What is the dumbest thing a nutritionist has told you?

Both the nuts I went to are pretty slim. I kind of wanted to ask if they'd ever been overweight..

Ask! It's key for you to feel they "get you" for them to be able to help. They may mean well but we just don't take advise well from those that have not felt our pain. Don't be shy in asking for someone that has been overweight. It's your journey!

After my revision surgery, my surgeon had me attend the post surgery meeting with the dietitian. His regular dietitian was on maternity leave, so one of the hospital dietitian was leading the class. She was a disaster. First, she told us that she didn't agree with the practice's plan. Second, she told a newly pre-op person that it was ok to take tortillas, spray them with olive oil, bake them and then eat them as a snack with dip. No info as to serving size, etc. No warning that at a week post op, maybe baked tortilla chips were not the best idea. Telling a SMO patient that they can eat chips and dip is about the dumbest thing I've heard.

I have my surgeon's cell phone and as she was talking, I texted him to tell him what was going on. Pretty soon he walked in the room to hear for himself. He was not happy.

I feel like she knew what she was supposed to discuss, but just decided to serve up her own agenda and beliefs to everyone. She has never been in the head of a SMO, if she had been she would know that most of us kill for chips and dip usually. I could devour a bag and a container of dip in a sitting and think nothing of it.

Exactly. It was the one week post surgery class and one of the men who was SMO shot his hand up and asked what he could eat his hummus with because he liked having a snack when he watched TV. Ummmmm how about we break that habit? But no, she suggested homemade tortilla chips. I was done before I walked in since I was already at goal and knew how to eat, but that pushed me over the edge.

I didn't have to see a nutritionist, but my surgeon had me do a session with an NP who had training in nutrition stuff. He knew his stuff, was happy to provide references, and was very compassionate... but he thought I could "just stop thinking about food after surgery." Don't I wish!

So a dietitian has a degree and a nutritionist doesn't, if you're lucky they have a certificate.

The nutritionist I had at my surgeons office was pretty good. Actually give me a lot of useful information. She had me weighing and logging everything I ate. encouraged lots of water, and walking. When I hit a stall she just keep telling me to keep doing what I was doing and that might be all I lose. I didn't like that answer so I hired a dietitian that worked with people after weight-loss surgery. She's the one that sent me to the boards and got me doing low carb. I really sad that she's retiring soon, she's the one that's helped me the most!

Now I switched offices (temporarily due to work and wanting to get into their support group program) and the nutritionist wanted me off a lot of my vitamins, saying my labs were "extremely high". I unfortunately listened and I'm paying for it right now, luckily it's only been about 6 months.

Thankfully, I'll be returning to my surgeons office net month. Hopefully the problems I had with them last year have been resolved with their new office manager.

My surgeons office never even mentioned vitamins to me other than a multivitamin! I had to learn here that I was not getting enough. After reading some things offered up in a post about vitamins I am now taking my calcium, b12, a D3 in liquid form, and iron as well as multivitamin. A far cry from the one a day multi!

Nutritionists and Dieticians either cannot grasp or refuse to accept the needs of a DSer because we break all of the rules and guidelines. Even the AMSBS doesn't get it right for us.

Best horrible advice I've received from nutritionist and my surgeon:

• Eat low fat
• Eat cream of wheat and mashed potatoes for soft food
• Buy these bariatric vitamins to meet all of your needs
• Add an extra 400iu of vitamin D (when levels started dipping)
• Here's a prescription for 50Kiu of D. Take it weekly (when my level tanked despite that extra 400 - prescription D in oil does not work for DSers)
• Add Tums for extra calcium
• You can go toxic taking all of that D and A (my levels were marginal taking 50k iu daily instead of weekly)

Before my vsg I met a nutritionist that told me not to worry about how much I eat or what I actually eat it's about how many times I eat a day. She recommended that I eat at least 5 times a day and that my portion sizes would go down. Hmm not the best advice as I could do pizza for lunch burgers for supper pop tarts for breakfast and still fit chips and snacks in.... God the calories. I eat tiny portions frequently now but I focus on health and what I'm consuming.