn't even occur to me that i should just skip these appts!

[JennyBeez 287]

On 6/14/2024 at 11:22 PM, Arabesque said:

And if they tell you to do or change something ask why & what are the benefits for you specifically not a generic justification.

Ooh, yes -- this!! I like this energy.

[JennyBeez 287]

On 6/14/2024 at 11:54 PM, ms.sss said:

i wasn't paying for my REQUIRED nutritionist appointments. my whole WLS was covered by provincial insurance and it was just something i was told i had to do, so i did.

Same here! I'm in Ontario (Canada), and for my provincial insurance to cover everything I have to go to all mandated appointments and follow-ups as scheduled.

Honestly? Sometimes the feeling I get from my care-team in general is that they deal with a lot of people who don't pay attention in the pre-op classes, who don't read up with the handouts let alone do any of their own research. I feel like most of my care-team just assumes they're catering to the lowest denominator -- because as soon as I open my mouth they seem surprised I could follow along, let alone ask any detailed questions. And TBH, if I had to deal day in and out with people who couldn't follow even the basic instructions, I'd probably be telling them (by rote) the easiest, simplest, generic batches of information. It's not fair to the individual, but I can totally see someone's passion being drained out after dealing with everyday ignorance.

[AmberFL 813]

Thank you all for making me feel justified! I have an appt with my surgeon today and plan on speaking to him in regards to her comments. Also talking to him about goal weights and such. I felt like I self sabotaged this weekend. I didn't eat terrible but I didn't eat great either. We were so busy, I grazed. still tracked it but didn't sit and eat a meal which of course made me graze. But today is a new day!

[JeninBelg 4]

On 6/14/2024 at 1:35 AM, AmberFL said:

Had an appt with my Dietician and I am so irritated, like so bothered! I told her that I weight train 6x a week on top of cardio 6x a week. Went over how much I ate and what type of foods and she told me I am eating too much Protein, and I need to stop drinking my proffee in the morning only have Decaf coffee.

She said I need to eat under 100g of Protein even though I am weight training. I could not respond, I am not trying to be thin my goal is to get fit and shapely which is why I weight train. My Multivitamins I have to adjust which I knew I needed to.

I feel so discouraged by what she said, she told me that the 1000 cal is "ok". I asked what that meant, she said I am on the higher scale of what I should eat at 5months post op, I told her but I workout for an hour plus a day? If I ate less I would pass out from exhaustion. My post surgeon team completely left me to figure this all out on my own. I was supposed to have a 6 week and 3 month group appt which she asked why I didn't attend....I told her because your team never called me to set them up and I didn't know that was even a thing. So I have been on my own since week 2. I thought I was kicking ass and taking names, now I am so bummed.

Just venting

You are 4 lbs away from your goal weight so you are doing great for my two cents how are you feeling with all of that exercise- do you feel great? do you have the time? - if you feel like it is too much or are exhausted, my trainer says focus on training heavy for fewer reps but that is just his two cents really

[AmberFL 813]

1 hour ago, JeninBelg said:

You are 4 lbs away from your goal weight so you are doing great for my two cents how are you feeling with all of that exercise- do you feel great? do you have the time? - if you feel like it is too much or are exhausted, my trainer says focus on training heavy for fewer reps but that is just his two cents really

I feel great! I have scaled back a touch since this post. I will lift heavier with less reps, wont do as many sets. I am getting bored so I am adding F45 workouts on Fridays to my routine. Then not lifting on Sundays just going for a run or a long walk with my kids. I am finding having two full rest days of weights is helping. The time is there, but if I workout at the end of my day I am finding that I am more frustrated with a full gym, lots of kids, ppl who are on their phone hogging the weights. So I have been working out from home on those days, and I seem to enjoy it more. I stick to 1hour of traditional gym workout and then I walk or run on my lunch break at work for 30min M-F.

[Lilia_90 491]

The first time I saw my nutritionist was a few days post op and I knew then and there that I won't be seeing her again.

She wasn't bad and didn't say anything that was discouraging, but it was obvious I had much more knowledge about health and diet than her ( I am a certified nutritionist and personal trainer).

I managed my diet and actually visited my surgeon quite often to address the rapid weight loss and he had a lot of wisdom and great advise to share. Nobody will know your body like you, you could be eating 200 grams of carbs a day and still lose weight, you could also eat 60 grams and not lose much. No two people are the same, and looking at how successful you have been so far and how you have built good habits for yourself, I am more than sure that you will continue to be successful in the long run.