Do you see a nutritionist on a regular basis? If so, are you finding it helpful or do you do it simply because your surgeon requires it?

If not, do you feel like you understand nutrition enough to monitor your own diet? Does your surgeon not require it for fills? Do you attend monthly seminars and feel like you get enough information there?

I would really appreciate your thoughts and experiences about this topic. Thanks!

my surgeon's team offers a once monthly support meeting for post op folks. everyone (whether they are lapband, sleeve, or gastric bypass) is welcome to attend. the nutritionist is there and so it the therapist. i haven't gone to one yet but i am going to give them a try and see what i think about them. i know some folks never go to them after getting past the "have to" appts pre and post banding but i think i might like the ongoing support. not sure til i try it though.

my first post op appointment is tomorrow and i have to go to "classes" before the actual dr visit. i think those are going to be more nutritionist classes for preparing for the mushie stage! yay!

i personally find the meeting with the nutritionist and therapist helpful so far.

My doctor has nutrition/exercise seminars every three months or so for the first year post-op. They are "required," but in all honesty, the nurse coordinator reports that, after the first one, attendance really tapers off.

They sometimes involve just the coordinator, and other times the dietitian. And no, they are not valuable to me in terms of content--not at all. I do eat the way my surgeon recommends (though I bump up my Protein a little more than he outlines)---but once I learned what those recommendations were, the real learning stopped. I have not gleaned anything from the classes that I did not already know. (And, in fact, the dietitian has been known to give inaccurate information. Nothing glaringly horrendous, just little things that sort of undermine credibility. Like, "Butter and oils are all 100 calories per teaspoon." If said once, this would be just a mistake. When said repeatedly over more than one session, it makes it harder to accept other information given. (They are around 100 calories per tablespoon and 33 calories per teaspoon. Again, not huge--but just one example that makes me tend to just smile and nod at what she has to offer.)

That said, I do like the camaraderie with the group of patients banded at the same time I was. The support group is larger, and has a different "population." Their input is great, too---but it's nice to touch base with people at the same stage as I. So I go, and enjoy that aspect.

I volunteer in the Nutrition and Diabetes Center of my local hospital and I get to see all types coming in. Really keeps me in the know. I'll be meeting with my NUT one-on-one next week for some meaningful assistance with meal planning. I've gotten such a range of info from my surgical practice that I can't keep it straight!