If You're Told, "I want you to see a nutritionist."...

...during your psych evaluation.  Does that mean you HAVE to go see one before surgery and/or does that hold up your surgical consult or the surgery itself???

I was told that drinking diet soda, even though I only drink it on the weekends and mixing small amounts of canned pineapple with my small portioned low-fat cottage cheese was bad. Other than that I have been dieting so nothing else regarding my eating habits was critiqued.

I also told him I was aware that I couldn't drink soda after surgery so that wasn't an issue.

He said that he wanted me to see a nutritionist during my evaluation...I wasn't given a script  to see a nutritionist yet or anything...just curious.

The doc himself was pretty nice...kinda surprised at that after reading some bad experiences with him on here. 

im pretty sure your talking about the same psych i saw...
he said that to me too...
he will send his report to your doctor and they will tell you that before your first consult, you will have to see a nutritionist...
thats how it happened for me at least --- should add a couple more weeks to your journey -- not a big deal!!!

I would go to my own primary Dr and ask them to help you find a nutritionist. Or call that Psych Dr back and have them mail you a script to see a nutritionist. Yes , i would say you do need to see a nutritionist during this evaluation / pre op testings. Because these DR's ALL look at what you do during the pre op testings to see... If you follow through or not , then they all will approve you through to get the wls surgery. Do what you are told during these testings. Its very important. They document everything. Get in an see a nutritionist. Then have the nutritionist fax over their report on you to the Psych Dr. and to your primary care Dr. and also have them mail the report to these Dr's as well. So they BOTH have the report on you and no one can say .... this person didn't follow through on their pr op testings. Get it done asap. Good luck to you :-)

Lizzy

AS FAR AS I KNOW, ALMOST EVERY SURGEON SEND YOU TO A NUTRITIONIST
I DON'T KNOW OF ANY THAT DOESN'T.

I just made an appointment with a NUT my surgeon's office recommended for next month.  Hopefully that will go well and there are no other roadblocks for a surgical consultation.

Its very common (I dunno about 100% of the time, but probably 99% lol) that you are required to have at least one consult with a nutritionist as part of your pre-op work-up. As for the psych being the one to tell you this - my surgeon warned me that psych will ask, and when giving me a list of doctors he wanted me to see, he strongly suggested that I see the nutritionist before the psych, and the rest of the docs in any order I chose. So I did that, and was approved my psych with no problems/suggestions etc.
seeing a nutritionist will definitely help you, especially for the post-op part. I thought I knew alot about diets, foods, calories, etc., but I am soooo glad I had that NUT consult! (lol, even if I had to pay $125 for it, as my insurance didn't cover it)
good luck!

they will usually require you to have several nutritional counselings as well as a psych exam before they will even consider you. They have to know that you are prepared for the change and that you know how to eat properly. You cant have soda afterwards because the gas will expand the pouch and stretch out the new stomach and you dont want to do that. The NUT will go over all of that with you. The surgery isnt a magic bullet you have to want to use it as a means to a new lifestyle. If you get the surgery and keep eating the same old way you are wasting your effort.

Several?

I don't know about that...it depends on the doctors involved and their opinion of you.  Each doctor and insurance company has their own rules.

As stated in my original post, I know that you can't drink soda after surgery.  I was being honest with the doctor by telling him I currently drink diet soda a couple of times on the weekend.

I know the surgery involves a lifestyle change but I don't think I personally need several sessions of nutritional counseling before I should be allowed to have a surgical consultation. 

I've been thinking about having surgery for at least a couple of years now like any weight loss program, I know that you can't eat the same old way as before.

Not everyone has to see a nut. I had the same psych as wildchild and was not required. I'm not sure but I don't drink pop so maybe that was why? I also gave him a run down of my daily diet based on the WW diet I as following at the tim.
Good luck with that. Just get it out of the way asap!

My surgeon has a Nut at his practice and I had to see the nut as part of the doc's requirements.  It's a good thing.