Nutritionist - VENT

Well, I saw the nutritionist yesterday. She irritated the heck out of me. Sorry to say Its like she would not let me get a word in edgewise! It was frustrating. I got the Protein Lecture the Health in the long run Lecture The chip Lecture, The vitamin Lecture, The weight loss Lecture...you name it it was a lecture. She LOVED to hear herself talk and didnt like to listen. She missed half the stuff I told her and would ask me the same thing later in the conversation. Very frustrating. Mostly everything she said, I already knew. Except one thing. She said not to watch Carbs?? say what? I was like isnt over 40 grams of carbs not really that good. She was like..."absolutely not dont even worry about the carbs!" NOW let me tell you how I got as big as I have: CARBS! pasta bread cakes crap. so that was quite shocking. she stressed the protein again. I told her I slacked this week on protein and was aware and tried to supplement with higher protein foods (in one ear out the other) she was loud and was like WHY ARE YOU SLACKING! I told her that I support my family and didnt have the money to re-stock last week and that I got paid this week and am going to re-fill. She was like "oh thats no excuse and in the long run the bills will be higher so you are just going to have to buy that protein supplement... yatta yatta yatta" Glad shes rich! it was a weird experience. I just looked at her and thought. Is she even listening when I told her I upped my food protein? nope. Just lectured me for like 5-10 min about that. good gravy! All she had to do is look at my food log. Anywhoo I just was so frustrated with the whole situation. She made some good points but it definitely was a one way conversation. Check this out. I am 2 months out and told her I hucked on 3 things in all and it was because I ate too fast (enter the eating too fast lecture) she showed me this chart and was like "here at 1 month out you eat soft foods and so why dont you start with that and work your way up". what? (this after I told her I was 2 months out and could tolerate anything) I was like ... Ummm I'm 2 months out remember? I mentioned that earlier? Then she couldnt admit to being in the wrong and was like Well... anyway it would hurt to switch to soft foods if you are throwing up often... I was like... um no I dont throw up all the time I ate to fast like 3 times on something. GEESH! I wish I could switch nutritionists. She also told me the vitamins I was taking was not good enough & to take hers (she gave me a sample) (plus she didnt even look at my vitamins) turns out... MY vitamins have more of the daily requirements!!! go figure. Please dont think Im saying dont listen to your nutritionist.. DEFINITELY LISTEN. just venting my personal experience. just want to get it off my chest. sorry guys hate to be a downer. but just wanted others experiences...anyone elses nutritionist say don****ch carbs??? Thats my only real worry. Best Wishes Everyone Elizabeth M

Elizabeth, I'm so sorry to here that you'r nutritionist is a puttz! I would talk to my Surgeon and see if he can refer me to differen't one. My nutritionist does agree with the don'****ch your carbs rule. I saw her last Friday for my 1-month check up and I was asking about how much fat should I be taking in, carbs, calories,and protine. She said don't necessarily worry about how much protine just make sure that it is the first thing I eat. She also said at this stage don't worry about the carbs, and fat I can't take in enough to worry about counting it. ( I also have problems with carbs as I am insulin resistant). I should be taking in between 300-500 calories a day and that is the only thing I have to worry about now. Later on when I get closer to my goal weight is when I need to start to worry about the other stuff. I trust my nutritionist so I am going with what she says. Good luck, Leslie

Hmmm sounds messed up to me.....personally I think I would either just venture on my own checking in periodically with my pcp doctor on my food intake or find another nutritionalist...this lady sounds like a kook. I wish you good-luck!!

I've heard the "let's introduce carbs" lecture at 1 month out. My surgeon says no - she says yes - who da ya think I'm gonna listen to - yup - my surgeon! I think that unless you get a nutritionist that really understands bariatric patients and their needs, all you are going to get is the typical weight loss crap. I've stopped going all together. I see my doc at my appts and the bariatric coordinator at the support group mtgs. They tell me what I should and shouldn't be doing, without lecturing. If I were you I would just go with what your surgeon is saying, or find a nutritionist that knows what she/he is talking about. mgm

I really have to say that nutritionists in general are annoying as hell. They are so stuck in the mode of low-fat and high carbs it's ridiculous. I don't expect them to jump on the Atkins bandwagon, but PLEASE....there is no scientifically sound basis for their bias for carbs. When I was pregnant with gestational diabetes, I saw a nutritionist ONCE. I was going to this GD message board and everyone was put on the same ADA diet which was pretty high in carbs. Everyone on that board ended up on insulin. I refused to follow her plan. I told her she was full of crap (in a nicer way, but not by much) and that all those carbs would send anyone straight into shooting insulin with the GD. Well, guess who didn't have to go on insulin? I promptly went to my doc and told him I wouldn't see her again and that I thought she was full of crap. My personal opinion on this situation would be to tell the surgeon you don't like her and want to see someone else or just see him. She sounds like a beeyotch. Dina

My good friend is a former nutritionist. She finally quit because she was so frustrated and is now in nursing school. She said that nutritionists/dieticians are basically required to stay as near to the food pyramid as possible. Creating a "balanced" diet means the same thing for everyone with only slight variations. Well, I know that my body does not use food "normally" that is how I became obese and insulin resistant. So, thank god I don't have to see a nutritionist and I can just follow my doctor's rules. His practice has great success and very few complications so I know I am in good hands. I believe him when he says eat 70% protein, 30% vegetables and avoid carbs because for years I have felt like crap whenever I ate them. I just didn't have the willpower to stop until now thanks to my tool!! Yay! Angela

I was definitely turned off by the whole situation. I felt like she was talking to me as if I was completely stupid. You know the "oh the obese person doesnt have a clue what they are doing" type of attitude. Maybe it was just me being oversensitive but when she asked me to go on soft foods the 1st month out I was like ...hellooooo?? That I guess just set me off. Yeah I am definitely going to be watching my carbs because thats what got me here in the first place. Gotta kick those chips to the curb (even though its only 4 tortilla chips) Elizabeth M

Elizabeth, How frustrating. Yuk My surgeon has two dieticians that do nothing but see bariatric patients. They specialize in this and they say that I mus****ch carbs, but they have not been specific about a number. After the soft protein stage, I was to eat three bites of protein to one bite of something else, whether that was a vegetable to a carb, always making sure that I get the protein in. They don't say no carbs and they're not Nazi's about it, but we're encouraged to read food lables and make lower carb choices. Connie

I don't think much of nutritionists as a group. I don't consider them expert and many of them are way behind the curve and still yammering about food pyramids or exchanges or other crap. My program is integrated with some who do understand bariatric surgery, and I still didn't like the first one I saw. I thought she had NO understanding of the issues and that some of her advice would never work for a person with serious food issues (BTW, the behavioral therapist I see agreed with me). I switched to the other one for some follow up and she was way better. However, I'm relying more on my surgeon's list and this board and what I can read. I think it's more up-to-date. I'm concentrating on protein and, frankly, once I'm past that I can't eat much of anything else at this point. At six months, as far as I can tell, there may be more of a need. What I'm thinking about is building up a recipe repertoire that will be more South-Beachy or high protein/low carb, so that I will enjoy what I eat on a regular basis. At the moment (9 weeks), it's all I can do to make some of the specialized things I see on the board. I'm still not always digesting well and am far from eating a variety of things. I think it will take me 3 more months to get with that. One thing at a time, as they say. If you think it would help, give feedback to your surgeon. Gano