Just got off the phone with my nutritionist and she didn't help me at all.

For those of you who have been following my posts, you know I had some questions for her.

I asked her if I had to keep drinking 8 cups of water per day and let her know that I had to cut down to 6 because I get way too full even at this stage (9 months out), and then can't eat, and am losing more weight and can not maintain. Her answer was "Yes you have to drink 8 cups (64 oz.) of water per day".

Then I asked if other liquids count towards the goal. Her answer was, "Yes, and you have to drink 8 cups of water per day also." Well that makes no sense.

I then asked what could I do to gain a few lbs. Her answer was to "drink full fat milk, eat nuts, Peanut Butter or Almond Butter". I told her that I eat those things everyday, but can not drink milk due to lactose intolerance. Then she says, "Ok so eat yogurt, cottage cheese, and cheese". I told her that I can not do that because those things are dairy. So then she tells me to drink whole milk, instead of my almond milk.

By now I am ready to start yelling at her. I know she wasn't paying attention to me.

Then she tells me to eat more often, so I tell her that I already eat 5-6 times a day to which she tells me that I should be eating 5-6 times a day. LOL I give up. WTF lady?

She also told me I should be having more protein so I tell her about my constipation issues and that I already eat 90-100 grams of protein a day. I let her know that the doc says I need to cut back a little bit on this, and she tells me that I should be drinking protein water. OMG!! Whatever.

So now I am just going to have to do it my way, and see whatever works for me. I am going to cut back my water intake to 4 cups a day so I am not so full, and hopefully can eat more. I also will cut my protein down. I don't know what else to do at this point. I need to be able to eat more so I can put some weight back on.

Any advice would be wonderful. Thanks

6 minutes ago, lizonaplane said:

Bada beans are something I ordered from Amazons. I had had something similar I got from a grocery store or trader joe's one time, but I've also had toasted chickpeas from the grocery store that were flavored and pretty good. The Bada Bean Bada Boom (I looked up the full name) I got are in 100 calorie packs, which works well for me.

I know the nutritionist is from your surgeon's office, but there are other bariatric-focused nutritionists out there. Try a google search or go to a dietitian or nutrition society page and see if you can do a "find a nutritionist in my area" and see if they have a way to select a specialty, or just call a few to see if they have this specialty.

ALso, SX is surgeon.

Thank you very much for that info.

On 6/2/2021 at 9:49 AM, HealthyLifeStyle said:

What is SX? LOL

Surgeon or could me surgery

On 6/1/2021 at 4:56 PM, HealthyLifeStyle said:

This is the nutritionist that is affiliated with my surgeons office so I don't know what else to do? She is the only one I have had for the past 9 months.

I know what else I'd do; I'd talk to the office manager or whomever is in charge and let them know that this nut is not attentive and has recommended you do things that could have serious consequences for your health. You're lactose intolerant and she's recommending you eat things with lactose in them? What's her problem? I mean, I know that eating lactose won't kill you, but what if you had a nut allergy and, because she's inattentive, she recommended swapping to almond milk? OR what if you had a milk allergy, actually allergic to milk protein and not lactose? Her recommendations could make you pretty sick. Sure... if someone has a food allergy you'd hope they'd know better than to follow poor suggestions, but it's easy to assume a medical "expert" knows what they are talking about and therefore choose to take their advice, KWIM?

Also, I know you mentioned that cheese can be constipating for you, but cheeses such as cheddar, Edam, Swiss, mozzarella, brie and feta contain no lactose. Due to the way they are fermented and aged, the lactose is in the whey, not the curd- and these cheeses are low in whey content.

