Have you ever used a nutritionist? Did they help?
 

I was just curious as to how a nutritionist can help you. In other words I feel like we all know what we should and shouldn't eat. Are they like going to a weight watchers meeting?

Do they order any test to see what your body chemistry is like.
I'me very curious.

I hope someone that has used one and gotten results can shed some light.

I did and no it didn't. I was hoping to discover more information, but she really didn't say anything I didn't already know. She didn't order any tests. I'm pretty sure a nutritionist doesn't have the ability to order blood tests, only docs...but I might be wrong. Maybe someone else will chime in.

She set me up with a meal plan, nothing I haven't already done on my own.
It would have been helpful if I had no or limited knowledge on nutrition.

nutritionist
 

Hmmm that's what I kind of thought.

Right after I posted that I saw this on livestrong.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/81...-nutritionist/

I have used a nutritionist before and it did not help. They are so.. old-fashioned? All they can offer you is textbook information. No tricks, no support. No one knows about nutrition more than those who struggle with weight. I am sorry, but I cannot accept "diet advice" from someone who has never experienced being fat. I always listen to those with success stories and their tips, surprisingly, are the only ones that really work. Support groups? Definitely. A nutritionist? No.

I went to one a few years ago and was very excited about going.
I did not learn anything I did not know --lean protein, lowfat dairy, fruits & veggies.
She said veggies were good for weight loss, and watch fruit due to the sugar. Said for afternoon snack combine fruit with a protein instead of fruit by itself.
She did give me a printout of what a portion serving should look like.
Paid my money, left disappointed and never went back. Same info I can get online! But at least now I know!

And it really depends on who you see - and what model they use.

WHen I had gestational diabetes with my second pregnancy, I was required to see a nutritionalist to stay with the nurse midwifery group I was with AND had ot have near perfect blood sugar readings to stay with them.

The nutritionalist was actually quite good. She told me to eat low carb - not to worry about fats, just to learn what my trigger foods were with blood sugars - testing 7 times a day to figure it out. It helped a LOT and it was my first brush with low carbing that wasn't seen as a "fad diet". This was early 2005.

When my health went kaput in 2010, my doctor again told me to eat low carb. Yet, in 2012 for a weight loss contest I joined they had a nutrition expert work on our eating plan and she said I was eating too much fat. I disagreed. She was "old school" with the whole fat thing.

Calories can come from three places - carbs, proteins and fats. if you lower one, you, by default, have to raise the other one or two. And NOTHING recent is showing fat is bad for you.

So... it depends.

For some people who just don't read or research, they'll find it helpful, but those of us who do? It can even be super frustrating to go.

I went to one several years ago because I have not really lost weight despite staying at a pretty low calorie level for many years. She was a nutritionist/RN and RD who specialized in eating disorders and said that after a refeeding period, I should be able to get to goal.

She put me on an exchange plan of about 1600 calories. I felt like throwing up everyday from the sheer amount of food, so she allowed me to lower it to 1400. I GAINED 15lbs within a few months, but I worked with her for about 9 months thinking that it would eventually work.

After another doctor told me I was obese (with a BMI of 26), I decided to never see the nutritionist again.

I think nutritionists are good for people who have never really thought about what they are eating. I went to a nutritionist as part of a medically supervised weight management program. She gave me a bunch of handouts with the typical approach of lean meats, whole grains, lots of veggies, etc. It was an underwhelming experience. I was sixteen at the time and had already been dieting for years. I knew what calories were and how to read nutrition labels- my mother is big on dieting and had taught me everything she knew.

One of the few beneficial things was that she had me keep a food diary and would go over it with me and help me tweak what I was eating. This was really the only individualized part of what she offered. She would look and see I had only had a 20 oz bottle of soda for breakfast and talk about how I could make improvements.

A nutritionist can really only offer knowledge. He or she can't make you eat better or hit macronutrient targets. If you need more information about nutrition then you may benefit from it.