any success with a nutritionist? - JP Fitness Forums

liftintexas · 02-12-2008, 02:50 PM

I shouldn't have bumped an old thread (Persnal Trainer or Nutritionist) because it wasn't exactly on point to what I was asking - sorry.

So, I'll try a new post. Anyone ever used a sports nutritionist? If so, did you find him/her to be helpful? Offered more advice and help than what you could get on your own by reading articles, books, etc.?

thanks!

JoshDunn · 02-12-2008, 05:27 PM

The problem with books is that anyone can write one about anything. The internet is worse still. Most common with forums and things like that is they worship a particular persons views on nutrition whether they be good or bad, research backed or the author simply had success with that method or even worse just wanted to sell another book.

I'd say working with a nutritionist would trump any book/ internet post by a long shot.

But then again I am interested in science and not blindly following some fools advice.

kfisherx · 02-12-2008, 05:39 PM

I would be curious to know this too. I have never had a nutritionist but would possibly like to hire one for some advice. I don't think I need a lot but just to answer some of the questions I have would be nice.

Frank.S · 02-12-2008, 08:20 PM

I consulted my schools 'dietitian' last year, after telling her my goals, what ive done in the past, etc.. she came up with something along the lines of:

m1
honey nut cheereos with skim milk
apple

m2
granola bar
veggies

m3
salad with light dressing
orange juice

m4
glass of milk
tuna or chicken
rice

what a dietary genius!

there is so much good free info out there, on this forum etc that its not really worth it for 99% of people unless you need a very specialized plan such as a bodybuilder prepping for a show imo.

RobLL · 02-12-2008, 10:17 PM

A lof of nutritionists still buy into the old food pyramid and will low fat high carb you. I had that happen to me when I talked with a hospital diabetes educator who was just sure that if I ate more carbs my blood sugars would come down. Fortunately she was very young and I was feeling grandfatherly, and I listened patiently and thanked her for all her good advice. She sounded very sween and sincere. And RAN in the opposite direction.

THEBEAST · 02-13-2008, 04:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Frank.S

I consulted my schools 'dietitian' last year, after telling her my goals, what ive done in the past, etc.. she came up with something along the lines of:

m1
honey nut cheereos with skim milk
apple

m2
granola bar
veggies

m3
salad with light dressing
orange juice

m4
glass of milk
tuna or chicken
rice

what a dietary genius!

there is so much good free info out there, on this forum etc that its not really worth it for 99% of people unless you need a very specialized plan such as a bodybuilder prepping for a show imo.

Thats gotta be the worst diet yet!

Kirjava · 02-13-2008, 06:05 AM

Once I went to a nutritionist when I was concerned about my growing weight, even though I was very active and ate healthfully.
She told me to snack on baby carrots.
"Well I do, sometimes...."
"Then you should cut them into narrower strips."

That being said, I am sure there are some great ones out there who could really help you out a lot....the difficulty might be in finding one.

liftintexas · 02-13-2008, 06:50 AM

All excellent points. the cheerios story and baby carrot stories made me laugh.

I had been referred to a guy who is very specialized in sports nutrition and works with athletes, body builders, and others looking to add size naturally. Just considering, but agree very, very different than the random nutritionist pulling out the ole' food pyramid!

dmw · 02-13-2008, 07:48 AM

I was very fortunate to have access to a girl finishing her Masters and she was interning at the University's gym I used to go to and offered nutritional consultations for free. She didn't really tell me anything I couldn't find elsewhere, but it did kickstart results that I've gotten lately after stalling for a long time.

She was very excited to work with someone who wanted to gain weight / muscle since she had studied it quite a bit but not as many people want to do that as lose weight.

The biggest thing she had me do was track protein intake. To look for it in everything I ate and write it down and try to hit a target every day. This grew into tracking food on fitday (which I found out about here) etc. and finally led to gains.

I didn't have to have her to make progress, but it helped in my case.

liftintexas · 02-13-2008, 08:22 AM

there's a nutritionist on staff at the gym, and apparently one session is free with him/her. I'm not sure that would be all that worthwhile. The nutritionist recommended to me charges per session but has an excellent, national reputation. Just have to weigh whether it's worth the $$

Tom@foresight · 02-14-2008, 05:45 AM

Hi All,

I tkink it depends on where you are at with your training. If you are the kind of person who reads up on different ideas and can research the material yourself then you would not need to consult a nutritionist.

However if you are at the start of your training or totally not into researching teh subject (for whatever reason) then you would be better having someone to kick start and guide you through the vast amounts of information out there!

TOM

Kirjava · 02-14-2008, 06:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by liftintexas

there's a nutritionist on staff at the gym, and apparently one session is free with him/her. I'm not sure that would be all that worthwhile. The nutritionist recommended to me charges per session but has an excellent, national reputation. Just have to weigh whether it's worth the $$

Maybe you could ask for references to find out people's direct experiences OR have a 15 min free chat to see if this person will offer you anything new?

liftintexas · 02-14-2008, 08:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kirjava

Maybe you could ask for references to find out people's direct experiences OR have a 15 min free chat to see if this person will offer you anything new?

all excellent points - thanks to everyone.

this guy is recommendly highly from bodybuilders and professional athlete. Maybe he can help a commoner like me, too!

Frank.S · 02-14-2008, 10:58 AM

just because someone works with bodybuilders and pro athletes, doesnt really mean that much. There is alot of 'bro' science out there, bodybuilders in general are the worst for following it too. Ive seen contest prep diets, with less then 1% of cals comming from fat, because, fat makes you fat.. hah.

Tracking portion sizes and stuff, leave that for the very advanced trainees. Its just doesnt have to be as complex as many of us make it out to be. If you just want to get to 8-12% bf with some half decent muscle, it just takes a half decent plan and consistancy.

Deserve · 02-14-2008, 11:18 AM

Lift,

It probably wouldn't hurt you to see one for free but I bet with some basic slike tracking your food on fitday and some primers from the Berardi articles for targets and macro break down you could be on your way for the low low price of free.

I'd be willing to guess that your issue like most of us is that you don't eat enough.

dmw · 02-14-2008, 02:09 PM

You're right Deserve. And Barardi articles are great. That said, a girl helped me get started. Maybe it was because she was hot.