Yes she is not listening to you, I would try to get another one. I don’t think mine is terribly bright either, but it also their education and training is out of date. I do think you need to follow the guidelines as far as water goes. The #1 cause of re-hospitalization is dehydration. Maybe you could just drink an ounce of liquid every 10 minutes and that will help you tolerate it better. I wouldn’t worry about loosing to much weight, it’s normal, it’s also normal that you will gain some back after a year or two, so just let it happen. As far as dairy goes our bodies don’t really need dairy, but you do need the protein it provides. Have you tried ISOPURE PROTEIN POWDER (0 carbs)? You can put it on or in anything, one scoop is 29 grams of protein, you can spread out through the day. Even if you just sprinkle some on whatever your eating will give you extra protein. I have problems with constipation too and it is perfectly safe to put MiraLAX in some water everyday which will eventually keep things moving.

Edited July 1, 20215 yr by Stacy2637
Wanted to add advice to take MiraLAX.

On 6/1/2021 at 4:43 PM, HealthyLifeStyle said:

Any advice would be wonderful. Thanks

Can you switch nutritionist? Find a new one?

If not can you email your nutritionist so she has to see the questions (clearly written) and respond appropriately?

This is helpful if someone speaks too fast, speaks too soft, overtalks others, speaks with an accent, tends to speak in “stream of consciousness style”, etc.

Good Luck ❤️

Edited July 2, 20215 yr by GreenTealael

Have you tried milk like Fairlife? Lactose Free and high in protein. It was on the list provided by my nutritionist for protein supplements.
My nutritionist is same in that all fluids count. I use an app called Waterlama. Makes it more fun to track my fluid intake (and easy with Apple Watch app & widget. It counts fluid, but will for example only count a protein shake as 80% hydration, coffee as 60%. So you still get credit, just not full credit.

To prevent constipation I was instructed to use Benefiber.

Oh that’s a bummer she wouldn’t help you! You should probably talk to your surgeon and ask if they can have another nutritionist they could recommend.
Maybe try thicker soups as a substitution to water? That way you get liquid and food at the same time?
Wishing you the best!

Cook with fat- coconut oil, avocado oil. Try adding fatter meat choices, starchy vegetables like parsnips, winter squash, potatoes, etc. Can you tolerate nuts - cashews will help with constipation and are high in fat. Full fat mayo.

I agree that your NUT is not listening. I also agree to get her advice in an email, just email her and ask for clarification because she told you so much and you can't recall all of her recommendations regarding the dairy since you are lactose intolerant and need to know how to end the weight loss phase Then reiterate this to the office manger.

Also do not be too concerned about going below goal because there can be a 10-15 pound bounce especially in year three.

Edited July 11, 20215 yr by Sosewsue61

I swear some nutritionalists just read from the one help sheet like first level tech support ?. They can’t answer your question if it isn’t on their formulaic answer sheet. No help for individual needs.

I was lactose sensitive until my surgery (the parasite causing it was removed with most of my tummy - whoo hoo). I still drink lactose free milk - it’s very similar to ordinary milk in texture & flavour & has extra long use by dates which I appreciate. Try some lactose free yoghurt & cheese - there are a few brands about you could try.

Watch increasing your calories by increasing your fat & oil consumption too much or watch the types you add to your diet. You don’t want to increase your cholesterol. Try increasing your fruit & vegetable consumption & add good whole/multi grain carbs. Add some nuts.

I think as I’ve told you before, I struggled to stop losing too. Others have too. I ate three meals a day plus 5-6 snacks. I swear I was eating all day long but I tried to ensure the snacks were nutritionally sound. It took a year for my weight to stabilise. I still snack about 4 times a day as I walk a fine line of gain or lose. I wasn’t too concerned while I was still losing because of that potential bounce back gain. Also my portion sizes are larger than what they were at 12 months so that helps keep my calories up too so that will likely happen for you too.

Give yourself & your body time to settle. Your new set point may be lower than what you expected. And don’t worry if you think you look too thin or gaunt - this changes too once you stabilise. At 18 months, people would say I looked terrible & should stop losing (my uncle told my mother I looked like death). Now those people tell me how great I look.

I hope you can find a more supportive & helpful nutritionalist or dietician.